HOLLYWOOD—Arpa International Film Festival, a branch of the non profit Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art, takes great pride in working toward recognizing the diverse tapestry of international talent and presenting it to an appreciative audience in the heart of Hollywood. The festival creates a dynamic forum for International Cinema with a special focus on the works of filmmakers who explore the issues of multiculturalism, war, exile, diaspora, dual identity, environmentalism and many others. Through film screenings, panel discussions, networking events, and closing night awards ceremonies, we strive to bridge cultural divides by fostering dialogue among different ethnicities, cultures, and lifestyles. Whether it be through feature films, documentaries, shorts or music videos, the possibilities are endless in discovering how many gifted filmmakers are playing there in the field of Independent Cinema.
Through the years, many industry greats have taken part in Arpa International Film Festival’s galas as honorees, presenters, emcees, special award recipients and attendees. Celebrities such as Howard Kazanjian, Hank Moonjean, Mardik Martin, Cheech Marin, Vivica A. Fox, Francis Fisher, Mike Connors, Atom Egoyan, Marla Maples, Esai Morales, Leo Chaloukian, Sid Haig, Shorheh Aghdashloo, Edward James Olmos, Serj Tankian, Joe Berlinger, Terry George, Eric Esrailian, Mike Medavoy, Ed Asner, Ara Keshishian, Carl Weathers, Alexander Dinaleris, Barbara Carrera, Ronnie Carol, Christine Kludjian, Edward James Olmos, Tippi Hedren, Bob Papazian, Jim Hirsh, Alanis Morrissette, Kev Orkian Sonia Eddy, Eric Roberts, and many more.
This year, the AIFF streamed 80 films from 27 countries, hosted by the digital streaming platform Eventive and in Theaters. The Silver Anniversary of Arpa was celebrated at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, on November 20, honoring celebrities such as Michael Madsen, Terry George, Tom Arnold, Eric Esrailian, Pooch Hall, Lord Gavin McLeod, Heather McComb, Scott Campbell, Angela Sarafian, Adrian Dev and others.
The evening also paid tribute to the 5 year anniversary of the film “The Promise.” The Emcees for the evening were none other than Fox 11 Good Day LA anchor Araksya Karapetyan and Fox 11 Entertainment anchor Amanda Salas. The Jury for the 25th Annual Film Festival were from the film industry: Anthony Grieco, David Uslan, JJ Caruth, Serj Tankian, Marc Butan, Yvette Amirian, Sherif Alabede and Roger Kupelian.
The following list is the 2022 Arpa International Film Festival’s award Recipients:
- Best Feature Narrative: “It’s Spring…,” produced by Alexander Khachatryan (Armenia)
- Best Director: “It’s Spring…,” directed by Roman Musheghyan (Armenia)
- Best Screenplay: “The Justice of Bunny King,” screenplay by Sophie Henderson (New Zealand)
- Best Feature-Length Documentary: “The Captain’s Heart,” directed by Simon Bang (Denmark)
- Best Short Documentary: “Spokespeople,” directed by Ryan Mekenian (United States)
- Best Short Film: “Lion’s Cage,” directed by Linus von Stumberg (Switzerland)
- Best Animated Film: “The Record,” directed by Jonathan Laskar (Switzerland)
- Best Music Video: “Valerine,” directed by Andrea VONJAKO Giacomini (United States)
- Audience Award: “Car 24,” directed by Matias Desiderio (United States)
Arpa believes in unifying diverse people and cultures through the arts, and we believe in film’s power to inspire, entertain, and change the world. As a non profit organization, all financial support will help us continue our efforts and achieve our goal of championing the world’s finest filmmakers in Hollywood.
At this time, we are very proud to announce that Arpa is the recipient of $500,000 donation from the Vezbi Super App in Vezbi corporte stock equity, eligible to be liquidated over five years, as part of its Project Seva. Along with the donation, Vezbi will be creating custom micro Apps and Communities for the use of by Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art and its members and those it serves.
Vezbi is a community driven super pp designed to organize and consolidate all facets of life in one centralized application. Vezbi is available on both iOS and Android.
Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art/Arpa International Film Festival is a Los Angeles based non profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to cultivating cultural understanding and global empathy by creating a dynamic forum for International Cinema.
For further information, or to make a donation, contact AIFF Founder Sylvia Minassian or Board member Maral Kazazian via email: arpafilmfestival@gmail.com.
