Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week has announced the four Armenian filmmakers taking part in next year's Next Step Studio programme, which is focused on Armenia. Armik Israyelyan, Raffi Movsisyan, Sona Khachatryan and Naira Sargsyan will each be paired with an international filmmaker to develop and shoot a short film, giving emerging Armenian talent exposure at one of world cinema's most prestigious platforms.

The films will be shot in Yerevan in March 2027, made in the Armenian language with fully Armenian cast and crew, and will premiere at Critics' Week in Cannes in 2027. The initiative is backed by Armenia's Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. The four directors bring varied backgrounds spanning film festivals, television, academia and civil society work, including experience at the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival, the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies and various Armenian-Turkish cultural projects.