The Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival (GAIFF; ) is an annual film festival held in Yerevan, Armenia. The festival was founded in 2004 with the co-operation of the Golden Apricot Fund for Cinema Development, the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists. The GAIFF is continually supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and the Benevolent Fund for Cultural Development. The objectives of the festival are "to present new works by the film directors and producers in Armenia and foreign cinematographers of Armenian descent and to promote creativity and originality in the area of cinema and video art".
History
The Golden Apricot Annual Film Festival was established in 2004 in Yerevan, by the "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development, the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and Benevolent Fund for Cultural Development. Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan was named president of the festival since 2005.
The Festival is dedicated to the theme of Crossroads of Cultures and Civilizations, and features a multitude of films representing various nations and religions, collectively depicting the richness of the human experience.
In 2005, the establishment of a network of filmmakers of the region entitled Directors Across Borders was initiated by the "Golden Apricot" Film Festival.
Since 2005 Golden Apricot has been functioning under the aegis of the European Cultural Parliament.
In 2010, the festival was awarded by the FICTS Plate D'honneur.
In 2017, festival organizers cancelled the screening of an off-competition program entitled, "Armenians: Internal And External Views", with no reasons given. LGBT activists took to social media to criticize the cancellation, with some claiming that two LGBTQ+-themed films — Apricot Groves and Listen to Me: Untold Stories Beyond Hatred — were the reason for the cancellation. Atom Egoyan and Arsinée Khanjian, prominent Armenian Canadian figures in cinema, denounced this cancellation. An open letter signed by filmmakers, activists, politicians, and others denouncing the cancellation was published, and LGBTQ+ rights organizations Pink Armenia and GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society strongly criticized the censorship. The EU's Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum called on Armenian authorities to fulfill their international commitments, stating that "The incident... runs contrary to the process of Armenia's joining the Creative Europe programme".
In 2025, 22nd edition of the Golden Apricot International Film Festival was held from 13 July to 20 July. It opened with It Was Just an Accident by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, and closed with the Armenian classic Last Station, 1994 film by Harutyun Khachatryan and Nora Armani.
Awards and categories of competition The major awards at the GAIFF are the Golden Apricot and Silver Apricot prizes for feature, documentary and Armenian panorama films. Lifetime achievement is recognized by the Parajonov's Thaler Award, named in honour of Sergei Parajanov.
The various categories and prize names are as follows:
International Feature Competition
1. Golden Apricot – Best Feature Film
2. Silver Apricot – Special Prize
International Documentary Competition
1. Golden Apricot – Best Documentary Film
2. Silver Apricot – Special Prize
"Apricot Stone" Short Film Competition
1. Golden Stone – Best Short Film
2. Special Prize
"Armenian Panorama" National Competition
1. Golden Apricot – Best Fiction Film
2. Golden Apricot – Best Documentary Film
3. Silver Apricot – Special Prize
Winners of the Grand Prix - Golden Apricot main prize for Best Feature Film
Awards GAIFF 2004
Category Award Film Director Country International Feature Competition Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film Ararat Atom Egoyan Canada International Documentary Competition Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film Tale About Pegasus () Armen Khachatryan Armenia Short Film Competition Golden Apricot for Best Short Film Je m'appelle Stéphane Elmadjian France Animation and Experimental Film Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film Freedub 1 Jury Special Prize Jury Special Prize for Best Feature Film A Place in the World Artour Aristakisian Russia Jury Special Prize for Best Animation and Experimental Film Ligne de Vie Serge Avedikian France Special Mention Special Mention for Best Documentary Film I Died in Childhood... Georgiy Paradzhanov Russia
Awards GAIFF 2005
Category Award Film Director Country International Feature Competition Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film The Sun Alexander Sokurov Russia, Italy, Switzerland, FranceSilver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film 4 Ilya Khrzhanovsky Russia Los Muertos (The Dead) Lisandro Alonso Argentina, Netherlands, France Jury Special Mention Paradise Girls Fow Pyng Hu Netherlands International Documentary Competition Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film 3 Rooms Of Melancholia Pirjo Honkasalo Finland, Sweden, Denmark, GermanySilver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film Moskatchka Annett Schutz Latvia, Germany Oh! Man Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi ItalyArmenian Panorama Competition Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film Hammer & Flame Von (Vahan) Pilikian United Kingdom Under the Open Sky Arman Yeritsyan Armenia The Road Naira Muradyan ArmeniaJury Diploma Born in Fire Suren Ter-Grigoryan Armenia Planet Zorthian Arno Yeretzian, Sevag Vrej, Harout Arakelian, Lisa Tchakmakian United States One Balloon Aram Hekinian, Aruna Naimji United States One Fine Morning (Un Beau Matin) Serge Avedikian FranceParajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award Abbas Kiarostami Iran Krzysztof Zanussi Poland Nikita Mikhalkov RussiaPrize of the Armenian Filmmakers Union for the Best Director Long Gone (Documentary) Jack Cahil United StatesPrizes of the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists for the Best Feature Film My Father Is an Engineer Robert Guédiguian France Waiting for the Clouds Yeşim Ustaoğlu TurkeyHrant Matevosyan Fund Prix for the Best Script in Armenian Panorama The Road Naira Muradyan Armenia
Awards GAIFF 2006
Category Award Film Director Country International Feature Competition Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film Three Times Hou Hsiao-hsien Taiwan, China, FranceSilver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film Isaki Lacuesta Spain Trip To Armenia (Le voyage en Arménie) Robert Guédiguian France International Documentary Competition Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film Workingman's Death Michael Glawogger Austria Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film Estamira Marcos Prado Brazil Jury Special Mention Ljudmila & Anatolij Gunnar Bergdahl Sweden Armenian Panorama Competition Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film The Dwellers of Forgotten Islands Hrant Hakobyan Armenia Jury Special Mention Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award Ara Vahuni ArmeniaParajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award Artavazd Peleshyan Armenia Marko Bellocchio Italy Tonino Guerra Italy Mohsen Makhmalbaf Iran Godfrey Reggio United StatesAwards for Emerging Filmmakers The Genocide in Me Araz Artinyan Canada My Name is Happiness Vardan Hakobyan Russia The Lighthouse Maria Sahakyan Russia, ArmeniaArmenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists Prize Summer in Berlin Andreas Dresen Germany Returner Serge Avedikian France
Awards GAIFF 2007
Category Award Film Director Country International Feature Competition Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film Import/Export Ulrich Seidl Austria Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film Nuovomondo Emanuele Crialese Italy, France Jury Diploma Flanders Bruno Dumont France International Documentary Competition Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film A Story of People in War and Peace Vardan Hovhannisyan Armenia Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film The White She-Camel Christiaens Xavier BelgiumArmenian Panorama Competition Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film Screamers Carla Garapedian United Kingdom Silver Apricot Special Prize for Armenian Film A Story of People in War and Peace Vardan Hovhannisyan ArmeniaJury Diploma Graffiti Igor Apasyan Russia Seven Indian Boys Ashot Mkrtchyan ArmeniaParajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award Paolo and Vittorio Taviani ItalyFIPRESCI Award A Story of People in War and Peace Vardan Hovhannisyan ArmeniaEcumenical Jury Awards A Story of People in War and Peace Vardan Hovhannisyan Armenia Screamers Carla Garapedian United KingdomWishing-Tree Prize Dinner Time Gor Baghdasaryan Armenia
Awards GAIFF 2008
Category Award Film Director Country International Feature Competition Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film Mermaid Anna Melikian RussiaSilver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film Lemon Tree Eran Riklis Israel, France, Germany Wonderful Town Aditya Assarat Thailand Jury Diploma End of the Earth Abolfazl Saffary Iran International Documentary Competition Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film Women See Lot of Things Meira Asher Netherlands Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film Lakshmi and Me Nishtha Jain India, United States, Finland, Denmark Armenian Panorama Competition Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film The Blue Hour Eric Nazarian United States Silver Apricot Special Prize for Armenian Film Gata Diana Mkrtchyan Russia Jury Diploma Jrarat, Miniatures Mariam Ohanyan ArmeniaParajanov's Thaler – Tribute to Michelangelo Antonioni ItalyParajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award Wim Wenders Germany Dariush Mehrjui IranSpecial Silver Apricot – Pour l’Audance Artistique et Humaine Catherine Breillat FranceFIPRESCI Award My Marlon and Brando Huseyin Karabey TurkeyEcumenical Jury Award The Blue Hour Eric Nazarian United StatesJury Diploma My Marlon and Brando Huseyin Karabey Turkey
Awards GAIFF 2009
Category Award Film Director Country International Feature Competition Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film The Other Bank Giorgi Ovashvili Georgia, Kazakhstan Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film Scratch Michał Rosa Poland Jury Diploma Autumn Özcan Alper Turkey, Germany International Documentary Competition Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country Anders Østergaard Denmark Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film The Living Sergey Bukovsky Ukraine Jury Special Mention Supermen of Malegaon Faiza Ahmad Khan India, Singapore, JapanArmenian Panorama Competition Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film With Love and Gratitude Arka Manukyan ArmeniaJury Diploma Caucasian Niece Levon Kalantar Armenia A World of Our Own Frédéric Balekdjian FranceSpecial Prize "Master" Kōhei Oguri Japan Rob Nilsson United States Sergei Solovyov RussiaFIPRESCI Award Autumn Özcan Alper Turkey, GermanyEcumenical Jury Award The Other Bank Giorgi Ovashvili Georgia, Kazakhstan
Awards GAIFF 2010