He is the director of the award-winning films 1915 (2015), I Am Not Alone (2019), and Truth to Power (2020), and the author of the book Family of Shadows: A century of murder, memory, and the Armenian American dream.

[3] Born in Los Angeles, California, he is the son of politician Raffi K. Richard Hovannisian and founder of Orran benevolent non-governmental organization Armine K.

[5] Garin Hovannisian is the author of the book Family of Shadows: A century of murder, memory, and the Armenian American dream, which traces the 100-year arc of his family story, from his great-grandfather's flight to America after surviving the Armenian genocide to his father Raffi Hovannisian's repatriation and subsequent climb to political prominence.

In December, 2015, it screened in Turkey as part of the Lake Van International Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize.

[13][14][15][16] In 2017, Hovannisian founded Creative Armenia, a global arts foundation that discovers, develops, and promotes innovative filmmakers, writers, musicians, and artists across all fields.