GAIFF PRO INDUSTRY —
GAIFF Pro Industry is a financing, co-production, and educational platform dedicated to Western Asian documentary, fiction, hybrid, animation, and expanded cinema projects with universal reach (to check the eligible countries, please follow the link here).
The Industry platform runs parallel to the Golden Apricot International Film Festival each year in July in Yerevan, Armenia.
GAIFF Pro offers pitching sessions, year-round master classes with award-winning professionals, workshops targeting all aspects of film making from scriptwriting to pitching, from fundraising to post-production and distribution strategies, and tailored one-on-one meetings with the decision-makers. The event includes Co-production Market, Short Film Market, GAIFF Pro Showcase, Actors’ Track and Critics Campus.
The platform was established in 2019 as the successor to the successful 10-year run of the Directors Across Borders Program.
Accreditation applications opening soon.
GAIFF Pro Co-production Market
GAIFF Pro Co-production Market is an international platform designed for emerging filmmakers from the Western Asia region, including its diaspora (please refer to the Regulations and Eligibility section for details). It aims to help filmmakers develop their first or second feature film projects, and to pitch them to accredited international film industry professionals, boosting and establishing
co-productions across borders.
WIP: Work-in-Progress Market
The deadlines and details relating to eligibility criteria can be seen here.
Read on how to submit your project here.
The WIP Market hosts feature-length films in the work-in-progress stage from first or second-time directors from the Western Asia region. The selected 5 participants will present their films to international producers, financiers, festival programmers, distributors, sales agents, and potential exhibitors accredited by the festival.
The Work-In-Progress market consists of presentations of participating films in late production or post-production. A full catalogue of the Market’s participating projects and international industry professionals will be sent out in advance to allow participants to book appointments prior to the event. Participation of co-producers from all countries is encouraged, provided the director of the project is from one of the countries in the Western Asia region.
The deadlines and details relating to eligibility criteria can be seen here.
The deadline to submit is April 19, 2026, 23:59 AMT.
The upcoming edition of the GAIFF Pro Industry Platform takes place July 13-17, 2026.
We welcome 1st and 2nd feature projects from emerging filmmakers. There are no restrictions regarding the amount of financing already in place. The main criteria for selection are the artistic quality of the project, the uniqueness of the content, the relevance of the subject matter, and its potential internationally.
GAIFF Pro Industry is primarily for producers and directors with selected projects, as well as international professionals and decision-makers.
GAIFF Pro focuses on projects from the Western Asia region and its diaspora. The eligible countries are: Armenia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
All submitted materials must be in English. Up to two projects may be submitted per production company.
12 projects will be selected for the Project Market. And up to 5 projects will be selected for the WIP: Work-in-Progress Market.
If selected, you will be asked to provide a cover photo and finalised texts for publication. By providing these materials, you give GAIFF Pro permission to use them online and for promotional purposes.
Pitching sessions are held in English. Depending on the pitch set-up, the teams have 5-7 minutes to present their project, including visual material, if applicable. The pitch is followed by a short Q&A with the moderator.
GAIFF Pro requires the logo of GAIFF Pro to be included in the credits of the participating films (both Project Market and WIP Market) once finalised.
The selected candidates will be required to attend an online pre-workshop in June/early July 2026, with the date and details provided to them in advance.
The deadline to submit is April 19, 2026, 23:59 AMT. The upcoming edition of the GAIFF Pro Industry takes place July 13-17, 2026.
The objective of Short Cuts Nest is to boost the development of the short film sector in Armenia. Its aim is to enhance the influence of short films on the wider film industry and to foster the emergence of fresh cinema authors and artists.
5 Armenian short projects will be selected to participate at GAIFF Pro 2026 and compete for a special Prize. The main criteria for selection are the artistic quality of the project, the uniqueness of the content, the relevance of the subject matter, and its potential internationally.
Priority will be given to projects of emerging filmmakers.
At the end of the Industry event, the selected participants will pitch their projects during the Pitching Session to a group of experts, producers, and festival executives. Pitching sessions are held in English. Depending on the pitch set-up, the teams have 7 – 10 minutes to present their project, including visual material, if applicable.
The pitch is followed by a short Q&A with the moderator.
The winning project will be announced after the Pitching session, receiving an equipment deal for up to 6 days, amounting to up to 5MM AMD, sponsored by KINOKET PRODUCTIONS.
- All submitted materials must be in English or Armenian.
- Up to two projects may be submitted per production company.
- The project should be based on an original script (fiction or hybrid).
- The completed film should not exceed 30 minutes.
- If selected, you will be asked to provide a cover photo and finalised texts for publication. By providing these materials, you give GAIFF Pro permission to use them online and for promotional purposes.
- GAIFF Pro requires the logo of GAIFF Pro to be included in the credits of the participating films once finalised.
- The application can be submitted by the director or the producer of the project.
The documents should be submitted in the given order below:
- Completed application form containing the general project information (DOWNLOAD the application form)
- Cover Page, including:
- project title (in English and in Armenian)
- name of the director and (co)producers
- mention project type (fiction, documentary, animation, hybrid or expanded cinema)
- mention Short Cuts Nest
- Logline (max. 2 sentences)
- Synopsis (max. 1 page)
- Director’s Statement (max. 1 page)
- Producer’s Statement (max. 1 page)
- Full Script in correct formatting
- Team Biographies (writer, director, producer, production company), including:
- photo
- biography
- filmography (main previous works including the title, year, short/feature, type (documentary, fiction, etc.) and role in the production)
- links to previous audiovisual works (for the Director)
- Budget Topsheet: total budget in AMD (max. 1 page)
- Financing Plan, a table detailing institution/company/source, name of responsible financier, amount in AMD, status of each line in financing (expected, confirmed, etc.) (max. 1 page)
- Development and Production Timeline (max. 1 page)
- Please send the full project application package as ONE PDF file to gaiffpro.industry@gmail.com. Please note that the materials should be:
- all in English,
- in the order indicated in the list on the website,
- in one PDF file (max. file size 20MB),
- named after the project title, and the market section
- Make sure you follow the page limits per each section, and ensure that the information is clear and readable (avoid using too small fonts or complex layouts).
- Submissions that exceed the page limits will not be read.
- Please note that you are free to submit other additional materials: however, reading them is totally optional for our readers. So please do not rely on additional materials for key information about your project: all relevant information for the application should be present in the mandatory requested materials.
Archive
While maintaining the fundamental objectives of GAIFF - encouragement of networking and cultural exchange across borders, and preservation of the cultural diversity of the region - the festival added a new section to its activities for the year of 2019. In Focus brought a specific topic/region/idea/concept to the spotlight, opening a new discourse on its cinematic establishment and further prospects of development.
In Focus 2019 covered Poland. In cooperation with Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the program organised various events to bring Polish culture closer. In addition to panel discussions, talks and training, the program included screenings of contemporary and classic films.
The core program was a ten-session workshop for ten first- or second-time directors and screenwriters working on feature-length projects, helping them improve their presentation and pitching skills. Participants later presented their projects to local and international investors, distributors, and festival programmers.
The project also organized professional trainings on project development and film packaging, and promoted contemporary Armenian cinema through regional screenings, master classes, and discussions across the country.
From the inception of ATCP till 2019, the platform had a full-fledged network with more than 250 participants from both countries, and it brought to life over 20 documentary and short film projects, facilitated more than 200 inter-state exchange visits, and produced and distributed the first Armenian-Turkish cinema Almanac. Films from ATCP have been screened in different international film festivals and cultural centres, attracting broad audiences from around the world.
