Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Daniel Danielyan commented on the postponement of Armenian films in the Annecy Classics programme during the June 17, 2026 episode of Vernatun on Public Radio of Armenia.
According to Danielyan, the Armenian side had been included in the Annecy Classics programme after lengthy negotiations, but later decided to postpone the screening.
“This year, after long negotiations, we were included in the Annecy Classics list in order to present our films, but after consulting with our partners, we proposed that the programme be postponed, because we had some very interesting — in quotation marks — discoveries”, Danielyan said.
He said those discoveries concerned the ownership of the films.
“We realised that these films do not belong to the Republic of Armenia — on unclear grounds — but to certain organisations or certain individuals”, the Deputy Minister stated.
Danielyan said the Armenian side does not intend to leave the matter unresolved. “We will not let this go and we will pursue it, and there will definitely be consequences, because these films are part of the heritage of the Republic of Armenia, part of our artistic and cultural heritage”, he said.
The Deputy Minister also noted that the process is ongoing and that lawyers are working on the issue.
Earlier, on June 15, Aravot.am asked David Banuchyan, Director of the Cinema Foundation of Armenia, whether the Foundation had initiated a legal process to return the rights to Armenian films to Armenia.
Banuchyan replied: “At this stage, I would avoid giving details, as the grounds are currently being examined, and saying anything further could harm the case.”
At the same time, Kissani Films told KinoPress on June 16 that, in its interpretation, the dispute around Annecy does not concern a claim to rights over 265 films. According to the company, the issue concerns three films presented in Annecy that are part of a joint restoration project with the Cinémathèque Française involving nine Armenian animated films.
Kissani Films also said that the Cinema Foundation of Armenia had received, several months earlier, a tripartite agreement drafted by the Cinémathèque Française between the Cinémathèque Française, the Cinema Foundation of Armenia and Kissani Films, but, according to the company, had given no response.
The Hayfilm–Kissani contract reviewed by KinoPress concerns the granting of exclusive distribution rights to films in certain territories and for certain forms of exploitation. The contract does not refer to the transfer of ownership of the films.
At the same time, documents held in the State Archive of Armenia show that legal and oversight issues related to Armenfilm’s international contracts had already been recorded at ministerial level in 1998. The document in question is a memorandum submitted to Roland Sharoyan, Armenia’s Minister of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sport, by David Matevosyan, Head of the Department for Cinematographic Affairs, following a review of Armenfilm’s activities.
Against this background, the Deputy Minister’s statement that it was discovered that the films “do not belong to the Republic of Armenia” requires further clarification.
