Simon Abkarian to be guest of honour at Golden Apricot Film Festival

(Horizon Media / YEREVAN) – Renowned French-Armenian actor, playwright and director Simon Abkarian will be a guest of honour at the 23rd Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival.

Abkarian began his nearly five-decade career in theatre and cinema in the early 1980s in the United States, before continuing his artistic journey with Ariane Mnouchkine’s celebrated Théâtre du Soleil in France.

Since the 1990s, he has built a distinguished career on both French and American screens, working with acclaimed directors including Cédric Klapisch, Atom Egoyan, Robert Guédiguian, Sally Potter and Fatih Akin.

Throughout his career, Abkarian has portrayed major Armenian figures such as Arshile Gorky and Missak Manouchian. In 2026, he also took on the role of General Charles de Gaulle in Antonin Baudry’s film De Gaulle, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

A celebrated figure in French theatre, Abkarian has received the prestigious Molière Award multiple times, including Best Actor in 2001, and Best Director and Best Living French-Language Writer in 2020.