The official 2020 Award Nominees for the 23rd Annual Arpa International Film Festival have been selected
Arpa International Film Festival congratulates it’s independent filmmakers and nominees for their artistic expression, passion and vision in bringing their stories to the screen. Your achievements are indicative in the development and growth of any film festival.
For any filmmaker to have his or her film screened as part of an official selection is in itself a major accomplishment, however the joy of discovering that their film is nominated elevates their excitement beyond measure.
Festival Director this year, Maral Kazazian conveyed, “Our Nominees this year represent some of the best of what independent filmmaking has to offer from around the world. Every year, the quality of our films increase and the topics they address are always so profound, and not even Covid-19 can stop that.”
We are proud to announce our official 2020 Award Nominees list. And let the anxious anticipation begin as filmmakers, directors, animators, screenplay writers and music artists all await the winning award announcements at the 23rd Annual Arpa International Film Festival.
BEST SCREENPLAY, BEST DIRECTOR & BEST FEATURE FILM AWARD NOMINEES
ALEKSI / Feature, Drama, Comedy, Coming of Age 2019 directed by Barbara Vekaric, Croatia
OMAR AND US / Feature, Drama 2019 directed by Maryna Er Gorbach & Mehmet Bahadir Er, Turkey
UNTIMELY / Feature, Drama 2020 directed by Pouya Eshtehardi, Iran
BEST FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY FILM AWARD NOMINEES
AN ARMENIAN TRILOGY / Feature Doc, Armenian History, Music 2019 by Dan Yessian, USA
BLOODLESS: THE PATH TO DEMOCRACY / Feature Doc, History, Politics, Human Rights 2020 by Bared Maronian & Silva Basmajian, USA
BORN JUST NOW / Feature Doc, Performance Art, Women 2018 by Robert Adanto, USA
QUO VADIS 2020 / Feature Doc 2019 by Gabriele Fabbro, USA
WHAT WILL BECOME OF US / Feature Doc, Armenian History, Diaspora 2020 by Stephanie Ayanian & Joseph Myers, USA
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM AWARD NOMINEES
CONFESSIONS OF A RUNNER / Short Doc, Sports, Addiction, Recovery 2020 by Bachar Khattar, Lebanon
FINISH LINE / Short Doc, Sport, Human Rights 2019 by Saeed Mayahy, Iran
FROM KURILS WITH LOVE / Short Doc, Adventure, Wildlife 2020 by Taylor Reese., USA
BEST SHORT FILM AWARD NOMINEES
ALINA / Short, Drama, Thriller, Holocaust 2019 directed by Rami Kodeih, USA
BABU / Short, Drama, Family 2019 directed by Eelum Dixit, Nepal
BLACK HEART, RED HANDS / Short, Crime, Thriller, Drama 2019 directed by Russell Southam, Australia
FURTHEST FROM / Short, Drama, Family, Coming of Age 2019 directed by Kyung Sok Kim, USA
RETURN (VEGER) / Short, Drama 2019 directed by Selman Deniz, Armenia & Turkey
THE CRITIC / Short, Drama, Psychological, Thriller 2018 directed by Stella Velon, USA
THIS LAND / Short, Crime, Drama 2019 directed by Michael Aloyan, Armenia
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM AWARD NOMINEES
10000 UGLY INKBLOTS / Animation, Short 2020 by Dmitry Geller, China
GON, THE LITTLE FOX / Stop-Motion Animation, Drama, Fantasy 2019 by Takeshi Yashiro, Japan
HARVEST / Animation, Short 2018 by Sun Lijun, China
MALAKOUT / Animation, Fantasy 2019 by Farnoosh Abedi, Iran
THE ABANDONED BLOCK / Animation, Drama, Historic, Art 2020 by James Bourne, Canada
THE ROTATION / Animation, Student 2020 by Hazhir As’adi, Iran
THE WINTER / Animation, Student 2020 Xin Li, by Australia
BEST MUSIC VIDEO AWARD NOMINEES
SMASH AGAIN / Artists: CATALYST BARS & ALEXI / Music Video, Dance, Pop, Rap 2019 directed by Alexi Papalexopoulos, USA
COVID BACH / Artist: ANDRAS SCHIFF / Music Video, Animation, Classical 2020 directed by Elizabeth Lewis, Canada
MANOUG ME (A CHILD) / Artist: HAMO ARZOUMANIAN / Music Video, Armenian 2020 directed by Armen Poladian, Canada
ONLY LOVE / Artist: MANU HVALA / Music Video, Pop 2020 directed by Manu Hvala, USA
GETAWAY TO KAOHSIUNG / Artist: NAMEWEE / Music Video, Pop 2020 directed by Namewee, Taiwan
You can read more about 2020 Arpa International Film Festival Awards and Jury that span eight categories this year.