During the film festivals sometimes it happens that you plan to watch a specific film, but at the end of the festival you realize you missed it. I decided to make a list of documentaries to be screened during the GAIFF 2025 to help me later decide which films I don’t want to miss out. I’m sharing the list for the ones who are interested in documentaries particularly.
July 14
- 10:00 AM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- The Wolves Always Come at Night (dir. Gabrielle Brady) – 95 min
- 12:30 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Abo Zaabal 89 (dir. Bassam Mortada) – 83 min
- 5:00 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Abo Zaabal 89 (dir. Bassam Mortada) – 83 min
- 7:00 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Ojakh, On the Other Side of the Silence (dir. Diana Mkrtchyan) – 95 min
- 7:30 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- My Armenian Phantoms (dir. Tamara Stepanyan) – 75 min
- 8:30 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- Holy Electricity (dir. Tato Kotelishvili) – 95 min
July 15
- 1:30 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- The Crowd (dir. Sahand Kabiri) – 70 min
- 3:00 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Conversations and Dreams (dir. Melanya Hamasyan) – 20 min
- 5:00 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Armenians, The Hidden Grandmothers (dir. Alexandra Routhiau Mikaélia) – 53 min
- 6:00 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- Light Memories (dir. Misha Vallejo Prut) – 80 min
- 6:30 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- The Crowd (dir. Sahand Kabiri) – 70 min
- 8:00 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- The Coin (dir. Emiliano Dante) – 79 min
- 9:00 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- The Wolves Always Come at Night (dir. Gabrielle Brady) – 95 min
July 16
- 10:00 AM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Fiume o morte! (dir. Igor Bezinović) – 112 min
- 1:00 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Holy Electricity (dir. Tato Kotelishvili) – 95 min
- 5:30 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- Pathologic (dir. Arsen Sarkisyan) – 40 min
- 6:00 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- Fiume o morte! (dir. Igor Bezinović) – 112 min
- 7:30 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov (dir. Ali Khamraev) – 75 min
- 9:00 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Panting (dir. Gagik Ghazareh) – 102 min
July 17
- 10:00 AM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Songs of Slow Burning Earth (dir. Olha Zhurba) – 95 min
- 10:00 AM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk (dir. Sepideh Farsi) – 110 min
- 12:30 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- The Coin (dir. Emiliano Dante) – 77 min
- 12:30 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- The Lions by the River Tigris (dir. Zaradasht Ahmed) – 90 min
- 4:00 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Gone is Nowhere (dir. Katinka Fogh Vindelev & Louise Gorm) – 43 min
- 5:30 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Before They Joined Us (dir. Arshile Egoyan) – 10 min
- 6:00 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- Songs of Slow Burning Earth (dir. Olha Zhurba) – 95 min
- 6:00 PM | Kinomoscow, Red Hall
- Pathologic (dir. Arsen Sarkisyan) – 40 min
- 8:00 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- Waiting for Don Quixote (dir. Nariné Mkrtchyan, Arsen Azatyan) – 105 min
- 9:30 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Conversations and Dreams (dir. Melanya Hamasyan) – 20 min
July 18
- 10:00 AM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Tehran, An Unfinished History (dir. Saeed Nouri) – 100 min
- 10:00 AM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- At The Edge of the World (dir. Sophie Muselle, Guérin van de Vorst) – 120 min
- 1:00 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- Light Memories (dir. Misha Vallejo Prut) – 80 min
- 12:30 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Once Upon a Time in Gaza (dir. Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser) – 87 min
- 5:00 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Once Upon a Time in Gaza (dir. Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser) – 87 min
- 5:00 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk (dir. Sepideh Farsi) – 110 min
- 7:00 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Tehran, An Unfinished History (dir. Saeed Nouri) – 100 min
- 7:00 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- The Lions by the River Tigris (dir. Zaradasht Ahmed) – 90 min
- 8:00 PM | Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- At The Edge of the World (dir. Sophie Muselle, Guérin van de Vorst) – 120 min
July 19
- 3:30 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Gor – Fled from Nagorno-Karabakh (dir. Katja Fedulova) – 24 min
- 9:00 PM | House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- Goyamart, Fight for Existence (dir. Arsen Yesayan) – 60 min
- 2:30 PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- My Armenian Phantoms (dir. Tamara Stepanyan) – 75 min
July 20
- PM | House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- Bamako (dir. Abderrahmane Sissako) – 115 min
The Wolves Always Come at Night (dir. Gabrielle Brady)
“The Wolves Always Come at Night” is a documentary that explores the challenging lives of patients residing in a nursing home for the severely ill and mentally disabled in Chechnya. The film intimately portrays their daily struggles and the harsh realities they face, offering a poignant look at their existence within the confines of the institution.
- Length: 95 min
- Screenings:
- July 14, 10:00 AM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- July 15, 9:00 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hal
My Armenian Phantoms (dir. Tamara Stepanyan)
Filmmaker’s nostalgic journey through Armenian cinema, reflecting on her late father’s acting career and her own artistic path, blending personal memories with a celebration of the country’s cinematic heritage.
- Length: 75 min
- Screenings:
- July 14, 7:30 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- July 19, 2:30 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
Holy Electricity (dir. Tato Kotelishvili)
Tato Kotelishvili’s “Holy Electricity” delves into the intricate relationship between people and power in Georgia. The film explores the socio-economic impact of electricity, showcasing how its availability or absence shapes the daily lives, aspirations, and struggles of various communities across the country.
- Length: 95 min
- Screenings:
- July 14, 8:30 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- July 16, 1:00 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
Abo Zaabal 89 (dir. Bassam Mortada)
“Abo Zaabal 89” chronicles the lives of individuals incarcerated in Egypt’s notorious Abo Zaabal Prison. The documentary provides a rare and unsettling glimpse into the prison’s harsh conditions and the experiences of its inmates, highlighting themes of human rights and the justice system.
- Length: 83 min
- Screenings:
- July 14, 12:30 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- July 14, 5:00 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
Ojakh, On the Other Side of the Silence (dir. Diana Mkrtchyan)
- Length: 95 min
- Screening:
- July 14, 7:00 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
Conversations and Dreams (dir. Melanya Hamasyan)
- Length: 20 min
- Screenings:
- July 15, 3:00 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- July 17, 9:30 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
Light Memories (dir. Misha Vallejo Prut)
“Light Memories” is a documentary that explores the fading art of film photography in the digital age. The film captures the essence of this traditional craft and the passion of those who still practice it, reflecting on memory, time, and the tangible nature of photographic prints.
- Length: 80 min
- Screenings:
- July 15, 6:00 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- July 18, 1:00 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
The Coin (dir. Emiliano Dante)
“The Coin” is a compelling documentary that tells the story of an Italian man’s desperate struggle with gambling addiction. The film intricately portrays the devastating impact of this addiction on his life and relationships, as he attempts to confront his inner demons and seek recovery.
- Length: 79 min (77 min for July 17 screening)
- Screenings:
- July 15, 8:00 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- July 17, 12:30 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
The Crowd (dir. Sahand Kabiri)
“The Crowd” is a thought-provoking documentary that examines the phenomenon of crowds and their collective behavior. The film delves into the psychology of large gatherings, exploring how individuals are influenced within a group dynamic and the various manifestations of crowd mentality in different social and political contexts.
- Length: 70 min
- Screenings:
- July 15, 1:30 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- July 15, 6:30 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
Armenians, The Hidden Grandmothers (dir. Alexandra Routhiau Mikaélia)
The director Alexandra Routhiau Mikaélian, French of Armenian origin, made a promise to her grandfather to find the members of their family in Turkey based on a simple name, Shahimé, this sister he was never able to meet.
- Length: 53 min
- Screening:
- July 15, 5:00 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
Fiume o morte! (dir. Igor Bezinović)
In 1919, outraged by the outcome of the Paris Peace Conference, which proposed handing the city of Fiume (now Rijeka, Croatia) to Yugoslavia, Italian poet, aristocrat, and army officer Gabriele D’Annunzio occupied the city. The ensuing 16-month occupation stands as one of history’s most peculiar experiments in governance.
- Length: 112 min
- Screenings:
- July 16, 10:00 AM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- July 16, 6:00 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
Pathologic (dir. Arsen Sarkisyan)
Time after time, the three of them wake up in a homeless world. Each of them goes their own way, but he always comes to the same place. Is there a way out?
- Length: 40 min
- Screenings:
- July 16, 5:30 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
- July 17, 6:00 PM at Kinomoscow, Red Hall
The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov (dir. Ali Khamraev)
Filmmaker Ali Khamraev, accompanied by cinematographer Yuri Klimenko delved into the archives and travelled to Armenia and Georgia to honour Sergei Parajanov: one of cinema’s greats, whose vision and defiance of convention transcended borders. “Dear Sergei Parajanov. This film is for you.”
- Length: 75 min
- Screening:
- July 16, 7:30 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
Panting (dir. Gagik Ghazareh)
On September 27, 2020, with open support from the Republic of Turkey and the Russian Federation, Azerbaijani forces launched a large-scale military offensive against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region). Thousands of citizens of the Republic of Armenia volunteered to defend the right of 150,000 residents of the Republic of Artsakh to live in their Armenian homeland. This film was created following the ceasefire agreement of November 9, 2020, documenting the defense of a newly established section of the Armenian state border during two shifts by a volunteer platoon.
- Length: 102 min
- Screening:
- July 16, 9:00 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
Songs of Slow Burning Earth (dir. Olha Zhurba)
Reflective observations of Ukraine in wartime are interwoven with eye-witness accounts to contemplate the ultimate tragedy: the normalization of war. A co-production between Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden and France, it had its world premiere at the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival.
- Length: 95 min
- Screenings:
- July 17, 10:00 AM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- July 17, 6:00 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
Gone is Nowhere (dir. Katinka Fogh Vindelev & Louise Gorm)
The music film work explores the innate inner dissonance of generational trauma in a documentary and performative treatment of the movement, elongation and fragmentation of escape. Based on the Armenian Genocide and Danish humanitarian Karen Jeppe’s extensive work to rescue thousands of captured Armenian refugees, mainly women and children in the early 20th century, the horrors of the past are revealed in flashes. ‘Gone is Nowhere’ emphasizes how the complex and elongated nature of refuge, in the face of the cyclical dynamics of human experience, can never be confined to one time, but will continue to affect present and future generations.
- Length: 43 min
- Screening:
- July 17, 4:00 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
Waiting for Don Quixote (dir. Nariné Mkrtchyan, Arsen Azatyan)
This is a philosophical essay – a reflection on the present of post-war Armenia, where reality and imagination have blended into each other, where the people are desperately seeking “saviors”. In this situation, the creative embodiment of Don Quixote, who appears in this film, proves that there is a very thin border between reality and imagination, and all one needs to do is believe.
- Length: 105 min
- Screening:
- July 17, 8:00 PM at Kinomoscow, Blue Hall
Tehran, An Unfinished History (dir. Saeed Nouri)
Tehran, An Unfinished History uncovers a lost century of Tehran’s transformation through rarely seen footage from Iran’s national film archives. Revealing a city of striking contrasts—cosmopolitan flair alongside deep social divides—the film shows how pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema captured a world now vanished. Featuring 150 archival clips, it offers a rare and poignant glimpse into a forgotten cinematic and urban past, reconstructing a nation’s history through the sociopolitical shifts of its capital.
- Length: 100 min
- Screenings:
- July 18, 10:00 AM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- July 18, 7:00 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
Once Upon a Time in Gaza (dir. Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser)
As Hamas tightens control over Gaza, Yahia seeks vengeance for his friend Ossama’s brutal murder. His encounter with the killer alters everything.
- Length: 87 min
- Screenings:
- July 18, 12:30 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
- July 18, 5:00 PM at House of Cinema, Grand Hall
Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk (dir. Sepideh Farsi)
An intimate window into life in Gaza amidst Israeli bombardment, captured through video calls with photojournalist Fatima Hassouna. (ACID Cannes 2025)
- Length: 110 min
- Screenings:
- July 17, 10:00 AM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- July 18, 5:00 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
The Lions by the River Tigris (dir. Zaradasht Ahmed)
Zaradasht Ahmed’s “The Lions by the River Tigris” captures the ongoing struggle for healing and cultural preservation in Mosul, a city devastated by conflict. The film follows three men – a fisherman protecting a cherished marble gate, an antique collector salvaging remnants of the city’s past, and a musician inspiring a new generation, as they work to reclaim the city’s identity and art. It’s a poignant testament to human dignity and the fight for freedom of expression in the face of destruction.
- Length: 90 min
- Screenings:
- July 17, 12:30 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
- July 18, 7:00 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
Gor – Fled from Nagorno-Karabakh (dir. Katja Fedulova)
Thirteen-year-old Gor and his family fled to Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. They had to leave their home overnight, with only a few belongings, likely for good. Like many others, they fled from the Azerbaijani army. Their entire previous life was left behind as the parents locked the door of their house.
When Gor turned ten, his father taught him how to drive. Cars have been Gor’s passion ever since. However, Gor’s biggest dream is to become a hairdresser. He likes cool hairstyles. The escape of the large family was only possible with two cars, but who would drive the second car? For Gor, it was quickly clear that he must now take responsibility. Everyone knew it wouldn’t be an easy journey. Many people were fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh and there were traffic jams lasting for hours. The journey, which normally takes three hours, took 55 hours without a break. Gor made it and the family is now in Armenia. As a reward Gor is now being trained by a celebrity hairdresser in Yerevan.
- Length: 24 min
- Screening:
- July 19, 3:30 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
Goyamart, Fight for Existence (dir. Arsen Yesayan)
- Length: 60 min
- Screening:
- July 19, 9:00 PM at House of Cinema, H. Malyan Hall
Bamako (dir. Abderrahmane Sissako)
“Bamako” is set in a courtyard in Mali, where a mock trial is being held to prosecute the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for their role in Africa’s debt crisis. Interspersed with the passionate arguments of lawyers and witnesses are scenes of daily life within the compound, offering a poignant contrast between grand political discourse and the struggles of ordinary people.
- Length: 115 min
- Screening:
- July 20, 1:00 PM at House of Cinema, GRAND HALL
Full program of Golden Apricot 2025 can be found here: https://gaiff.am/
Tickets can be purchased from here: https://ticketon.am/en/festivals
