Armenia will become the Guest Country of the Next Step Studio initiative within the Critics' Week section of the 80th Cannes Film Festival in 2027. As part of the program, four Armenian and four international directors will jointly produce four short films in Armenia, which will be presented at the 2027 Cannes Film Festival.

The initiative is being implemented with the support of Armenia's Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, in cooperation with the Guild of Armenian Film Directors and Producers.

During the 23rd Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival, Dominique Welinski, founder of the Next Step Studio initiative, and Juliette Canon, representative of the Critics' Week program at Cannes, announced the names of the four Armenian directors selected through a competitive process.

The Armenian participants are Armik Israelyan, Sona Khachatryan, Raffi Movsisyan, and Naira Sargsyan. They will later join four international directors to co-produce four short films in Armenia for screening at the 2027 Cannes Film Festival.

The initiative will give Armenian filmmakers an opportunity not only to showcase their work but also to introduce future feature film projects to international partners, expand co-production opportunities, and strengthen the international presence of Armenian cinema.

The program in Armenia will include several stages, including script development, collaboration with international experts, production preparation, filming, post-production, and the presentation of the completed films.