Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival

Overview

The Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival (GAIFF) is Armenia's only internationally recognized film festival. The 22nd edition took place July 13 to 20, 2025, opening with Jafar Panahi's Cannes-winning film "It Was Just an Accident" and closing with the Armenian classic "Last Station" (1994) by Harutyun Khachatryan and Nora Armani. The 23rd edition is scheduled for July 12 to 19, 2026.

The festival is the most significant cinema event in the South Caucasus region. Its stature has grown since the FIAPF suspended the Moscow International Film Festival's accreditation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leaving Golden Apricot as the primary competitive festival in the post-Soviet space. The 2025 edition programmed films that premiered at Cannes, Berlin, and other major festivals, and welcomed guests including Iranian director Amir Naderi and Armenian-American actor Karen Karagulian.

Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan has served as the festival's honorary chairman since 2005. The general director is Harutyun Khachatryan, with Susanna Harutyunyan as artistic director and Mikayel Stamboltsyan as program director. The festival is supported by Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture.

Submission Details

Golden Apricot accepts submissions through FilmFreeway. Key details for the 23rd edition (2026):

Films must have had their first public screening after July 15, 2025 to be eligible for competitive sections. All competition films are screened in their original language with English and Armenian subtitles. The festival does not accept physical delivery formats (hard drives, USBs) for submission screeners. Submissions must be made online via FilmFreeway.

There is no premiere requirement, which means films that have screened at other festivals remain eligible. This is unusual for a competitive festival and makes Golden Apricot accessible to films that have already premiered elsewhere.

Competition Sections and Awards

The festival operates four main competition categories:

• International Feature Film Competition - narrative features 60+ min competing for the Golden Apricot (Best Feature) and Silver Apricot (Special Prize)
• International Documentary Competition - documentary features competing for the Golden Apricot (Best Documentary) and Silver Apricot
• Apricot Stone Short Film Competition - short films competing for the Golden Apricot (Best Short) and Silver Apricot
• Regional Competition - films from the South Caucasus and neighboring regions

Additional awards include the FIPRESCI Prize (awarded by international critics), the Parajanov's Thaler Award for lifetime achievement, and the Gennadi Melkonyan Special Award for short films.

2025 Award Winners

• Golden Apricot (Best Feature): "Fiume or Death" (dir. Igor Bezinovic, Croatia)
• Silver Apricot (Feature): "Holy Electricity" (dir. Tato Kotetishvili)
• Golden Apricot (Best Short): "Mayrenik (Motherland)" (dir. Gor Arushanyan)
• Silver Apricot (Short): "Snake Soup" (dir. Zakar Demirchyan)
• FIPRESCI Prize: "Ayesha Can't Fly Away" (dir. Morad Mostafa, Egypt)
• Regional Competition Golden Apricot: "Hold Your Heart and Walk" (dir. Sepideh Farsi)
• Regional Competition Silver Apricot: "Tehran: An Unfinished Story" (dir. Saeed Nouri)
• Parajanov's Thaler (Lifetime Achievement): Amir Naderi

What Filmmakers Should Know

The $30 submission fee is among the lowest for an internationally competitive festival. The absence of a premiere requirement is a significant advantage for filmmakers whose films have already screened at other festivals but who want access to the South Caucasus audience and regional industry contacts.

Golden Apricot has built relationships with the international film press. The FIPRESCI jury has awarded prizes at the festival, which means selected films receive attention from critics who can influence subsequent festival bookings and distribution interest. The 2025 FIPRESCI prize went to "Ayesha Can't Fly Away" by Egyptian director Morad Mostafa, a film that had also screened at Cannes.

For Armenian and diaspora Armenian filmmakers, the festival provides the primary domestic platform. The festival's programming explicitly includes films by Armenian descent filmmakers, and the regional competition section focuses on South Caucasus cinema. Films addressing Armenian cultural identity, diaspora experience, and regional political themes find particularly engaged audiences.

The festival has historically maintained close ties with Indian cinema. In 2021, the Tamil indie "Pebbles" (Koozhangal) won the top prize. In 2024, the regional jury was headed by Indian-American filmmaker Tarsem Singh. The International Film Festival of Kerala paid tribute to 100 years of Armenian cinema in 2024 with a special program.

Festival History

Golden Apricot was established in 2004 by the "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development and the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture of Armenia. The first edition awarded the Golden Apricot for Best Feature to Atom Egoyan's "Ararat."

In its early years, the festival operated with limited resources. There was no infrastructure for Armenian subtitles, and early screenings were accompanied by live voiceover translation. The festival has since grown in scale and technical capability, now screening films in DCP format with proper subtitle systems.

Over 22 editions, the festival has welcomed guests including Alexander Payne, Paul Schrader, Carlos Reygadas, Radu Jude, Claire Denis, and Sean Baker. The 2025 edition paid tribute to David Lynch, who had passed away in January 2025, screening "Mulholland Drive" and featuring his image on an official poster.

The festival's address is 3 Moscovyan Street, Yerevan 0001, Armenia. The main venue is the Cinema House (Moscow Cinema complex). The festival can be contacted at gaiff@gaiff.am.

Practical Information for Attendees

Yerevan is served by Zvartnots International Airport, with connections through major hubs including Istanbul, Dubai, Vienna, and Moscow. Visa requirements vary by nationality; many countries can obtain a visa on arrival or e-visa online.

Accommodation in Yerevan ranges from $40 to $200 per night. The festival period coincides with peak tourist season in July, so booking in advance is recommended. The festival does not provide an official guesthouse but offers accreditation for invited filmmakers and industry professionals.

See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the South Caucasus film market, see International Film Markets. Submit through the Golden Apricot FilmFreeway page. For the Tbilisi Film Festival, see Tbilisi International Film Festival.