Armik Israelian, Sona Khachatryan, Raffi Movsisyan and Naira Sargsyan have been selected for Next Step Studio Armenia 2027, a program run by Cannes’ Critics’ Week, the festival’s independent parallel section.
The selection was announced during the 23rd Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Yerevan.
Each Armenian director will be paired with an international filmmaker to co-write and co-direct a short film. The four pairings will be revealed on August 19 during the closing ceremony of CineLink Industry Days at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Production on the four films is scheduled to take place in Yerevan in March 2027. The Armenian-language shorts will feature local casts and production crews and are set to have their world premieres at Critics’ Week in Cannes later that year.
Next Step Studio Armenia received 25 applications. Armenian and French producers shortlisted 12 projects, with interviews held at the Cinema House in Yerevan on July 16.
The selection committee comprised Juliette Cannon, coordinator of short films and the Next Step program at Critics’ Week; producer and Next Step Studio curator Dominique Welinski; and the program’s Armenian producer, Artyom Baghdasaryan.
The program is supported by Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and organized in partnership with the Guild of Armenian Film Directors and Producers.
