Yerevan International Film Festival
The Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Yerevan, Armenia. The festival was founded in 2004 with the co-operation of the "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development, the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists. The GAIFF is continually supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and the Benevolent Fund for Cultural Development.The objectives of the festival are "to present new works by the film directors and producers in Armenia and foreign cinematographers of Armenian descent and to promote creativity and originality in the area of cinema and video art".
History
The "Golden Apricot" Annual Film Festival was established in 2004 in Yerevan, by the "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development, the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and Benevolent Fund for Cultural Development. Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan was named President of the festival since 2005.The Festival is dedicated to the theme of Crossroads of Cultures and Civilizations, and features a multitude of films representing various nations and religions, collectively depicting the richness of the human experience.
In 2005, the establishment of a network of filmmakers of the region entitled Directors Across Borders was initiated by the "Golden Apricot" Film Festival.
Since 2005 "Golden Apricot" has been functioning under the aegis of the European Cultural Parliament.
In 2010, the festival was awarded by the FICTS Plate D'honneur.
Awards and Categories of Competition
The major awards at the GAIFF are the Golden Apricot and Silver Apricot prizes for feature, documentary and Armenian panorama films. Lifetime achievement is recognized by the Parajonov's Thaler Award, named in honour of Sergei Parajanov.International Feature Competition:
1. "Golden Apricot" – Best Feature Film
2. "Silver Apricot" – Special Prize
International Documentary Competition:
1. "Golden Apricot" – Best Documentary Film
2. "Silver Apricot" – Special Prize
"Apricot Stone" Short Film Competition:
1. "Golden Stone" – Best Short Film
2. Special Prize
"Armenian Panorama" National Competition:
1. "Golden Apricot" – Best Fiction Film
2. "Golden Apricot" – Best Documentary Film
3. "Silver Apricot" – Special Prize
Winners of the Grand Prix - Golden Apricot main prize for Best Feature Film
Awards GAIFF 2004
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | Ararat | Atom Egoyan |  Canada |
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | Tale About Pegasus | Armen Khachatryan |  Armenia |
| Short Film Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Short Film | Je m'appelle | Stéphane Elmadjian |  France |
| Animation and Experimental Film | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | Freedub 1 | Stéphane Elmadjian | France |
| Jury Special Prize | Jury Special Prize for Best Feature Film | A Place in the World | Artour Aristakisian |  Russia |
| Jury Special Prize | Jury Special Prize for Best Animation and Experimental Film | Ligne de Vie | Serge Avedikian | France |
| Special Mention | Special Mention for Best Documentary Film | I Died in Childhood... | Georgiy Paradzhanov | Russia |