Film Productions
Studio DS is founded in 2002 by David Safarian, Yana Drouz and Armen Safarian.
Profile: documentaries, shorts, features.
More details are to be found on the Cinando Portal.
2016
2015
(theatrical version of 28:94 Local Time)
Best Narrative Feature Film Director Award at 19th ARPA International Film Festival,
Los Angeles, 2016
Grand Prix Best Feature Film and Best Actress Award at 5th SR Socially Relevant International Film Festival, 2018, New York, USA
Included in the Collection of The Netherlands Film Museum
”A little piece of land? A whole country? A little group of people or a whole nation? What are they waiting for? Is their queue endless?” Do not expect to get all the answers.
28:94 Local Time
World Premiere at the 19th Tallinn International Black Nights Film Festival, 2015
Best Screenplay Award and Special Mention of Jury in Armenian Panorama at
13th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival, 2016
Official Out-of-competition Programm of 38th Moscow International Film Festival, 2016
Effulgent Angel Prize at 13th Effulgent Angel International Film Festival, Moscow, 2016
2 Awards of National Film Academy of Armenia:
Best Actress and Best Art Director, 2018
Included in the Collection of The Netherlands Film Museum
Love and survival in challenging times, a tale of a man and a woman suffering near-absurd circumstances of total energy crisis, their recollections, short narratives, imagination, dreams act as aids in understanding of core human values shared throughout the world.
2017
2002
Champion
Premiered in Official Out-of-competition Program at 39th Moscow International Film Festival, 2017
Included in the Collection of The Netherlands Film Museum
Growing up do not throw away all your toys. Keep at least one. Keep alive your childhood dream, and you will be able to conquer pain and weakness, to defy the gravity, to fly.
Lullaby
World Premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival, Main Programme – Cinema of Tomorrow - New Tends, 2002
Included in the Collection of The Netherlands Film Museum
In the beginning of the millennium over 300 000 children were fighting wars across the world.
2019
2015
2015
Artists on the lake creating their art-works in front of our eyes, and… their thoughts, their jokes.
Traces of War (co-produced with Richter Production)
Best Middle-length Film Award – 9th Atlatidoc Documentary Film Festival, Montevideo, 2015
Best Film made by non-ethnologists/anthropologists - 8th Ethnographic Film Festival, Rovijn, Croatia, 2016
Scenes of everyday life in a non-existent country.
Works in progress:
I am 2000 Years Old (feature)
"I was never tired to admire this funny little man. Always persecuted, getting kicks and boxes on the ear endlessly. Charlie, anyway, always conquered. Chaplin is the god of my childish soul. This attitude to him I will keep until the last day of my life. And if I stop to trust in this god, I will stop to trust in art."
Marcel Marceau (November 15, 1973)
The first time I saw Marceau in 1966, on the screen of our black and white TV set. I remember the words of my father who said, “He is the god of pantomime.” Since then the words Marceau and pantomime became synonyms for me. The first time in my life I met Marceau the 17th of June, 2005. The same year, 4th of August I had my first shooting day with him. “Are we friends now?” – asked Marceau in the end of the day. “Can you imagine what it means for me, Monsieur Marceau?” – I asked on my turn. Marceau repeated his question: “Are we friends now?” I answered: “Yes, we are“. “Then you can shoot whatever you want."
To read more about the project, please click here.
Fairytale, Sarian (feature)
Or we can say a fairy-tale of artist. This tale is going to be in five episodes, with a prologue and an epilogue. These are five pictures, as from an exhibition. Each of the episodes having its own dramaturgy is not a part of a slender retelling of artist’s biography. This is going to be a tale about the place of the artist in this world, in our lives. The story will be based on real facts of life of Martiros Sarian, painter who creates his strongly distinctive artistic language, who is one of outstanding artists of 20th century but, today little-known to the world. Sometimes the reality filmed will slightly remind some of artist’s paintings, and only once a perfect match will happen.
Flying Man (documentary)
About the man who is painting metal TV masts. He has seen from above tens of cities. “I start from the top. When I paint I’m like soaring above the town, coming more and more down. When I finish my work I walk around in the city and never feel myself a stranger there”. We’ll see our protagonist working, we’ll see him walking around in the city, and we’ll see him… with bird wings soaring above the city.
Visible – Invisible with Marcel Marceau (documentary)
A documentary based on exclusive material of the conversation with the Master of making the invisible visible, and the visible invisible, with the genius of pantomime Marcel Marceau, shot in 2005. And… much more.
Krzysztof Penderecki (documentary)
Documentary based on footage shot in Yerevan during Penderecki’s Armenian tour.