Mariya Saakyan
Mariya Saakyan 
| |
|---|---|
| Other names | Maria Saakyan |
| Name in Armenian | Մարիա Սերգեյի Սահակյան |
| Birthplace | Yerevan |
| Birth date | 24 July 1980 |
| Lived in | Yerevan, Moscow |
| Resides in | Yerevan |
| Death place | Moscow |
| Death date | 2018/01/28 |
| Death year | 2018 |
| Resting place | Sanahin Monastery |
| Education | Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography |
| Profession | film director, screenwriter, animator and editor |
| Languages | Armenian, Russian, English |
| Ethnicities | Armenian |
| Dialects | Eastern Armenian |
| Major works | Farewell, Mayak, Honey Money |
| Spouses | Jeff Kalousdian |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Seda Vermisheva |
Armenian filmmaker Maria Saakyan was born on July 24, 1980 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR. She is the granddaughter of Armenian poetess and political scientist Seda Vermisheva (1932-2020).
In 1993, Saakyan moved to Moscow with her family. In 1996, she gained entrance to the film directing and animation departments of the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, the world’s oldest film school, studying under Vladimir Kobrin.
Saakyan filmed her thesis, a short film titled "Farewell", at the end of her studies in 2003. Her feature debut "The Lighthouse" (2006), which explored the subject of war in the Caucasus, was shown at numerous festivals, including Rotterdam and London. "I’m Going to Change My Name" (2012) was her second feature. She completed the experimental film "Entropy" in 2013. Saakyan was awarded the Grand Prix of the @goldenapricotiff, a special mention of the International Film Festival in the city of Fano, a prize from the @kodak at the VGIK festival and a diploma of the St. Anna Festival.
A “young visionary who reinvigorated Armenian cinema,” Saakyan’s life was tragically cut short on January 28, 2018, at the age of 37. She was survived by her five children and her husband Jeff Kalousdian, an American of Armenian descent. Her passing was not only a tremendous loss for her family, but for cinema, art and humanity.