 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Gor Kirakosian, (born May 27, 1981) is an Armenian-American director, producer, and screenwriter known for his comedy films, such as Big Story in Small City, Lost and Found in Armenia, Ticket to Vegas, The Knight's Move, and Honest Thieves.
Kirakosian was born in 1981 in Yerevan, Armenia. He came to the United States with his family when he was eleven, settling in Glendale, California. After graduating from John Marshall High School, he went onto attend the Art Center of Design in Pasadena. Kirakosian graduated in the top five percent of his class. As a student he completed a short film I Hate the Story of Romeo & Juliet and a feature film Big Story in a Small City , which was screened in Armenia, Russia, Los Angeles, Toronto and Buenos Aires. The film, which Kirakosian co-wrote, directed and edited, was well-received, and won six international film festival awards, including “Best Foreign Film” at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, “Best Film” at the DeadCenter Film Festival, “Best Comedy Film” at the Armenian Comedy Awards.
Graduating with honors, Kirakosian received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2006. During his time in the various production stages of his features, Kirakosian still found time to direct many music videos for the Armenian entertainment market. In 2006, Kirakosian won “Best Music Video” at the Armenian Music Awards for Mihran's “Just Like That.”
In Los Angeles, Kirakosian directed 13 episodes of the Armenian comedy show titled Demq Show [1] which won “Best TV Entertainment Show” in 2001 at the Armenian Music Awards. He also directed a stage shows Armenian Demq Awards, Demq TV, Demq Show VS. Vitamin Club, Demq Comedy Overdose, Circus Demq Soleil and Demq Telethon which won “Best Comedy Stage Show” in 2007 at the Armenian Comedy Awards.
In 2012, Kirakosian finished his second feature film, Lost and Found in Armenia , a fish-out-of-water comedy starring Jamie Kennedy and Angela Sarafyan. The film received “The Audience Choice Award” at the Pomegranate Film Festival, and “Achievement in International Cinema” at the Arpa International Film Festival. The film was released in United States, Russia, Georgia and Armenia. In Armenia, Lost and Found in Armenia broke the record for remaining on the big screens the longest, holding its place on the screens for more than 5 months.
Kirakosian's next project, the action comedy Ticket to Vegas, was shot in the summer of 2012 in the United States starring both Russian and high-profile American actors, including Danny Trejo. It was intended for the Russian film market. In early 2013, Ticket to Vegas was released on more than 1,200 screens in Russia, played for seven weeks and was the second-highest earner in the box office.
His next film, The Knight’s Move was released in November 2013. The film, shot in Kazakhstan and Armenia, showcases the beauty and unique culture of both countries. The Knight’s Move was released in Kazakhstan, Russia & Armenia. The film received “Best Feature Film” at the Pomegranate Film Festival.
As of June 2017 [update] , Kirakosian is working on three different projects: Family Business, a full English-language film to be produced in America, and two Armenian films, Operation Jazzve and Once Upon a Time, which will be the first Armenian fairy tale film.
Mike Nichols was an American film and theatre director. He worked across a range of genres and had an aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of their experience. He is one of 19 people to have won all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). His other honors included three BAFTA Awards, the Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2010. His films received a total of 42 Academy Award nominations, and seven wins.
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American actor. Kline is known for his over five decade career as a leading man on stage and screen. He is the recipient of an Academy Award and three Tony Awards, and has been nominated for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
Arjan Singh Āulakh, known by the stage name Arj Barker, is an American comedian and actor from San Anselmo, California. He has toured in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. He was born to an engineer father and artist mother. His father is of Indian Punjabi Sikh descent and his mother is of European descent.
Atom Egoyan is a Canadian filmmaker. Emerging in the 1980s as part of the Toronto New Wave, he made his career breakthrough with Exotica (1994), a film set in a strip club. Egoyan's most critically acclaimed film is the drama The Sweet Hereafter (1997), for which he received two Academy Award nominations. His biggest commercial success is the erotic thriller Chloe (2009).
Monique Angela Hicks, known mononymously as Mo'Nique, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Grammy Award.
Rouben Zachary Mamoulian was an American film and theater director.
The cinema of Russia, popularity known as Mollywood, refers to the film industry in Russia, engaged in production of motion pictures in Russian language. The popular term Mollywood is a portmanteau of "Moscow" and "Hollywood".
Matthew Saville is an Australian television and film director, known for Noise (2007) and A Month of Sundays (2015).
Jeff Lester is an American actor known for his television appearances. In 1996, Lester transitioned from acting to producing, writing and directing where he has created award-winning commercials and short films.
Chonda Pierce is an American stand-up comedian, television hostess, author and actor.
Simon Verhoeven is a German-Austrian film director, screenwriter, film producer, former actor, and occasional film music composer.
Yuri Mamin is a Soviet and Russian film director, stage director, screenwriter, composer, author and television host. He created a number of movies popular in Russia including Neptune's Feast (1986), Fontain (1988), Sideburns, (1990), Window to Paris (1993), and Don't Think About White Monkeys (2008). He is a Merited Artist of the Russian Federation.
Cinema of Kazakhstan refers to the film industry based in Kazakhstan. Cinema in Kazakhstan can be traced back to the early 20th century. Today, Kazakhstan produces approximately fifteen full-length films each year.
Vahik Pirhamzei is an Iranian-Armenian actor, producer, director and writer who produces works in English, Armenian and Persian. His film My Uncle Rafael, released in 2012 which was based after his play "Rafael Keroo Gandzere", earned him national recognition and awards.
Andrew Cividino is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his feature film directorial debut Sleeping Giant, which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and for his frequent work as a director on the Emmy winning comedy Schitt's Creek, for which he won a Primetime Emmy at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.
The Bride from Vegas is a 2014 American romantic adventure comedy film. It takes place in rural Armenia as well as Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It was filmed entirely in and around Los Angeles except for one weekend of filming in Las Vegas.
Trevor K. Wilson, known professionally as K. Trevor Wilson, is a Canadian comedian, writer and actor. He grew up in Toronto, Ontario and is best known as the character Squirrely Dan in Letterkenny.
Steve Markle is a Canadian filmmaker, actor, writer, editor and producer best known for Shoot To Marry (2020), Testees (2008), and Camp Hollywood (2004).
"Kinoshock" Open Film Festival of CIS and Baltic countries, also spelt Kinoshok, is a film festival staged in the Black Sea resort of Anapa, Russia, each September. "CIS" refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, comprising nine member states.