Orange partners the first edition of the Hayak Awards for Armenian cinema

Next March in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, the first “Hayak” awards ceremony will be held, recognizing the best films of the year in twelve categories. This project was initiated by the National Film Development Foundation, Orange Armenia, and the National Cinema Center of Armenia. The trophy which the winners will receive has already been designed: created by comedian Izabella Nersisyan, it shows two hands joined by the thumbs and index finger in a gesture typically used in cinema to frame a shot, known as “hayak” in Armenian.
For each year’s awards ceremony, a jury of professionals from the world of cinema and culture will judge the films released during the course of the previous year. An exception is being made for this first awards ceremony, and all films produced during the 20 years since Armenia’s independence will be considered (according to the rules, only feature films made in Armenia between 1991 and 2011 are eligible). In future years, not only will films produced in the country be able to compete, but also those films addressing Armenian themes from Armenian directors.
A total of 92 films have been nominated for this first ceremony: 28 feature films, 22 short films, 10 animated films, and 32 documentaries.

The “Hayak” awards will be awarded in the following twelve categories: best film, best director, best cinematography, best screenplay, best artist, best score, best actress, best actor, best short film, best documentary feature, best animated feature, and best debut of the year. Furthermore, a special award will be given to recognize contributions to the development of Armenian cinema.
The “Hayaks” aim to develop and shine a light on the cinema industry in Armenia, but also to discover new talent and promote cinema to the Armenian public.
Orange Armenia is delighted to be supporting Armenian cinema, which has been in existence for 86 years, and despite some difficult times, it fully deserves to be recognized in the present day.


find out more
Orange Armenia portal
the National Center for Armenian Cinema website (in Armenian)
Orange and cinema