In the Land of Arto


In the Land of Arto is a 2025 French-Armenian drama film co-written and directed by Tamara Stepanyan in her fiction feature debut. The film starring Camille Cottin, and Zar Amir Ebrahimi follows Céline who arrives in Armenia to legalize the death of her husband Arto, but discovers he has been lying to her about his identity.
The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the 78th Locarno Film Festival on 6 August 2025, in the Piazza Grande section. It will be subsequently released in the French cinemas on 31 December 2025 by Pan Distribution.
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Cast

Production

The film is set in Gyumri, an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia. Principal photography began on 8 June 2024 with the seven-week shoot in Armenia, and one day in Paris.

Release

In the Land of Arto opened the 78th Locarno Film Festival on 6 August 2025, and had its World premiere at Piazza Grande. It was also showcased in the 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival on 18 September 2025.
It competed in Meet the Neighbors Competition section at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in November 2025.
In February 2026, it will be presented for its United States premiere in the feature films section of the 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
On 8 July, it was reported that Brussels-based, 'Be For Films' has acquired international sales rights of the film.

Reception

Mariana Hristova reviewing it for Cineuropa at Locarno Film Festival opined that the director Tamara Stepanyan explored Armenia through the perspective of a French outsider, presenting the country with authenticity rather than exoticism. She felt that setting of the film in Gyumri and working with local actors, is like inviting the viewers to discover the region alongside her. In her concluding para Mariana wrote that the film’s conclusion, featuring Denis Lavant as a disturbed war witness, conveys the lingering impact of conflict and memory. Nataliia Serebriakova for Dirty Movies rated the film with 4 dirty gems out of 5 and opined, that the film is "an elegy disguised as a road movie". She wrote, that the film is "about women", as in the director Stepanyan’s cinematic perspective, womanhood is closely tied to resilience and remembrance. Serebriakova ended the review by stating, that the film is intimate and emotionally resonant, leaving a lasting impression akin to a "lingering ache".