Born on May 8, 1963, in Ganja (then in the Azerbaijan SSR), he moved with his family to Armenia in 1966 at the age of two. Received professional education in cinematography both in Yerevan and Moscow, and graduated from the Yerevan Pedagogical Institute. Began working at the Hayfilm (Armenfilm) studio in 1981 until its collapse. In 1993, during the harsh period of the Artsakh War, he filmed a feature film on the battlefield.
