Pepo

Pepo is a 1935 drama written and directed by Hamo Beknazaryan, celebrated as the first sound film made in Armenian. Adapted from Gabriel Sundukyan's 1876 play of the same name, the story follows Pepo, a poor fisherman in Tiflis, as he fights to defend his honor against the wealthy merchant who has swindled him. The score was composed by Aram Khachaturian, and the lead role was taken by Hıraçya Nersesyan, one of the leading Armenian stage actors of his era. Regarded as one of the most outstanding achievements of Soviet cinema before the outbreak of World War II, Pepo went on to gain international recognition and became one of the works most closely associated with Armenian culture abroad.