White Town/Սպիտակ քաղաք

White Town/Սպիտակ քաղաք
Armenian SSR, 1988, 37’
no dialogue

Director: Haruyun Khachatryan
Scriptwriters: Harutyun Khachatryan, Mikayel Stamboltsyan
Cinematographer: Armen Mirakyan
Sound: Anahit Kesayan
Production Company: Hayfilm Studio

The film depicts the Armenian town of Akhalkalaki in provincial Georgia, which is presented as both a comic and tragic model of Soviet society.

Harutyun Khachatryan

Born January 9, 1955 in Akhalkalaki, Georgia. In 1981, he graduated from the Directing Faculty of the Armenian Pedagogical Institute’s Culture Department (Yuri Yerzinkyan’s workshop). While studying he was also working at “Hayfilm” studio as an assistant to cinematographer Albert Yavuryan. After graduation, he continued working in the studio first as an assistant cinematographer, assistant director, second director and finally in 1985 he began making his own films, which have gained wide international acclaim since. In 1991, he founded the Debut Film Festival. In 1993-1994. he was working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia as the head of the Culture and Education Department. In 2004, he founded the “Golden Apricot” Yerevan IFF with Mikayel Stamboltsyan and Susanna Harutyunyan and became its director. In 2013, he became a People’s Artist of Armenia. Through the years, Khachatryan’s films have won numerous prizes at many international film festivals. Since 2017, he is the president of the Armenian Union of Film Professionals.