Golden Gate Armenian Film Festival

All screenings will be November 20-22, at the Vogue movie theatre in San Francisco. 

Saturday, Nov 21st, 1:30pm

More info here.

Sunday, Nov 22nd, 1:30pm

The first Armenian feature-length animated film created with artificial intelligence.

After remaining sealed for centuries, the gates of Agravakar suddenly open, bringing Pokr Mher into the modern world. But in this unfamiliar age, his legendary strength is fading, and humanity’s belief in heroes has nearly disappeared. To reclaim his power, Mher must awaken courage in the hearts of a group of ordinary children—children who never imagined that the world might need a hero again, or that the greatest heroic power could already be hidden within themselves.

Watch the trailer!

Friday, Nov 20th, 4:30pm

"Scattered Seeds of the Pomegranate" is a documentary that traces the settlement of Armenians in France and Europe following the 1915 genocide. Through the eyes of director Alexandra Routhiau Mikaélian—herself of Armenian descent—the film blends previously unseen archival footage, animation, live-action imagery, and personal testimonies, taking viewers on a unique journey into "Armenian lands." It is a universal story—one of seeking refuge and the movements of the human spirit—that resonates with all the diaspora communities shaping the France and Europe of today.

Saturday, Nov 21st, 4:30pm

Céline arrives in Armenia for the first time to legalize the death of Arto, her husband. She discovers that he has lied to her, that he fought in the war, usurped his identity, and that his former friends consider him a deserter. A new journey begins for her, as she encounters Arto's past: invalids from the battles of 2020, veterans of the victorious battles of the 90s, hauntings from a war that never ends. A woman chases a ghost, but how do you bury it? Can the dead be saved? 

Watch the trailer!

Sunday, Nov 22nd, 4:30pm

“To be or not to be?” echoes through the halls of a derelict Soviet-era retirement home, where a group of its elderly residents rehearse Shakespeare’s Sins—an original play in which the renowned playwright's own characters confront him over their tragic fates. From casting to premiere night, Outliving Shakespeare follows the retired theater troupe bonding in and between rehearsals, transforming from a lighthearted warm look at the innocent dignity of aging, into a deeper thought-provoking exploration of the loneliness that accompanies it. As the production unfolds, the theatre mirrors reality. Watch the trailer!

Friday, Nov 20th, 7:30pm

Set in the remote village of Gandzani in southern Georgia, near the Armenian border, A Fire There explores youth coming of age amid uncertainty and change. The village, home to an ethnic Armenian community where echoes of exile and Soviet nostalgia still linger, frames the lives of three teenagers negotiating the tension between inherited traditions and the desire for something new. Henrikh, restless and ambitious, dreams of leaving for Tbilisi to study International Affairs. Karlen, weighed down by family obligations, considers migrant work as his path to independence. Hagop, more rooted in tradition, seeks a meaningful place within the village while quietly questioning its unspoken codes and patriarchal expectations. Against rigid gender roles, social limits, and geopolitical instability, the film offers an intimate and immersive portrait of a generation imagining a future beyond their isolated world. 

Watch the trailer!

Saturday, Nov 21st, 7:30pm

Juliette, 35, seems to have it all: a power job in finance, a beautiful house, and a life of constant travel. Despite her mother’s hopes for grandchildren, her nights are filled with fleeting lovers. When she is assaulted by a work colleague at a company event, her world collapses. Juliette then sets out on a new path to bring meaning to her life.

Sunday, Nov 22nd, 7:30pm

July 2023. Nagorno-Karabakh has been under siege by Azerbaijan for seven months now. Sensing the approach of war, the director asked his friend Artsiv to film his daily life with his wife Tatev and their five children. Through images of striking tenderness, a quiet resistance emerges—that of a people on the brink of fleeing forever.

Watch the trailer!