20/07/2026 - The Armenian gathering welcomed a stellar selection of European filmmakers, such as Jessica Hausner, Paweł Pawlikowski and Mark Cousins, from 12-19 July

Dry Leaf director Alexandre Koberidze (right) collecting his award (© Aram Nersesyan)

The 23rd edition of Armenia’s renowned film gathering the Golden Apricot International Film Festival welcomed a stellar selection of European filmmakers, such as Jessica Hausner, Paweł Pawlikowski and Mark Cousins, from 12-19 July. During that time, Yerevan also played host to the festival’s annual co-production and financing platform, GAIFF Pro, and paid tribute to filmmakers Bahram Beyzai, Béla Tarr and Bruno Delbonnel. As is customary, the festival held its closing ceremony at Yerevan’s House of Cinema, where the awards were given out.

As the winner of the International Feature Film Competition and the recipient of the Golden Apricot, the jury crowned The Currents by Milagros Mumenthaler, an enigmatic Swiss-Argentinian co-production anchored by an unknowable but compelling woman protagonist played by Isabel Aimé González Sola. The Silver Apricot went to Past Future Continuous by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani, which was also the festival’s opening film. London by Sebastian Brameshuber received a Special Mention. The International Feature Film Competition jury was composed of director Jessica Hausner, Scottish documentarian Mark Cousins, curator and critic Mark Peranson, theatre producer Shermin Langhoff, and actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart.

The Regional Competition jury, composed of Mahmoud Kalari, trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, producer Dominique Welinski, and filmmakers Pieter-Jan De Pue and Christine Haroutounian, favoured Amir Azizi’s powerful documentary Inside Amir, awarding it the Golden Apricot, while the Silver Apricot went to Alexandre Koberidze’s Dry Leaf, which also took home the FIPRESCI Award.

The winners of the Apricot Stone competition, dedicated to short films, were also announced. In addition, Tereza Nvotová's Father was presented with the Distribution Award in Armenia and Georgia, which includes financial support of €6,000 to ensure the regional distribution of the movie.

Here is the full list of award winners:

International Feature Film Competition

Golden Apricot
The Currents – Milagros Mumenthaler (Switzerland/Argentina)

Silver Apricot
Past Future Continuous – Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani (Iran/Norway/Italy)

Jury Special Mention
London – Sebastian Brameshuber (Austria)

Regional Panorama

Golden Apricot
Inside Amir – Amir Azizi (Iran)

Silver Apricot
Dry Leaf – Alexandre Koberidze (Germany/Georgia)

FIPRESCI Award
Dry Leaf – Alexandre Koberidze

Gennadi Melkonyan Special Award
Dialogues Solitaire – Serouj Hovsepian (France/Armenia - short film)

Apricot Stone Short-film Competition

Golden Apricot
Dialogues Solitaires – Serouj Hovsepian

Silver Apricot
Paid Mourners – Ovsanna Gevorgyan (Armenia)

Jury Special Mentions
Relic - Sona Khachatryan (Armenia)
Together Alone - Arthur Sahakyan (Armenia)

Parajanov’s Thaler for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema
Paweł Pawlikowski

Master Award
Sev Ohanian
Mark Cousins

Distribution Award
Father - Tereza Nvotová (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Poland)