Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Awards
The 2023 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored the work of Pierce Brosnan whose film So Many Dreams opened the institute’s DOC LA Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival.
The 2022 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored Werner Herzog for his film The Fire Within, which opened the institute’s DOC LA Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival in Hollywood.
The 2021 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges whose environmental documentary The Beast of Our Time was presented at the institute’s DOC LA, Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival in Hollywood.
The 2020 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored the work of Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren whose environmental documentary Escape from Extinction was presented at the institute’s DOC LA, Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival.
The 2019 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett whose documentary Stuart X had its International Premiere at the institute’s DOC LA, Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival in Hollywood.
The 2018 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored the work of Oscar-winning actress and activist Susan Sarandon whose documentary American Mirror had its World Premiere at the institute’s DOC LA – Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival in Hollywood.
The 2017 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored the work of Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard whose environmental documentary Girl and Typhoons had its LA premiere at the institute’s DOC LA – Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival.
The 2016 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored the work of Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson whose film To the Ends of the Earth had it’s US premiere at the institute’s DOC LA.
The 2015 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Awards honored Grammy-winning rock band System of a Down for their historic world tour Wake Up the Souls, commemorating the 1915 Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Turks in Turkey, in which 1.5 million Christian Armenians were murdered. Oscar-winning master Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) released a statement for the occasion:
“I would like to extend my congratulations to System Of A Down on being honored for their commitment to justice with the 2015 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award, in memory of filmmakers Sergei Parajanov and Mikhail Vartanov, whose work I greatly admire. I am also pleased to hear of the band’s unique gesture to help restore Mikhail Vartanov’s film Paradjanov: The Last Spring, which was created under prohibitive conditions and yet exemplifies the power of art over any limitations. I would strongly encourage others to unite around this significant endeavor.” — Francis Ford Coppola
The 2014 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award was presented to Oscar-winning master Martin Scorsese, for the restoration of The Color of Pomegranates, which was restored by The Film Foundation/Word Cinema Project founded by him in 1990. The Parajanov-Vartanov Institute founder Martiros Vartanov, who worked on the restoration with Cineteca di Bologna and L’Immagine Ritrovata, presented the award to Scorsese on October 2, 2014, at the 52nd New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center, where the film had its East Coast premiere. Festival de Cannes had the World premiere in May, 28th Il Cinema Ritrovato Film Festival in June had the Italian premiere with Mikhail Vartanov’s Parajanov: The Last Spring. The North American premiere was at TIFF, Toronto Int’l Film Festival in September, and the US premiere, with Martiros Vartanov’s The Last Film, was at The Academy at LACMA in Hollywood.
The 2013 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored Oscar-winner William Saroyan (1908-1981) and was presented to his granddaugther Cream Kate Saroyan by Oscar-winner Jon Voight at Four Seasons Los Angeles on May 12. William Saroyan — one of the 20th century’s greatest authors — won the Pulitzer Prize for the Time of Your Life (1939) and an Academy Award for The Human Comedy (1943).
The 2012 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award was presented on April 29 at Four Seasons at Beverly Hills to Mardik Martin — the legendary screenwriter on Martin Scorsese’s seminal films Mean Streets and Raging Bull starring Robert De Niro. Mardik Martin is among the screenwriters on WGA’s list of 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written.
The 2011 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award honored the French film icon Jean Vigo (1905-1934) and was presented to his daughter and Paris-based film critic Luce Vigo by Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight at Four Seasons at Beverly Hills on April 10, 2011.
Oscar-winning film director Martin Scorsese sent a letter for the occasion to the Parajanov-Vartanov Institute with words on Vigo, Paradjanov and Vartanov, all of whom had fought against censorship.
“…It is fitting that the institute named in memory of Paradjanov and Mikhail Vartanov, who made the wonderful film PARADJANOV: THE LAST SPRING, is honoring the genius of Jean Vigo with the first Hollywood retrospective in recent years… I wish I could be there…”
—MARTIN SCORSESE
The 2010 inauguration of the Parajanov-Vartanov Institute was attended by Mrs Parajanov and Mrs Vartanov who were honored during Beverly Hills International Film Festival for the underappreciated role these women played in the lives of the two artists. The event was at Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire Hotel, on April 18, 2010. Channel 1 Moscow TV report.
Parajanov-Vartanov Institute 