Culture
Since its creation by Serge Avedikian, the Institut français d'Arménie has supported the Bilingual Drama Workshop, which gives young Armenian actors the opportunity to benefit from training in French and to take part in workshops in Yerevan, Gumri and Paris led by renowned French professionals such as Simon Abkarian, Ariane Ascaride, Stéphane Braunschweig, and Pierre Pradinas. For its third season in 2023/2024, the Atelier will be in residence at the Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinematography, a privileged partner of the Institute.
This year, the Institut is joining up with the Sundukyan Theater for the first edition of the Yerevan International Theater Festival, with the exceptional participation of the Théâtre de l'Odéon on October 22.
It also supports the emerging contemporary dance scene in Armenia, with regular participation in the SumMeet Festival by French company Wang Ramirez in 2023, and support for the next Franco-Armenian creation by choreographer Mourad Merzouki, an emblematic figure of hip-hop in France, for the celebration of Sergei Paradjanov's centenary in 2024.
In the field of classical music, the Institut français d'Arménie supports the presence of French conductors and soloists in Armenian orchestras, such as the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, as part of a cooperation program initiated in 2023 for the Saison de la Francophonie. French ensembles Quatuor Diotima and Le Baroque Nomade were invited to perform at the State Philharmonic / Arno Babajanyan Hall in 2023. In addition, the artists are invited to give master classes for students at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. The Institut has also initiated a partnership between the Opéra National and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées as part of a cooperation project to run from 2024 to 2025, with the support of the European Union.
In the field of contemporary music, the Institut organizes a major free concert every year for the Fête de la Musique (Music Day) on June 21. In 2023, a program featuring Armenian-born French jazz pianist Ohane Dourian and the band Katil was presented at the English Park.
The Institut français d'Arménie and the Institut français de Paris offer Armenian publishers the Publication Support Program, a scheme to support the translation and publication in Armenian of French works of literature and social sciences. After two books by Pierre Bourdieu, one of the masters of the French school of sociology, published by the Fondation Histoire & Culture in 2022, the Institut is supporting the publication in 2023 of several titles by Annie Ernaux, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature, published by Antares, and those by Marguerite Duras published by Actual Art.
The promotion of thought and dialogue
is also reflected in the organization of debates on major global challenges. In
2022, the Nuit des Idées brought together members of civil society and
researchers to debate the role of Armenian civil society on the theme of (Re)building
together. A series of talks by French researchers is organized at the main
universities: Yerevan State University, Brusov University, UFAR, American
University. After having invited sociologists Michel Wieviorka and Gisèle
Sapiro and geographer Jean Radvanyi in 2022, in 2023 the Institut
turned its attention to the conditions for a new Armenian-Turkish relationship,
with Cengiz Aktar and Emil Ordukhanyan at UFAR, then with the
screening-debate The Righteous Turks, a too long silence in the presence
of directors Laurence D'Hondt and Romain Fleury at the Cinema
House.
The Institut français d’Arménie has two main objectives in the field of cinema:
- Cooperation and expertise sharing, with the French Centre National du Cinéma advising its Armenian counterpart, Kino Kentron, on amending legislation on cinema financing. This could pave the way for the signing of a co-production agreement between the two countries, and support for the Eurasiadoc program, which enables young Armenian documentary film writers/directors and producers to benefit from workshops led by French experts and aa window on international festivals.
- The promotion and distribution of contemporary French cinema with Armenian subtitles.
The Institut organizes the Festival du cinéma francophone at the Moscow Cinema, on the Semaine de la Francophonie and in partnership with the Embassies of Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada. The sixth edition took place in 2023. Each year, it partners with leading local festivals:
Golden Apricot, which celebrated its 20th edition with the Dardenne brothers as guests of honor and director Claire Simon as a member of the international jury and organized the first worldwide screenings since the Cannes Festival of Justine Triet's Anatomie d'une chute, Palme d'Or 2023.
ReAnimania, partner of the Annecy Festival, the world's leading animation film festival
Rolan aimed at young audiences
KIN dedicated to films by women directors.
Since 2022, together with the Filmadaran Film Culture Development Organization, the Institut has been offering a fortnightly film club at the National Library and supporting the work of the Les Écrans de la Paix association in screenings for young audiences at the KASA Francophone Center in Gyumri and in the villages of Shirak region. The Institute is also committed to promoting French cinema in the Syunik region.
The Institut français d'Arménie partners on a regular basis with the contemporary art centers NPAK and Cafesjian, which from April 14 to June 25, 2023 hosted the performance-exhibition " Embroidered Melodies: A sonic journey with Alexis Paul", a poetic cross between two ancestral popular cultures, the French barrel organ and Armenian embroidery, in a thoroughly contemporary and experimental reading.
The Institut supports French participation in the Yerevan International Print Biennale organized by KulturDialog, with an award-winning French artist for the 4th edition in 2023 and a guest appearance by Jean-Pierre Tanguy, curator of the Sarcelles International Print Biennale, for which Armenia is this year's guest country.
It promotes residencies for French artists in Armenia - Florence Obrecht and Axel Pahlavi in Yerevan and Gyumri in 2023 as part of the MENK project - and for Armenian artists in France, with the launch in 2024 of a permanent residency program at La Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille, in partnership with KulturDialog.
Past events
After "The Velvet Queen" (2021), Vincent Munier delivers another fascinating documentary about the secret life of forests. Accompanied by his father Michel and his son Simon, the photographer explores the woods in search of the animals that live there, from the most elusive to the most magnificent.
Winner of two César Awards in 2026, in the categories of Best Documentary Film and Best Sound, this feature film is an ode to the forest, its inhabitants and the art of attentive observation of living things, accessible and captivating for all audiences.
Free admission
Laura Wandel's "Adam's Sake" follows daily life in a paediatric ward where tension and care coexist around every corner. A deeply moving film that delicately observes the interactions between caregivers, parents and children.
Selected for Critics' Week at Cannes 2025, this feature film combines realism and emotional intensity, offering a sensitive and humane perspective on childhood and fragility.
Free admission
Albert Camus's "The Stranger" is back on the big screen, this time directed by François Ozon. Presented in competition at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, the film was nominated for the 2026 César Awards, notably in the Best Actor category for Benjamin Voisin.
In black and white, Ozon composes a tense and luminous work, where silence and light shape Meursault's destiny. A powerful encounter between a great text and the vision of a major figure in French cinema.
Free admission
This is Lætitia Dosch's first feature film as a director. "Dog on Trial" is a Swiss comedy full of imagination and humour. The film combines absurd situations, endearing characters and little surprises that shake up our everyday lives.
The Festival invites you to discover this original work, where the unexpected and playfulness take precedence over the serious, offering a humorous and witty take on the world around us.
Free admission
The Festival presents "Young Mothers", the new film by the Dardenne brothers. In the heart of a maternity home, five teenage girls face the choices and upheavals imposed by early motherhood.
Synopsis
Awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, this sensitive drama explores, with the soberness characteristic of Belgian filmmakers, the fragilities and impulses of these young women at the dawn of their adult lives.
Free admission
Borgo (2023) is a prison thriller by Stéphane Demoustier, inspired by a true story.
Synopsis
Melissa is a young prison guard in Corsica. Having recently moved there with her family, she must juggle her role inside the prison with the tensions that are stirring up the island. An intense thriller where suspense and ethical dilemmas intersect, driven by Hafsia Herzi's striking performance.
Free admission
The latest film from the Larrieu brothers, "Jim's Story" is an adaptation of Pierric Bailly's novel of the same name, selected for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Karim Leklou won the 2025 César Award for Best Actor for his subtle performance in the film.
Synopsis
A discreet, reliable man, ‘a kind soul’ who becomes involved in a child's life, weaving a bond over the years that transforms his own existence. The Larrieu brothers have created a delicate melodrama about fatherhood, the passing of time and the relationships that shape a life.
Free admission
With "Bootlegger", Algonquin and French director Caroline Monnet makes her feature film debut, continuing her exploration of identity, memory and the political assertion of Indigenous communities on screen.
Synopsis
In northern Quebec, Mani, a young lawyer, returns to her community to change laws inherited from the past. Her commitment reignites deep tensions, particularly around prohibition and alcohol smuggling. The film highlights the divisions within a community confronted with its past and its choices for the future.
Free admission
Presented in the official selection at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, "Colours of time" is the new film by Cédric Klapisch. The director unfolds a choral fresco spanning time, bringing together several generations of actors on screen. The film was honoured with three César Award nominations in 2026, for the Best Female Revelation, Costume Design and Production Design.
Synopsis
In 2025, members of the same family inherit a house that has been abandoned. As they explore the premises, four cousins gradually discover traces of a mysterious woman named Adel, who left for Paris in 1895. Set between the present day and the Belle Époque, the film explores the themes of transmission, memory and the meaning we give to our heritage.
Free admission
The Dialog Music Project, founded by talented trumpet player Tigran Suchyan, will take you on a musical journey where jazz, hip-hop and urban folklore come together to create a unique sound.
Then explore the captivating world of Hogh Arthun, an innovative duo formed by "Hogh" and "Arthur Aleq", fusing traditional and electronic music for an unforgettable sonic experience.
Save the date! Invite your friends and get ready for a great musical evening.
Free admission.
Exhibition "Engraved stopovers" by engraver and curator of the Biennale Internationale de Gravure de Sarcelles, Jean-Pierre Tanguy at the National Center of Esthetics in Yerevan, organized by KulturDialog and the Biennale Internationale de l'Estampe d'Erevan with the support of the French Embassy / Institut français d'Arménie.
The exhibition features some 200 works by the printmaker and curator, created during his travels in Asia, Spain, Morocco, Venice, Istanbul and New York.
Alongside the exhibition, master classes and lectures will be offered, enabling Armenian artists to perfect their burin engraving techniques.
The exhibition will run from May 3 to May 27, 2024.
In the framework of the Saison de la Francophonie, the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia presented three concerts in cooperation with the French Embassy / Institut français d'Arménie.
The closing concert is dedicated to Francis Poulenc's 125th birthday, with the Armenian premiere of his Stabat Mater. With soloist Jean-Paul Gasparian, one of the new stars of French piano.
National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia (extended staff)
National Chamber Choir of Armenia
Yerevan State Chamber Choir
Conductor: Philipp Amelung/Germany
Soloist: Jean-Paul Gasparian/piano, France
Program :
Francis Poulenc, Stabat Mater
Francis Poulenc, Piano concerto, FP 146
Written by Sigrid Carré-Lecoindre
Director and performer: Lena Paugam
Synopsis
The story portrays a couple who see violence gradually creeping onto their living-room sofa, turning their relationship into a tragedy of love. The story begins in a mundane, everyday way, but evolves to extremes where cold and fear predominate.
The performance is in French with Armenian surtitles.
Admission is free!
The exhibition, designed by AHA Collective and running until July 5, highlights the close ties that bind us to the reed and its soils, from the Arax River to the Mediterranean basin, and the similarities between the wind instruments of traditional Armenian music and French Baroque music.
National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia
Conductor: Hmayak Durgarian (Spain)
Violin: François Pineau-Benois (France)
Program:
Albert Roussel, Sinfonietta
Josephe Bologne Saint-Georges, Violin Concerto, Op. 2
Camille Saint-Saëns, Rondo Capriccioso
Winner of the Cristal for Best Feature Film at the 2022 Annecy Film Festival, and nominated at Cannes and the César Awards, “Little Nicholas – Happy as Can Be” is an animated film released in 2022 and directed by Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre.
Synopsis
From a large blank sheet of paper in Paris, Jean-Jacques Sempé and René Goscinny bring to life a laughing, mischievous little boy, Little Nicholas. Nicholas's childhood is full of joys and learning, as he fights, argues, plays, gets into mischief and receives punishments in spades. As the story unfolds, the boy slips into the workshop of his creators, playfully questioning them. Sempé and Goscinny tell him about their meeting, their friendship, but also about their careers, their secrets and their childhoods.
Free admission.
Blandine Lenoir won the César for Best Short Film in 2011 for her film “Monsieur l'Abbé”, and the Festival is presenting her latest film “Angry Annie”, released in 2022.
Synopsis
February 1974. Annie, a working-class mother of two, finds herself unintentionally pregnant when she meets the MLAC - Mouvement pour la Liberté de l'Avortement et de la Contraception (Movement for the Freedom of Abortion and Contraception), which performs illegal abortions. Embraced by this unique movement, whose focus was on practical help for women and the sharing of knowledge, she found a new meaning to her life in the fight to pass the abortion law.
Free admission․
Jean-Baptiste Durand's first feature film, released in 2023, “Junkyard Dog” won the 2024 César for Best First Film and Best Male Revelation for actor Raphaël Quenard.
Synopsis
In a tiny village in the south of France, Dog and Mirales have a conflicting friendship. The duo is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of Elsa, a young woman with whom Dog falls in love. Jealous, Mirales tries, as best he can, to grow up and become independent.
Free admission.
Released in 2022, Alain Ughetto's “No Dogs or Italians Allowed” has been nominated for Best Animated Film at the César Awards 2024, after winning the European Award for Best Animated Film 2022 and the Jury Prize at the Annecy Festival 2022.
Synopsis
Early 20th century, northern Italy, Ughettera, birthplace of the Ughetto family. Now that life in the region has become very difficult, the Ughetto dream of starting all over again abroad. As legend has it, Luigi Ughetto crossed the Alps and began a new life in France, forever changing the destiny of his beloved family. Here, his grandson recounts their story.
Free admission․
The film “The Animal Kingdom”, directed by Thomas Cailley and co-written with Pauline Munier, was released in 2023. The film has been chosen to open the "Un Certain Regard" selection at Cannes in 2023, and has won five César awards, including the one for best visual effects.
Synopsis
In a world beset by a wave of mutations that are gradually transforming some humans into animals, François does everything he can to save his wife, who has been affected by this mysterious phenomenon. As the area becomes populated by creatures of a new kind, he leads Émile, their 16-year-old son, on a quest that will change their lives forever.
Free admission.
“The Color of the Pomegranate” at the National Opera of Armenia. With choreography by Mourad Merzouki based on an original idea by Saté Khachatryan, this show combines hip-hop, electro music and Armenian folklore to celebrate the genius of Sergei Paradjanov.
The 3rd International Summer Festival of Contemporary Dance in Armenia SUMMEET presents : WE ARE MONCHICHI | Wang Ramirez Dance Company, France
Choreographs: Honji Wang & Sébastien Ramirez
Shihya Peng was born in Taiwan but lives in Paris. Marco di Nardo was born in Naples but lives in Berlin. How can they be together when everything separates them? W.A.M. is a battle dance in search of harmony. Here the bodies flirt with irony - the desire for joy and melancholy. The dancers' bodies turn into two distorted mirrors, revealing more to the viewer than they expect. W.A.M. is a secret history, a universal dance, which is accompanied by the recitatives of Fabrice Melquio.
The French Embassy/Institut français of Armenia organizes a big Franco-Armenian concert for the Fête de la musique on Wednesday June 21 at 8pm in the English Park!
Ohane Dourian, French jazz pianist and grandson of the famous conductor, teams up with musicians from Yerevan for a mixed, truly contemporary experience.
Then Katil, an emblematic group of the new Armenian scene, will captivate you with their blend of ancestral musical traditions and modern sounds.
Save the date and invite your friends to join us in celebrating musical diversity at this open evening!
Free admission
Third concert by the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia (NCOA) as part of the Saison de la Francophonie in cooperation with the French Embassy / French Institute of Armenia. In partnership with the Belgian Embassy.
Conductor - Hmayak Durgaryan (Spain)
Violin - François Pineau-Benois (France)
On the program:
Henri Vieuxtemps, Concerto pour Violon No.5, Op.37
Henri Vieuxtemps, Fantasia appassionata, Op.35
Maurice Ravel, Pavane pour une infante défunte
François-Joseph Gossec, Symphonie en sol mineur
Join the Alexis Paul exhibition at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, organized in partnership with the French Embassy / Institut français d'Arménie!
Alexis Paul is a contemporary artist who explores popular cultures through the barrel organ. Using a punch-card reader and a crank borrowed from this portable mechanical musical instrument, he transforms its traditional use by replacing musical notation with the variety of ornaments in Armenian embroidery. His exhibition features visual and sound installations, as well as performances inspired by this ongoing research.
The exhibition is free and open from April 14 to June 25.
The National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia (NCOA) presents three concerts as part of the Saison de la Francophonie in cooperation with the French Embassy / Institut français of Armenia.
Conductor: Robert Mlkeyan
On the program:
César Franck, Les Sept dernières paroles du Christ en croix
Gabriel Fauré, Cantique de Jean Racine
Lorenzo Mattotti's "The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily" has been nominated in the Un certain regard selection at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and in the Best Animated Feature category at the 2020 César Awards.
Synopsis
When his only son, Tonio, is kidnapped by hunters, Léonce, the King of Bears, invade the land of men with his clan to find him. With the help of a strange magician, he takes on the army of the Grand Duke, a horrible tyrant. Léonce will do anything to find his son, even invade Sicily!
Free admission.
"Magnetic Beats", the debut feature from Vincent Maël Cardona, released in 2021, has been selected for the "Directors' Fortnight" at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. It won an award at the 2021 Deauville Film Festival and a César for Best First Film the following year.
Synopsis
A small French town in the early 80s. Philippe lives in the shadow of his brother Jérôme, the black sun of the gang. Between pirate radio, their father's garage and the threat of military service, the two brothers are unaware that they are living the last glorious moments of a world on the verge of extinction.
Free admission․
Laurent Cantet won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2008 with "The Class". The Festival presents his latest film "Arthur Rambo".
Synopsis
Who is this Karim D. ? The new young writer whom the media can't get enough of? Or his alias, Arthur Rambo, the author of old hate-fuellled messages which are dredged up, one day, from social media websites?
Free admission.
Didier Barcelo's "Freestyle", released in 2022, has been selected for the Brussels International Film Festival 2022.
Synopsis
One morning Louise finds herself trapped in her car, struck down by a panic attack as soon as she wants to get out. Paul steals the car in which she was trapped. And here they are, together, heading off on a comic road-movie!
Free admission.
Eric Gravel's "Full Time" was released in 2022. Eric Gravel won Best Director and Laure Calamy Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for this film. It also picked up awards at a number of international festivals, and was nominated four times for the 2023 César Awards.
Synopsis
Julie struggles alone to raise her two children in the countryside and keep her job in a Parisian luxury hotel. When she finally gets an interview for a job that matches her aspirations, a general strike breaks out, paralyzing the transport system. Julie's fragile equilibrium is shaken. She then embarks on a frantic race, at the risk of collapsing.
Free admission.
The National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia (NCOA) presents three concerts as part of the Saison de la Francophonie in cooperation with the French Embassy / French Institute of Armenia.
Conductor - Ralph Szigeti (France)
On the program
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Les Indes Galantes, Danse des Sauvages
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Concert en sextuor pour clavecin n°4
François Couperin, Les Nations, Premier Ordre "La Française": Passacaglia
Georges Bizet/Rodion Shchedrin, Carmen Suite
Charles Gounod, Marche funèbre
L'Odéon - Théâtre de l'Europe performs for the first time in Armenia!
Within the framework of the Yerevan International Theatre Festival, come and discover the play "Time of Joy", directed by Stéphane Braunschweig, director of the Odéon, one of Europe's most prestigious stages.
Performance in French, surtitled in Armenian
"Time of Joy" proves to be a theatrical experience filled with moments of emotion and grace, enhanced by Stéphane Braunschweig's spirited, carefully sculpted adaptation. This play offers a glimmer of hope in a sometimes gloomy world, where human relationships are at the heart of all concerns.