List of Armenian film directors
Encyclopedia
Below is a list of well-known Armenian film directors
- Atom EgoyanAtom EgoyanAtom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
(born July 19, 1960) is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian film maker, known as one of the most remarkable figures of contemporary independent filmIndependent filmAn independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
making. His work often explores themes of alienationSocial alienationThe term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
and isolationSolitudeSolitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, i.e., lack of contact with people. It may stem from bad relationships, deliberate choice, infectious disease, mental disorders, neurological disorders or circumstances of employment or situation .Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one...
, featuring characters whose interactions are mediated through technology, bureaucracy or other power structures, as ExoticaExotica (film)Exotica is a 1994 Canadian film set primarily in and around the Exotica strip club in Toronto, Canada. It was written and directed by Atom Egoyan. Music used includes "Montagues and Capulets".-Synopsis:...
(1994), The Sweet HereafterThe Sweet Hereafter (film)The Sweet Hereafter is a 1997 Canadian film written and directed by Atom Egoyan. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Russell Banks.-Plot:...
(1997) and AraratArarat (film)Ararat is a 2002 film directed, written, and co-produced by Atom Egoyan based loosely on the Siege of Van during the Armenian Genocide, an event that is disputed by the government of Turkey. In addition to exploring the human impact of that specific historical event, the film also examines the...
(2002). Egoyan was born Atom Yeghoyan in CairoCairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, the son of Shushan (née Devletian) and Joseph Yeghoyan, artists who operated a furniture store. His parents were Armenian-Egyptians. - Aram AvakianAram AvakianAram A. Avakian was an American film editor and director.Directed ground-breaking indie film End of the Road- Life and work :...
American film director & editor]] (born April 26, 1923) Editor: See it Now, Sin of Jesus, Mickey One, Lilith, Miracle Worker, etc. Director: Jazz on a Summers Day, End of the Road, 11 Harrowhouse, Cops and Robbers, etc. - Anna MelikianAnna MelikianAnna Melikian is an Armenian film and TV director/ producer whose work has been recognized with several awards...
(born February 8, 1976, Baku, Azerbaijani SSR, Soviet Union) is a Russian-Armenian film and TV director/ producer whose work has been recognized with several awards. After her participation at Sundance Film Festival she was listed in the TOP 10 of most perspective film directors by Variety magazine.[1] - Robert GuédiguianRobert GuédiguianRobert Jules Guédiguian is a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Most of his films star Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin....
(born 3 December 1953 in MarseilleMarseilleMarseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
) is a film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Like Marcel PagnolMarcel PagnolMarcel Pagnol was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. In 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie Française.-Biography:...
and René AllioRené AllioRené Allio was a French film and theater director. Some of the movies and theater plays he directed include:* The Shameless Old Lady...
before him, he anchors his films in social reality, flirting with militancy. His films are strongly marked by the local and regional environment of the city of MarseilleMarseilleMarseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, and in particular L'EstaqueL'EstaqueL'Estaque is a small French fishing village just west of Marseille. Administratively, it belongs to the commune of Marseille.Many artists of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods visited or resided there or in the surrounding area. Many of them painted scenes of the village, the road...
, (north-west Marseille), for example in Marius et JeannetteMarius et JeannetteMarius and Jeannette is a 1997 French film directed by Robert Guédiguian. It won the Louis Delluc Prize and the César Award for Best Actress, and received César nominations for Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Most Promising Actress and Best Writing...
(1997). He directed the movies Marie-Jo et ses 2 amoursMarie-Jo and Her Two LoversMarie-Jo and Her Two Lovers is a 2002 French drama film directed by Robert Guédiguian. It was entered into the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Ariane Ascaride - Marie-Jo* Jean-Pierre Darroussin - Daniel* Gérard Meylan - Marco...
(Marie-Jo And Her 2 Loves) (2002), Le Promeneur du Champ de MarsLe Promeneur du Champ de MarsLe Promeneur du Champ de Mars is a fictional film depicting the final period in the life of an unnamed French President...
(The Last Mitterrand) (2005), Le Voyage en Arménie (Journey to Armenia) (2006) and The Army of CrimeThe Army of CrimeThe Army of Crime is a 2009 French drama-war film directed by Robert Guédiguian and based on a story by Serge Le Péron, one of three credited for the screenplay. It received a wide release in France on September 16, 2009 and opened in the United States in 2010.The film deals with the events of the...
(2009). - Hughes BrothersHughes BrothersAlbert Hughes and Allen Hughes , known together professionally as the Hughes brothers, are American film directors, producers and screenwriters...
(born April 1, 1972) is the collective name for American twin brothers and film directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
s, producerFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
s and writers Albert and Allen Hughes. They are known for co-directing such visceral, and often violent, movies as Menace II SocietyMenace II SocietyMenace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
and From HellFrom Hell (film)From Hell is a 2001 American crime drama horror mystery film directed by the Hughes brothers. It is an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the Jack the Ripper murders.-Plot:...
. Raised by their ArmenianArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
mother, Aida, they often talk about their Armenian background as a great support structure for their earliest film work, which began when they were 12. - Rouben MamoulianRouben MamoulianRouben Mamoulian was an Armenian-American film and theatre director.-Biography:Born in Tbilisi, Georgia to an Armenian family, Rouben relocated to England and started directing plays in London in 1922...
(October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an Armenian-AmericanArmenian-AmericanArmenian Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Armenia. During the United States 2000 Census, 385,488 respondents indicated either full or partial Armenian ancestry...
film and theatre director. Born in Tbilisi, Georgia (ruled at that time by imperial Russia) to an ArmenianArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
family. He directed movies Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), The Mark of ZorroThe Mark of Zorro (1940 film)The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox. The action movie stars Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega , Linda Darnell as his love interest, and Basil Rathbone as the villain...
(1940), Blood and SandBlood and Sand (1941 film)Blood and Sand is a Technicolor film produced by 20th Century Fox, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Rita Hayworth, and Alla Nazimova...
(1941).Oklahoma!Oklahoma!Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
(1943), CarouselCarousel (musical)Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline...
(1945) and Lost in the StarsLost in the StarsLost in the Stars is a musical with book and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson and music by Kurt Weill, based on the novel Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton...
(1949). He directed the first three strip Technicolor film Becky SharpBecky Sharp (film)Becky Sharp is a 1935 film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Miriam Hopkins. Other supporting cast were Frances Dee, Cedric Hardwicke, Billie Burke, Alison Skipworth, Nigel Bruce, and Alan Mowbray. It is based on the play of the same name by Langdon Mitchell, which in turn is based on...
(1935). - Sergei Paradjanov (January 9, 1924; July 20, 1990) was an Armenian film director born in Tbilisi, Georgia. His most famous works are Shadows of Forgotten AncestorsShadows of Forgotten AncestorsShadows of Forgotten Ancestors , also called Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors, Shadows of Our Ancestors, or Wild Horses of Fire – is a 1964 film by the Soviet-Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov based on the book by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky...
(1964) and The Color of PomegranatesThe Color of PomegranatesThe Color of Pomegranates is a 1968 Armenian film directed by Sergei Parajanov.-Overview:The Color of Pomegranates is a biography of the Armenian ashug Sayat-Nova that attempts to reveal the poet's life visually and poetically rather than literally...
(1968), one of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century, a biography of the Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova written and directed by Paradjanov. - Deran SarafianDeran SarafianDeran Sarafian is an Armenian-American Actor, film and television Director.Sarafian has directed several episodes of the FOX series House and was made a Co-executive producer of the show for the 2007/08 season...
(born January 17, 1958) is an ArmenianArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
American actor, filmFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and television directorTelevision directorA television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
. Sarafian has directed several episodes of the FoxFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
series HouseHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
and was made a co-executive producer of the show for the 2007/08 season. He also directed a Season 2Episodes of Lost (season 2)The second season of the American serial drama television series Lost commenced airing in the United States and Canada on September 21, 2005 and concluded on May 24, 2006. The second season continues the stories of a group of over forty people who have been stranded on a remote island in the south...
LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
episode, titled ?, and has directed for CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, CSI: MiamiCSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, CSI: NYCSI: NYCSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
, Cold Case, The DistrictThe DistrictThe District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department .-Premise:...
, Without a TraceWithout a TraceWithout a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Nash BridgesNash BridgesNash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...
. - Richard C. SarafianRichard C. SarafianRichard C. Sarafian is an Armenian-American TV and film director. Richard Sarafian has complied a versatile career that has spanned over five decades as a director, actor and writer. He is most popular for his film Vanishing Point . He is the father of: Richard Sarafian Jr., Tedi Sarafian, Damon B...
(born 28 April 1930) is an ArmenianArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
American TVTelevision directorA television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and film directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He is most popular for his film Vanishing Point (1971). He is the father of: Richard Sarafian Jr., Tedi SarafianTedi SarafianTedi Sarafian is an Armenian-American Screenwriter. He is perhaps most known for collaborating on the story development for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines . He is the on of Richard C. Sarafian, and the brother of Richard Sarafian Jr...
, Damon B. Sarafian, and Deran SarafianDeran SarafianDeran Sarafian is an Armenian-American Actor, film and television Director.Sarafian has directed several episodes of the FOX series House and was made a Co-executive producer of the show for the 2007/08 season...
. - Francis VeberFrancis VeberFrancis Paul Veber is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, and theater playwright. Many of his French comedies feature recurring types of characters, named François Pignon and François Perrin...
is a French film director of ArmenianArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
and Jewish heritage.. He is the father of author Sophie-Audouin Mamikonian, who is Pretender to the Throne of Armenia. He directed extremely popular comedies such as Le Jouet (The Toy), starring Pierre RichardPierre RichardPierre Richard is a popular French actor best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films...
, Michel BouquetMichel BouquetMichel Bouquet is a French film actor. He has appeared in over 90 films since 1947. He was born in Paris, France.-Selected filmography:* La petite chambre * Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars...
, Fabrice Greco (1976), La ChèvreLa ChèvreLa Chèvre is a 1981 French comedy film directed by Francis Veber, starring Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu...
(Knock on Wood), starring Gérard DepardieuGérard DepardieuGérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor and filmmaker. He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the César Award for Best Actor...
, Pierre RichardPierre RichardPierre Richard is a popular French actor best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films...
(1981), Le Dîner de Cons (The Dinner Game), starring Thierry LhermitteThierry LhermitteThierry Lhermitte is a French actor, known for his comedic roles. He was one of the founders of the comedy troupe Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, his high-school friends Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, and Michel Blanc...
, Jacques VilleretJacques VilleretJacques Villeret was a French actor.-Early life and Family:Born Jacky Boufroura in Loches, Indre-et-Loire, France, to an Algerian father and a French mother, he is most famous internationally for his role as François Pignon in Le Dîner de Cons, both on the stage and in the later film...
(1998), Le placard (The Closet), starring Daniel AuteuilDaniel AuteuilDaniel Auteuil is a French film, television and theatre actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Algiers, French Algeria.-Career:...
, Gérard DepardieuGérard DepardieuGérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor and filmmaker. He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the César Award for Best Actor...
(2000) and La Doublure (The Valet), starring Gad ElmalehGad ElmalehGad Elmaleh is a French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor. His latest show is called Papa est en haut . He has starred in several feature films, including Coco, Hors de prix, La Doublure and Midnight in Paris.- Early years :Elmaleh was born in Casablanca, Morocco...
, Alice Taglioni, Daniel AuteuilDaniel AuteuilDaniel Auteuil is a French film, television and theatre actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Algiers, French Algeria.-Career:...
, Dany Boon, Virginie LedoyenVirginie LedoyenVirginie Fernandez , known by her stage name Virginie Ledoyen, is a French actress.-Life and career:She was born in Aubervilliers, Paris, the daughter of Olga, a restaurateur, and Bernard Fernandez, a merchant who sold cleaning products. Her paternal grandfather was Spanish...
, Kristin Scott ThomasKristin Scott ThomasKristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
(2006).