Armenian Film Producers Accuse Government of Corruption, Favoritism After Cannes Festival

The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has sparked sharp criticism from the Pan-Armenian Federation of Film Producers, which accused Armenia’s state film institutions of favoritism, stagnation, and misrepresenting the country’s role at one of the world’s most important cinema events.

In a statement released on May 27, the organization said this year’s festival shows both the international achievements connected to Armenian cinema and what it described as serious problems inside Armenia’s state film management system.

The federation pointed to several major moments tied to Armenian cinema during the festival. Among them was the inclusion of five films by legendary Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Peleshyan in the “Cannes Classics” program. The organization also highlighted the attention surrounding French-Armenian actor Simon Abkarian for his portrayal of former French President Charles de Gaulle in director Antonin Baudry’s film De Gaulle.

According to the statement, Armenia also received notable visibility through coverage in three editions of the official Cannes Market News magazine, which featured Armenia and the pavilion organized by the Pan-Armenian Federation of Film Producers.

Despite these developments, the organization claimed that Armenia’s official response to the festival was deeply flawed. The statement accused state bodies of providing distorted coverage of Armenia’s participation in Cannes, editing photographs for technical or political reasons, engaging in internal conflicts, and issuing what it described as a biased official statement through Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.

The federation criticized Armenian officials who attended the festival using state funding. It noted that representatives of the ministry, including the deputy minister, members of the Armenian Film Foundation, and filmmakers supported by the authorities, traveled to Cannes even though no contemporary Armenian film was included in the festival’s main programs this year.

The organization argued that instead of presenting the achievements that did occur in Cannes, the ministry focused on future participation plans for next year. It also accused authorities of continuing a policy of supporting only filmmakers considered close to the government while ignoring the presence and activities of the Pan-Armenian Federation of Film Producers.

In its statement, the federation strongly condemned what it described as the use of Armenia’s state cinema budget for political purposes and accused officials of dividing the film community through favoritism and exclusion.

“The Cannes Film Festival put on display both the splendor and the misery of the Armenian film industry,” the statement declared.

The organization further announced that it plans to inform international partner film institutions about what it described as policies of favoritism and actions obstructing free competition in Armenia’s film industry.

The federation also said it will soon hold a press conference in Yerevan to present a detailed report on its participation at Cannes, the results of its work during the festival, and its future plans for promoting Armenian cinema internationally.

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