Don Askarian
International producer/film director/screenwriter of Armenian origin
About Don Askarian
Lived 1949 – 2018 (aged 69). Don Askarian was a screenwriter, film producer, film director, film critic, director and cinematographer.
Don Askarian (; born Makedon Hovsepi Askarian, ; 10 July 1949 – 6 October 2018) was an Armenian film director, producer, photographer and screenwriter.
Biography Don Askarian was born in Stepanakert in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, Soviet Union (today Azerbaijan). In 1967, he moved to Moscow and studied history and art, and worked as an assistant director and film critic for a year after his graduation. Askarian was imprisoned during 1975–1977, and in 1978 he emigrated from the Soviet Union to West Berlin. He lived and worked in Germany, the Netherlands and in Armenia, where he founded his own film companies. He was awarded numerous prizes at several international film festivals.
His films were co-produced and broadcast by ARD, WDR, ZDF, Channel 4, Arte, as well as Belgian, Greek, Swiss, Slovak, Armenian TV Channels.
In 1996, Askarian published a book called The Dangerous Light. In 2002 he was honored with a Harvard Film Archive retrospective and two years later, in 2004, received the Golden Camera Award for Life Achievement at Int. ART Film Festival, Slovakia. Askarian's brother is sculptor and painter Robert Askarian.
1984: The Bear 1988: Nagorno Karabakh: Armenian History Volumes IV and V (Լեռնային Ղարաբաղ) 1988: Komitas (Կոմիտաս) 1992: Avetik (Ավետիք) 1998: Paradjanov (Փարաջանով) 2000: Musicians (Երաժիշտները) 2001: On the Old Roman Road (Հին հռոմեական ճանապարհին) 2007: Ararat: 14 Views (Արարատ. 14 տեսանկյուն) 2008: Father (Հայրիկ)
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Don Askarian's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Don Askarian?
International producer/film director/screenwriter of Armenian origin (1949-2018)
When was Don Askarian born?
Don Askarian was born on 10 July 1949 in Khankendi.
When did Don Askarian die?
Don Askarian died on 6 October 2018 in Berlin.
What was Don Askarian's occupation?
Don Askarian was a screenwriter, film producer, film director, film critic, director and cinematographer.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Don Askarian. https://biography.guide/don-askarian/
MLA: "Don Askarian." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/don-askarian/.
Chicago: "Don Askarian." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/don-askarian/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:05 UTC