Armenia named country of honour at Cannes International Film Festival’s Critics’ Week

(Horizon Media / CANNES) — Armenia has been selected as the country of honour for the 2027 edition of the “Next Step Studio” initiative, organized under the La Semaine de la Critique (Critics’ Week) program at the 80th Cannes Film Festival, in what is being viewed as a major milestone for the international recognition of Armenian cinema and emerging Armenian filmmakers.

According to Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the initiative will bring together four Armenian and four international directors in Armenia to collaboratively produce four short films, which will later be showcased at Cannes.

As the featured country of the program, Armenia will also gain a prominent platform for young Armenian filmmakers to present future feature-length projects to leading figures from the global film industry. Officials say the initiative is expected to strengthen Armenian cinema’s international presence, expand creative cooperation, and deepen Armenia’s cultural diplomacy efforts on the world stage.

The announcement was made during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, attended by Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Daniel Danielyan.

“Armenia is represented at Cannes with dignity,” Danielyan stated, highlighting the significance of the announcement following the inclusion of five films by legendary Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Peleshyan in the Cannes Classics program. He described the recognition as carrying “symbolic and historic importance” for Armenia and emphasized the influential role Critics’ Week has played in discovering and promoting new cinematic talent internationally.