Four Films Starring Simon Abkarian, “Audition”, “Ararat”, “Yes” & “The Cut”
Happy birthday Simon Abkarian! (His wiki – see his filmograpy here)
Simon Abkarian was born Simone Abkarian on March 5, 1962, in Gonesse, a northeastern suburb of Paris, France, into a French – Armenian family. Young Simon Abkarian grew up in a trilingual environment, he learned French at school in addition to his native Armenian, and also learned English by watching American films since he was a kid. He spent most of his childhood in France until the age of nine, then went with his parents to Beirut, Lebanon.
The Audition (2019)
In one of his latest movies, The Audition by Ina Weisse, Simon Abkarian portrays the luthier Philippe married to Anna, a violin teacher. They have a musically gifted son Jonas, who Anna has been trying to impose her lessons on. The story revolves around their family dynamic when Anna starts preparing a talented violinist Alexander for the end-of-the-year exam. She becomes obsessed with Alexander’s lessons, moving further away from her husband and son. With this role, Simon Abkarian expands his repertoire, portraying a calm and loving character, who primarily evokes empathy.
(Simon Abkarian in Audition)
Directed by Atom Egoyan, Ararat is one of the most well-known movies about the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. In the movie, Simon Abkarian plays Arshile Gorky, a famous visual artist of Armenian origin. His portrayal of Gorky is haunting and powerful.
Tahar Rahim & Simon Abkarian 
Fatih Akin directed Tahar Rahim and Simon Abkarian in “The Cut”.
Sally Potter directed Simon Abkarian in “Yes”