The 79th Festival de Cannes screened Artavazd Pelechian’s “Pelechian Project” as part of Cannes Classics. The programme brings together five short films: “Land of the People” (1966), “The Beginning” (1967), “We” (1969), “The Inhabitants” (1970) and “The Seasons” (1975). On its official film page, Cannes describes Pelechian as one of the key Armenian filmmakers and the father of distance editing.
The screening took place in the presence of the filmmaker. The restoration project was launched by Coproduction Office in partnership with Cineteca di Bologna and supervised by Pelechian himself. The 4K scan was carried out at the Public Television Company of Armenia, while “The Inhabitants” was scanned in 2K at Belarusfilm in Minsk. Restoration and color grading were completed by L’Immagine Ritrovata.
For an international audience, the Cannes presentation is important not only as a tribute to a major Armenian filmmaker, but also as a return of his cinema to the big screen in restored form. Pelechian’s work stands at the crossroads of documentary and fiction, collective memory and poetic construction. His theory of distance montage reshaped the relation between image, sound and rhythm, moving away from linear storytelling toward a more musical structure of cinema.
The programme also places Armenian cinema heritage inside a wider global conversation about restoration, circulation and access. Through Cannes Classics, these films are no longer treated only as archival works, but as living cinema ready for new audiences.
Background
Cannes Classics is a section of the Official Selection dedicated to film heritage, restored prints and documentaries about cinema. The 2026 edition included 21 feature films, 3 short films, 6 documentaries and 2 contemporary works. According to the preselection conditions, submitted films must promote cinematographic heritage. Proposals may come from right-holders, catalogue owners, national archives, cinematheques, studios, producers and distributors. Eligible world premieres include newly restored prints, restored tributes to national cinemas or artists, and documentaries about cinema.
