Armenian Panorama

Maria was born in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1980. Her family moved to Russia, in 1992. She graduated, in 2002 with a degree in film directing from VGIK (All State Russian Film Institute), studying under Vladimir Kobrin. Her first feature The Lighthouse (2007) has been selected by more than 30 festivals and released in Russia and distributed internationally Second Run DVD, UK. From 2003 to 2006, Maria worked as a creative producer in Andreevsky Flag Film Company. From 2007 to 2008, she was creative producer at Narti Film Moscow based film company and was presenting the film by Aslan Galazov Swallows have arrived. Maria’s second feature was formed as an independent film production. At 2009, Maria and Victoria Lupik open a Yerevan (Armenia) based Anniko Films and start developing Maria’s second feature I Am Going to Change My Name. It awarded Best Pitch from B2B, Belgrade and DAB at Golden Apricot IFF, Yerevan. The film is an Armenia, Russia, Germany and Denmark co-production. In 2010, Maria was selected for Berlinale Talent Campus. Her third feature, Enthropy (2012) was released in Russian cinemas and been proclaimed as the “most scandal film of the year” and I Am Going to Change My Name received “The Best feature film 2013” Armenian National Cinema Award. Maria Saakyan lives and works in Yerevan.

Born in France. After majoring in philosophy he pursued studies in cinema; since 2006, he has been teaching cinema aesthetics, scriptwriting and journalism in France and Lebanon. He is a film critic for the film journal Positif, and is a member of its editing committee; he also writes for Transfuge and Evene, and has interviewed directors including Francis Ford Coppola, George A. Romero, Joachim Lafosse, Miguel Gomes, Jaime Rosales, Sofia Coppola, Bertrand Tavernier and Olivier Assayas. A regular lecturer at the Cinémathèque française and the Forum des Images at the Centre Pompidou, Ferrari also collaborates with the pedagogical service of the Cinémathèque française to train other teachers in cinema and analysis. A former director of the publishing company Les Transparence, Ferrari has written several books on cinema (essays on Andrey Tarkovsky, Jean Grémillon, Kenji Mizoguchi and Wong Kar-wai), as well as novels and poems. He consults as a script doctor and is currently working on two projects, a feature narrative and a documentary.

Born in Vanadzor, Armenia, in 1978. At the age of 13 he started to work in local TV channel in the positions of cameraman and editor. In 1994 he moved with his family to Shiauliai, Lithuania. Here he also started to work in local TV channel in the positions of cameraman and editor. Later, in 2000, he moved to capital Vilnius where started to work in national TV channel both as editing director and culinary show host. At this time he also started to make music videos for Lithuanian music starts. He has made 4 award-winning music videos. Soon he quitted all his positions in television, entered Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater where he studied Film Directing. Sargsyan has directed the following films: 28 Article, Luiza, Love, Once We Lived in the Mountains, Lernavan, The Father.

Has been working in the international film and television for close to 25 years. She founded her independent consulting company in 2012 (with offices in Hamburg and New York) and counts among her clients British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the Toronto IFF, Hamptons Take Two Docfest, Hamburg Media School and a number of independent production companies. She is the permanent US Rep/East Coast for the Berlin IFF, as well as a member of its Competition Selection Committee. She is also the permanent representative for European Film Promotion in the US. She has been the Executive Director of the Hamptons IFF, Co-Director of the European Film Market (at the Berlinale), Executive Director of the Independent Feature Project and a Producer for several companies (Bruce Weber and Time Film Production)․

Born in 1974. Giorgi Gogiberidze has graduated from the Art School an Art College with the specialization of Fine Arts and Design and Pedagogue of Painting. In Batumi Art Teaching University studied filmmaking. He has worked as main expert in the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Adjara. From 2006, Gogoberidze is the founder, director and programmer of Batumi International Art-House FF (BIAFF). He is teaching a theory of directing and editing in the Art Teaching University. He is the founder of the advertising company Ialoni Studio and often organizes photo exhibitions in various countries. Giorgi Gogiberidze is a member of the Union of Cinematographers of Georgia.