"Yes, I am a filmmaker, that is certainly good, but more importantly, I am Armenian" - Sev Ohanian

ArmInfo. From a no-budget film to a record 16 for a single movie - the journey of American film producer and screenwriter of Armenian origin Sev Ohanian is truly impressive.

Starting with lighthearted short videos about relationships in an Armenian family, the immense popularity of these clips prompted Ohanian in 2008 to shoot a full-length film on this topic. Thus, the film "My Big Fat Armenian Family" was created, made practically without a budget. It immediately became popular as it resonated with Armenian families – primarily in the USA, and then worldwide.

At a meeting with Armenian fans held as part of the international film festival "Golden Apricot," Ohanian shared that during the making of this film he had no team. "I did all the work alone – I was the director, screenwriter, producer, and handled technical issues. I only had a makeup artist, but she left me at some point, so I had to apply the makeup myself. Honestly, I did a terrible job (laughs - ed.). But I did it all for my own pleasure, there was no plan or dream that I would become a film producer. Then something incredible happened – all Armenians around the world 'embraced' me, supported me," the producer shared.

Ohanian also expressed gratitude to his family. He said that when it was time to show the film to the public, a tech store agreed to lend him a projector on the condition that he would return it. But there was no screen on which to show the film. So his mother sewed a screen by hand. Speaking about his father, who came with him to their homeland, the producer said that during filming they often broke or damaged something, and his father would immediately come and fix everything so that it looked even better than before. Ohanian also mentioned his sister Ramela Ohanian, who played the role of Ramela’s daughter in the film "My Big Fat Armenian Family." "For the film, I needed an Armenian girl, and my sister turned out to be an Armenian girl – and now she is my hero," he emphasized, stating that the film was made practically without a budget but with great love.

As part of the "Golden Apricot," the Yerevan audience had the opportunity to see Sev Ohanian’s first no-budget film and his latest film – the Oscar-winning "Sinners." For many, this might have seemed like a kind of evolutionary path of Ohanian in cinema, but the film "My Big Fat Armenian Family" is hard to call a timid experiment today. Despite being almost 20 years old, this work still looks innovative. As long as there is an Armenian family in the diaspora, this film will not lose its relevance. Beyond the everyday framework that shapes the life of a typical Armenian family with all its joys and sorrows, the film weaves humor so subtly that it is hard to stop watching. And the amateurism of the actors made the film even more lively and authentic.

This success and the subsequent achievements of Ohanian have led to him becoming a well-known Hollywood producer, holder of a record number of Oscars for the film "Sinners" (2026). His arsenal includes many other international awards, recently supplemented by one more – in Armenia.

The director and artistic director of the "Golden Apricot" film festival, Karen Avetisyan, presented Sev Ohanian with the "Master" award on the day of the festival’s closing ceremony. This award is given for an outstanding creative path and achievements in cinema.

Taking the stage, the filmmaker said that he had been successful in his professional career and received many awards at the most prestigious venues. "But believe me, receiving an award in Armenia and showing my films here means something special to me. This award for me is home. Yes, I am a filmmaker, which is certainly good, but more importantly, I am Armenian," said a moved Ohanian.

Recalling the tremendous support he received from Armenians around the world during his first steps in cinema, the producer promised that he is ready to support Armenian film projects in Hollywood.

Recall that the 23rd international film festival "Golden Apricot" took place this year from July 13 to 19. According to the jury’s assessment, in

the international feature film competition, the main prize of the "Golden Apricot" festival was awarded to Melagros Mumenthaler’s film "The Currents," the "Silver Apricot" went to the film by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosravani "Past, Future, Continuous," and Sebastian Brameshuber’s film "London" received a special mention from the international jury.

In the regional competition, the "Golden Apricot" was awarded to Amir Azizi’s film "Inside Amir," and the "Silver Apricot" to Alexandra Koberidze’s film "Dry Leaf." This film also received the FIPRESCI prize awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics.

In the "Koriz" competition program dedicated to short films, the "Golden Apricot" was awarded to Seruj Ovsepyan’s film "Dialogues Solitaire." The film also received the special prize named after Gennady Melkonyan. In this category, the "Silver Apricot" went to Ovsanna Gevorgyan’s film "Paid Mourners." The jury also gave special mentions to Sona Khachatryan’s "Relic" and Artur Saakyan’s "Together Alone."