Actress Nora Armani is the recipient of Le Prix KIRK d’OR
Actress Nora Armani is the recipient of the GOLDEN KIRK (Le Prix KIRK d’OR) awarded by Associated Artists and its president Régis Raffi Bakian. The Golden KIRK Award was given to Armani for her commitment to social cinema.
Le Prix KIRK (The KIRK Award for excellence in Armenian Cinema) and the Le Prix KIRK d’OR (The Golden KIRK) were awarded at the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film on May 17, 2025, at the Pan-Armenian Federation of Film Producers stand in the Palais des Festivals.
A few years ago, Kirk Kerkorian, the American billionaire businessman and philanthropist of Armenian descent, invested $100 million to produce a film about the Armenian Genocide, The Promise, directed by Terry George and starring Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon and Christian Bale.
After Kirk Kerkorian’s passing, the French chose to pay tribute to him with the Le Prix KIRK (the KIRK Award), dedicated to his memory and created by Associated Artists and its President Régis Raffi Bakian. The first edition of the KIRK Awards took place in Nice in September 2018.
This year, the KIRK Award (Le Prix KIRK) celebrated excellence in Armenian cinema with two awards presented by Associated Artists, recognizing the talent and perseverance of two Armenian filmmakers featured in the official selection of the 12th SR Socially Relevant Film Festival in New York this March.
The Associated Artists and its president, Raffi Bakian, awarded Le Prix KIRK d’Or (the Golden KIRK Award) to Nora Armani, an actress committed to social cinema, in appreciation of her work promoting socially engaged cinema. The trophy was presented to Nora Armani by film critics Alice Kanterian and Laura Damiola on behalf of Associated Artists. They recognized the enormous contribution Armani has made to the promotion of social cinema in general, and Armenian cinema in particular.
Nora Armani is a multi-award-winning actress in Hollywood, Paris, Egypt and Armenia. She divides her time between Paris and New York, and makes annual trips to Armenia, where she participates in specific theater, television and film projects, and presents master classes in theater and acting regularly.
Absolute Dominion, by Lexi Alexander, is a Hollywood production in which Armani plays a key supporting role. The film has been in theaters in California and online since May 9. The Last Wish and Jukebox are two feature films, both Finnish-Spanish co-productions directed by Rax Rinnekangas, in which Armani plays lead roles. The films are currently on the International festival circuit and in the Cannes Marché du Film. Nora recently wrapped filming the feature film, Jukebox, based on a Peter Handke story, as a lead actress. The film, directed by Rax Rinnekangas, will premiere in Helsinki at the Espoo Cine International Festival.
“I am honored and profoundly touched to be awarded Le Prix KIRK d’OR in recognition of my commitment to socially relevant cinema. When you believe in a mission, you do not work to win an award. But when the hard work you put in is appreciated, it makes you proud and honored. I thank the Associated Artists, its president Régis Raffi Bakian, its representative film critics Alice Kanterian and Laura Damiola, who awarded me the Golden KIRK in Cannes.
I would also like to congratulate the Pan-Armenian Federation of Film Producers, its President Hovhannes Galstyan, and its main sponsor, the Gagik Tsarukyan Foundation,” said Nora Armani, Founder of SRFF.
Since 2013, SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York and founding artistic director Nora Armani have programmed 795 films from 40 countries, including films from Armenia and the Diaspora. SRFF is present this year at the Cannes Film Festival, at the Pan-Armenian Federation of Producers’ stand in the Marché du Film.
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