Kosta Karakashyan
Kosta Karakashyan is a Bulgarian-Armenian director, producer, and choreographer exploring empathy through movement and storytelling. His work has been described as "an important voice for LGBTQ+ struggles in Chechnya and elsewhere". He graduated with a BA in Dance from Columbia University and a Master's in Human Rights from the Global Campus of Human Rights in Venice, Italy. Bringing his experience of choreography to the screen, Kosta has directed, produced, and choreographed short films, commercials, and music videos through his production company Studio Karakashyan, most notably the documentary dance film Waiting for Color about the ongoing LGBTQ+ persecution in Chechnya, awarded the Prix Lumière at Cinédanse Ottawa 2019 and featured by The Guardian, ELLE, Bloomberg, GLAAD, and Radio Free Europe. He was also part of David France's BAFTA-winning, Emmy-nominated documentary feature Welcome to Chechnya as a face double protecting the anonymity of the real subjects of the film.