After Hollywood studios left the Russian market and state funding for cinema increased, domestic films rose to the top of the box office. Against that backdrop, director and producer Sarik Andreasyan became one of the most visible figures: his series drew large online audiences, while “Eugene Onegin” grossed more than 700 million rubles.
Film researcher Vladimir Kocharyan notes that Andreasyan was born in 1984 in Yerevan, later lived in Kazakhstan, and then moved to Moscow. After gaining experience in KVN, he and his brothers formed the team “Real Armenians,” but left that world after a dispute over brand use and turned to television projects and music videos.
His early film career relied on low costs, fast production, and media controversy. His debut, “Lopukhi: Episode One”, faced harsh criticism but earned about $4 million. Later, “Office Romance. Our Time”, which was also met negatively, brought in around $14 million on a $5 million budget.
What followed was a mix of commercial wins and failures. His American debut, “American Heist” with Adrien Brody, failed to make a major impact, while the drama “Earthquake”, based on events in Armenia, drew mixed reactions. The biggest setback came with “Mafia” and especially “Guardians,” which became a symbol of a major flop and a target of online ridicule.
Still, the director returned with “Unforgiven” and “Love in the City of Angels,” and later became increasingly aligned with the official cultural climate. In interviews, he spoke of a “uprising” of Russian cinema against Hollywood, accused émigré filmmakers of betraying their homeland, and endorsed censorship measures. Later, Andreasyan publicly said he hated Tarkovsky and described film schools as places that raise “liberals who hate their country.”
As the article argues, even demonstrative loyalty did not shield him from restrictions: the project “We”, based on Zamyatin, was pulled from release, and the series “Is It Her Fault?” was delayed online for a long time. At the same time, Andreasyan kept moving toward large-scale ideologically charged productions, including the war film “War and Music,” and toward adaptations of Russian classics presented as a broader cultural mission.