Armenia:
Goldmine for Documentaries
July 9: Pitches of Armenian projects, as an ending for Eurasiadoc Alumni workshop
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July 17-19: Workshop & pitching for Regional projects (Iran, Georgia & Armenia)
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July 19: Official Launch of ArmDoc - Armenian Documentary Association
July 22: Online pitch for wider network for regional projects
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Also Special events at Common Ground Books & Spirits -
July 18 at 18:30 - Meeting & Talk with Tamara Stepanyan
July 20 at 13:00 - Screening of Aurora's Sunrise
Samuel Aubin
Samuel Aubin was born in 1967. He is the author of documentaries and short fictions. His notable works include “The dark room of Khuong Mê” (2001), “Epic” (2004), “Again stories of love” (2014), “Ara Güler, once upon a time in Istanbul” (2017) among others. He leads documentary training sessions in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Turkey, within the framework of Docmonde and Lumière du monde, Eurasiadoc program. He is also a producer of independent documentaries with the company Rhizome (www.rhizome-production.fr). Samuel Aubin is the founder and artistic director of Écran Libre, an association which has been organizing residencies for filmmakers and documentary training sessions since 2005 (www.ecranlibre.fr). He has also authored 3 books, “Alma-Ata's red apple tree”, his first novel, was published by Turquoise in the spring of 2017, and in 2020 his book "Istanbul à jamais" was published.
Our French Tutor
Our Armenian Tutors
Silva Khnkanosyan
Nairi Hakhverdi
Our Partners
Armenia: Goldmine for Documentaries is financed by French Institute in Armenia and Women Fund Armenia, implemented by UP NGO through the program PlatformDoc in collaboration with DocMonde and Ecran Libre from France, and GAIFFpro, Union of Film Professionals of Armenia, Guild of Film Producers and Directors of Armenia, ArmDoc - Armenian Documentary Association and 22 Photopat from Armenia.
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Local and international awards for the pitches
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Doc Leipzig accreditation
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consultation with specialists
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technical support from 22 photopat Art Studio for Armenian project
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small financial support for an Armenian project
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Documentary projects from the region: 2 Georgian, 2 Iranian and 3 Armenian projects
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Guests for online pitches
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Baltic Sea Doc representative
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CineDoc Tbilisi representative
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Doc Leipzig representative
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Producers from France, Germany, Ireland
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and much more
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Jury members for onsite pitching in Yerevan
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Tamara Stepanyan - Armenia/ France
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Salome Jashi - Georgia
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more TBA soon
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Eurasiadoc Alumni
Armenian Workshop
Documentary Film Project Development Workshop
Yerevan, Armenia, from May 3 to July 9, 2025
About the Course
One of the primary goals of the workshop is to develop the documentary film production sector in Armenia and promote co-productions with European countries. Preference will be given to beginning authors or authors who do not have experience in international co-productions.
During the courses, we will work intensively on the script structure, concept of your film project, as well as preparing the project package and presenting it in the best way. You should be prepared to dedicate time, write and think about the project, as well as do filming. The course days will be distributed from May to July on weekends (Saturday-Sunday). A total of 12 days are planned for classes and meetings.
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Only feature-length creative documentary projects will be selected for the workshop.
Creative documentaries are documentary films where, in addition to reality, there is also the author's clear approach, message, and perspective. Such documentaries have more creative approaches, from script structure to visual/sound approaches.
The workshop is planned to be conducted in-person in Yerevan in Armenian language (knowledge of English will be considered an advantage).
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Applicants must be at least 18 years old and able to ensure their physical presence during the course (not online). Interested participants from the regions must cover their accommodation expenses independently.
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The meetings are planned to be held from May to July on weekends (Saturday-Sunday) with 12 days of intensive work. The process will be both group and individual work. The workshop will be time-consuming, filled with practical assignments and film screenings-discussions. Absences will be considered very strictly; we expect participants to attend all meetings.
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Incomplete applications will not be considered. The selection committee is not obligated to explain their selection. Selected participants will be notified by email.
Application are closed by April 12, 2025
10, maximum 12 projects will be selected for the course.
The selection will be announced no later than April 20. Along with the acceptance notification, there will also be a schedule of the main courses, which will help participants properly plan their time and other engagements.
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At the end of the course, a pitch (project presentation event) is planned, where there will also be awards - both monetary and incentive prizes.
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Applying for the course is free, but participation in the workshop has a fee. Selected participants must pay a one-time fee of 30,000 AMD for the course, or 12,000 AMD each month (total: 36,000 AMD). A maximum of three people can receive a tuition discount or full waiver, for which it is necessary to apply with a separate letter. The tuition fees will go toward the competition and prize fund.
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The course has been made possible thanks to the support of several organizations and individuals: first and foremost, the French Embassy in Armenia has been EurasiaDoc's biggest and most loyal supporter for years - currently supporting us by the French Institute, and our other major supporter is the DocMonde organization from France. The organization implementing the course in Armenia is the UP NGO, collaborating with ArmDoc - Armenian Documentary Filmmakers Association, Armenian Directors and Producers Guild, Women Fund Armenia, Union of Film professionals of Armenia, AGBU Armenia and others.
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Here is the form to apply.
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