Armenian Film Society London launches open call for Western Armenian cinema

LONDON — Armenian Film Society London has launched an international open call for films in or about Western Armenian to premiere at the prestigious Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) as part of the Armenian Film Festival London. The initiative is set to become a permanent strand of the festival, celebrating Armenian as a creative language through the art of cinema. Tatevik Ayvazyan, co-director of the festival, said: "Western Armenian is a language of poets and storytellers, songs and jokes, memories and dreams — spoken, used, loved and cherished across the world. Giving it a permanent home at our festival, in a wonderful location like the ICA London, attended by thousands of people, will elevate the language even further. It also gives filmmakers working in and with Western Armenian a stage of their own, and the recognition their work deserves." The program will showcase films exploring Western Armenian language and dialects, writing, literature and culture, accompanied by filmmaker Q&As and panel discussions. It will also include a publication and podcast series exploring the history and contemporary landscape of Western Armenian cinema, as well as a public masterclass on making poetry film in the language. Supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the project aims to create a platform for filmmakers working in the language while introducing audiences to contemporary Armenian voices. By bringing together film exhibition, public discussion and creative development, the initiative aims to grow the visibility, use and cultural relevance of Western Armenian, its dialects and the diverse experiences of its speakers — through cinema. Organizers invite film submissions of any genre and length, completed between 2021 and 2026, that are either in Western Armenian or explore Western Armenian language, culture, history or lived experience. The festival also accepts submissions from British Armenian filmmakers, continuing to develop a platform for local talent alongside international voices while strengthening the United Kingdom's Armenian creative community. Submissions are open until September 1, 2026 via FilmFreeway. The official selection will be announced in mid-September 2026. The Armenian Film Festival London will take place at the Institute of Contemporary Arts from December 3-6, 2026. Key dates Submission deadline: September 1, 2026 Selection announcement: mid-September 2026 Festival dates: December 3-6, 2026 About the festival co-directors Kira Adibekov is an award-winning curator, producer and a Chevening alumnus with an MA in Film and Screen Cultures from the University of Roehampton. He has served as a CICAE jury member at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale Forum) and was part of the founding team of GES-2, a major mixed-arts centre designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. He has curated and/or produced programs at institutions including Whitechapel Gallery, ICA and Pushkin House, and currently leads a Film Lab at TUMO – Center for Creative Technologies in Armenia. Tatevik Ayvazyan is a writer and producer at Rebel Republic Films and the former director of the Armenian Institute. She has produced the award-winning poetry film Taniel and the music documentary Married to the Music, and is currently working on several feature-length projects. Ayvazyan is also co-editor of the special Armenian issue of Wasafiri magazine and serves on the board of the International Armenian Literary Alliance and Azad Archives. About the venue The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is London's leading space for contemporary culture, commissioning, producing and presenting new work in film, music, performance and the visual arts by today's most progressive artists. From its landmark home on The Mall, the ICA stages a genre-fluid program of festivals, gigs, exhibitions and talks that challenges the past, questions the present and confronts the future, encouraging different art forms to meet and collide.

Armenian Film Society London launches open call for Western Armenian cinema

The first dedicated Western Armenian film program will premiere at the Armenian Film Festival London this December

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