The Circus Lion follows Samvel, a young wrestler from Western Sydney, who believes leaving his hometown is the only way to escape the weight of his grief. But as he runs from his pain, he discovers that some struggles cannot be outrun.
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At its core, the film speaks to trauma, youth suicide, and the universal urge to escape. “If I could do anything,” says writer, director, producer and lead actor Tigran Tovmasian, “it would be to show the young people in my life who have passed from suicide the love that was always around them, and the impact their absence left behind. The way through suffering isn’t escape, but recognising the light—so often found in family and friends.”
The story also interrogates masculinity. Samvel’s push to stay “strong” mirrors cultural pressures that equate manhood with silence and endurance. Growing up in a family of soldiers and athletes, and pushed into judo and wrestling from a young age, Tovmasian observed both the strengths and the harms of masculinity—reflections woven into the film.
The short is now viewable on AACTA TV, and from 22 September 2025 audiences can vote for it in the Best Short Film category of the 2026 AACTA Awards. Its world premiere in Los Angeles marks a milestone for a story born in Western Sydney but made for a global audience.
Tovmasian, the child of two immigrants, is committed to taking stories from Western Sydney and the Armenian diaspora to the world. The Circus Lion, he says, “is the humble beginning of a long journey of going against the grain and making films not as a means to profit, but to explore meaningful themes and share personal and universal messages.”
Follow the journey on Instagram: @circuslionfilm