Bars Media Documentary Film Studio was established in 1993 by Vardan Hovhannisyan, who began his career as a frontline-filmmaker covering hotspots in the former Soviet Union. Bars Media was one of the first independent film companies in Armenia, which specializes in making documentaries about human stories, culture, history and other social issues. "Bars" means "simple", "clear", or "straightforward" in Armenian, and that is exactly what Bars Media produces; well-researched, creative, clear-cut documentaries.

Studio’s documentaries have been broadcast on BBC-Storyville, ARTE(France-Germany), WDR(Germany), PBS(US), YLE(Finland), NHK(Japan) and other international channels. Tucked away in the mountains of the Caucasus, the Bars Media office in Yerevan encompasses an eclectic montage of individuals, including locals from Armenia, individuals from the Diaspora, and from other European and Western countries. This dynamic mix of people allows for diverse outlooks and approaches to fuse, adding a distinctive element to the studio.

Bars Media Studio’s documentary A Story of People in War and Peace is a powerful, personal understanding of the human costs of war. The film has won over 20 other awards including the FIPRESCI prize, the Best Documentary Filmmaker Award at Tribeca Film Festival, the Audience Award at Trieste Film Festival, the Special Mention Award at the ZagrebDox Film Festival and Docaviv Film Festival, and was nominated for the Joris Ivens award at IDFA. The film was shown on the BBC, ARTE, PBS, WDR, YLE and others.

Studio's another documentary The Last Tightrope Dancer in Armenia, an international co-production with NHK, ITVS, YLE, SVT, TVP and TVE. The film awarded The Best Armenian Film Award at the Golden Apricot International Film Festival, the Best Documentary at 39th Dance on Camera Film Festival in New York, Grand Prix at XIX International Festival of Ethnological Film in Serbia and others. The film was also included in official screening list of IDFA, Goteborg International Film Festival, Euganea Film Festival, FilmFest Humburg.

Bars Media is also developing documentary films in Africa, Russia, Afghanistan, and at the North and South Poles.

In addition to documentary films, Bars Media also produces public service announcements and television programs, covering a wide spectrum of subjects. Some of the topics portrayed include arts and culture, education, history and politics, ethnic and environmental issues, the reality of war, and the human dimensions of a region experiencing post-Soviet transitions.