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Welcome

In these crazy times we are living in, I give higher importance to cultural centers: centers, where every artist is welcome to attend and tell their stories. I am confident that the Union of Film Professionals of Armenia will become one of Armenia’s most important cultural centers: our doors are open for everybody. Art, and specifically, cinema, is a weapon the development of which is the most important means of preserving the Armenian values.

 

                                                                                                                    Harutyun Khachatryan

Biography

Harutyun Khacahtryan was born on January 9, 1955 in Akhalkalak, to Ruben Khachatryan, a military man, and his spouse Hayastan Khachatryan, a housewife. He entered a public school named after Hovhannes Toumanyan in 1961 and graduated in 1971. Following his graduation, from 1971 to 1972, he studied at the Department of Electronic Computing Systems Controlling at N13 professional-technical college, and received a controller’s qualification in the field of electronic computing devices and was employed by ‘Hayelektronakhagits’ (Armenian Electronic Project) Institute. 1973-1975 were the years of his military service, where he served as a reserve officer.

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In 1977, he was admitted to the faculty of film directing at the Pedagogical Institute named after Kh. Abovyan, Yerevan, where he studied at famous film director Yuri Yerznkyan’s class (People’s Artiste of RA). During education Harutyun Khachatryan was a receiver of a Lenin scholarship. He graduated in 1981. Since 1979, he worked at “ArmenFilm” studio as a director’s assistant and cameraman’s assistant; later  - as a director. 

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In 1991, he founded the “Debut” film festival. In 1993-1994, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, as Head of Culture and Science Department. For his film “Documentarist” he received a state award of the Republic of Armenia, in 2003. In 2004, he founded the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival. In 2009, the festival was awarded with “Golden Globe” by Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and in 2010, it received a “FICTS Plate D’Honneur 2010’’ award by the International Federation of Cinema, Television and Sports. 

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In 2006, Harutyun Khachatryan was awarded with the title “Meritorious Artiste of Armenia”. Since 2006, he has been a member of the European Film Academy. In 2007, Khachatryan received “Prince Claus Award”, the Netherlands, and in 2008, a title of a “Chevalier” of the Order of Arts and Letters (Ministry of Culture and Communications of France). In 2008 the Government of the Republic of Armenia granted him a “Movses Khorenatsi” medal. 

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In 2010, he was bestowed upon a Rob Nilson Award from the Independent Filmmakers Alliance, USA,  and the prestigious Darko Bratina Award, Italy. For his film “Border” Harutyun Khachatryan received a presidential award of the Republic of Armenia, in 2010. He is a laureate of many prominent international film festivals.

Filmography

1981 - Voices of Our District

1985 - Hosting the Commander

1985 - Chronicles of a Case

1986 - Three Rounds from Yengibaryan’s Life

1987 - Kond

  • First Prize for the Best Documentary at “Molodist” IFF (Kyiv, Ukraine, 1987)

  • First Prize at Young FilmMakers Festival (Moscow, Russia, 1987)

  • Jury Honorable Mention at Nyon International Documentary FF (Nyon, Switzerland, 1988)

  • Prize for the Best Documentary at Festival of Festivals (Kazakhstan, 1988)

  • Prize for the Best Documentary Film at Sverdlovsk Documentary Film Festival (Sverdlovsk, Russia, 1988)

  • “The Best Film of the Year” Prize at Tbilisi Film Festival (Tbilisi, Georgia, 1988)

  • One of the best 4 films at Munich Documentary IFF (Munich, Germany, 1988)

  • Lenin Komsomol (Young Communist League) Award (1989)

1988 - White Town

  • “Sesterce D’Argent” Award at Nyon International Documentary FF (Nyon, Switzerland, 1989)

  • Special Mention at Paris Film Festival (Paris, France, 1989)

  • Lenin Komsomol (Young Communist League) Award (1989)

1989 - The Wind of Oblivion

  • Screened at AFI film Festival (Los Angeles, USA, 1992)

  • Screened at Kennedy Center (Washington, USA, 1992)

  • Screened at Montreal, Boston and Paris IFFs

  • Screened in Retrospective of Armenian Cinema at Pompidou Center (Paris, France, 1993)

1991 - Return to the Promised Land

  • Three prizes, including Ecumenical Jury Award at  “Message to Man” IFF (St. Petersburg, Russia, 1993)

  • “White Elephant” Russian Film Critics Guild’s Award (1993)

  • Special Prize at Gyor International Festival (Hungary, 1993)

  • The Best Director Award at “Armenia-Russia” Film Festival (Kapan, Armenia, 2000)

  • “The Best Film of the 90s”, Armenian Film Critics Award (Armenia, 2002)

1994 - The Last Station

  • Selected for Rotterdam IFF, Paris IFF, Los Angeles IFF, Montreal IFF, Cairo IFF, and London IFF

2003 - Documentarist

  • Documentary Jury’s Special Mention at Karlovy Vary IFF (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, 2003)

  • Award by the State Premium of Armenia

  • “The Best Film” by Armenian Film Critics Award (Armenia, 2003)

  • Film-Press Prize at Listapad IFF (Minsk, Belarus, 2003)

  • Best Director Prize at Arsenal International Film Forum (Riga, Latvia, 2004)

  • Jury Special Prize at Smolensk IFF (Russia, 2004)

2005 - Return of the Poet

  • World Premiere at Rotterdam IFF (Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2005)

  • Best Film at Kish IFF (Iran) 

2009 - Border

  • World Premiere at Rotterdam 38th IFF (Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2009)

  • Opening Film at Cinema du reel (Paris, France, 2009)

  • REMI platinum award at WorldFest-Houston (Houston, USA, 2009)

  • Best Feature Documentary at Syracuse IFF (Syracuse, USA, 2009)

  • Best Film Director at Kinoshok (Russia, 2009)

  • Critics' Jury Special Mention at Romania IFF (Bucharest, Romania, 2009)

  • Grand Prix at Antalya IFF (Turkey, 2009) 

  • Special Prize from “Mir” TV Studio at Listapad Film Festival IFF (Minsk, Belarus, 2009) 

  • Best Non-Fiction at Gijón IFF (Gijon, Spain, 2009)

  • Award for Human Rights and Peace from the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia at Tbilisi IFF (Tbilisi, Georgia, 2009)

  • Darko Bratina Awards – Best Film of the year at Kinoatelje (Trieste, Italy, 2009) 

  • FIPRESCI Jury Award at Fribourg IFF (Fribourg, Switzerland, 2010)

  • Armenian President Award for the Best Art Work 2010

2012 - Endless Escape, Eternal Return

  • Best Director and Best Documentary at Hayak National Awards (Yerevan, Armenia, 2012)

  • Special Award at Visions du Reel (Nyon, Switzerland, 2012)

  • First Prize at Torino IFF (Torino, Italy, 2012)

2016 - Deadlock

  • World Premiere at Visions du Reel (Nyon, Switzerland, 2016)

  • Asian Premiere at Fajr IFF (Fajr, Iran, 2016)

  • American Premiere at Syracuse IFF (Syracuse, USA, 2016)

2023 - Three Graves of the Artist

Contact

Feel free to contact Harutyun Khachatryan via UFPA telephone number or through e-mail.

harutyun.khachatryan@gmail.com

© 2023 by Union of Film Professionals of Armenia

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