Հայերեն
Harutyun Khachatryan
Born January 9, 1955 in Akhalkalaki, Georgia. He began working in 1968, combining school and his duties as a postman. He was admitted to Armenian Pedagogical Institute’s Culture department, faculty of directing in 1977 (Yuri Yerzinkyan’s workshop). He graduated in 1981 with the diploma film The Voices of the District where he was both the director and cameraman. While studying he was also working at “Hayfilm” studio as an assistant to cinematographer Albert Yavuryan.
After graduation he continued working in the studio first as a cinematographers assistant, then as a director’s assistant, second director and finally in 1985 he began making his own documentary and feature films, which have gained wide international acclaim since. In 1991 he founded the Debut Film Festival. In 1993-1994 he was working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia as the head of the department of culture and education. In 2004 along with Mikayel Stamboltsyan and Susanna Harutyunyan he founded the “Golden Apricot” Yerevan IFF and has been its director ever since. In 2013 he became a People’s Artist of Armenia. Through the years Khachatryan’s films have won numerous prizes at many international film festivals.