Arsinée Khanjian

Arsinée Khanjian is a graduate of University of Toronto, with a Master’s Degree in Political Science and Public Administration. In addition to her artistic career, she has an extensive policy development background in the arts and governmental affairs.

A multiple award-winning actor, she is internationally known for her work as a performer both in film and on stage. She starred in the widely-successful romantic comedy SABAH, as well as playing Ani in Atom Egoyan’s critically-acclaimed Ararat, for which she won Best Actress at both the Canadian Screen Awards and The Durban International Film Festival. Internationally, her screen-work includes films with Catherine Breillat, Olivier Assayas, the Taviani Brothers, Fatih Akin and Michael Haneke.

Khanjian produced and starred in Calendar, the first foreign feature film shot in the newly-independent country of Armenia, by Atom Egoyan.  She wrote, directed and starred in the multi-media stage project on the life of survivor Aurora Mardiganian – Auction of Souls, Performing Memory – at the Maxim Gorki Stadt Theater in Berlin for the fourth consecutive year. Khanjian played Lyubov in a highly-acclaimed production of The Cherry Orchard at Modern Times Stage Company earlier this year.

Khanjian continues to be active as a volunteer for arts and community groups. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Zoryan Institute for International Genocide and Human Rights Studies. She is a past board member of The Power Plant, Canada’s leading contemporary art gallery, and was Co-Chair of the renowned Canadian contemporary dance company, Dancemakers.

Khanjian has been decorated with numerous honours in recognition of her involvement and dedication to artistic, historic, and cultural causes in Canada and abroad such as The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal; The Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America as well the Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Lebanon’s medals.

Khanjian was presented with the 2005 Crystal Award for Creative Excellence by Women in Film and Television. In a recent poll conducted by SLATE Magazine, Khanjian was voted Best Actress, according to international critical response to her body of work.

Khanjian spearheaded Justice Within Armenia, a coalition of Armenians worldwide who were present as monitors during the elections in Armenia in 2017.  She was an active participant in Armenia’s Velvet Revolution in 2018.