Day: March 26, 2024

NEW YORK—The 11th Edition of the SR Socially Relevant Film Festival (SRFF) in-person section closed on March 18, 2024, at the National Arts Club in New York. The Festival opened at the Maysles Cinema on March 13 and ran at MRHS and Cinema Village. The festival covers social issues, totaling 53 films this year. The official selection is accessible online through the festival website. The main themes this year included 100 Years of Armenian Cinema, Black History, BIPOC films, Aging and Disability, Women, LGBTQI+ and more. The films are now available to stream online here.

The SRFF concluded with an awards ceremony hosted by the National Arts Club. In the presence of club members, filmmakers, jury members and friends, the screening of the last block of short films Before the Oil, ByKids: Beekeeper and SeaMonster was followed by the awards ceremony, during which 20 awardees were announced. The trophy was a silk scarf donated by Lost Pattern.

The SRFF 2024 film Maya directed by Julia Verdin garnered The Vanya Exerjian Empowering Women and Girls Award, which is given by founder Nora Armani in memory of her cousin, who was the victim of a hate crime. The Narrative Feature Grand Prize went to Valley of Exile directed by Anna Fahr, and the Jury Special Award went to I Am Gitmo by Philippe Diaz and From Life to Life by Beka Sikharulidze. The Documentary Feature Grand Prize was a tie between ORA by Michel Garcia and Blockade by Hakob Melkonyan, and the Jury Special Award in the documentary feature category went to DEPOT: Reflecting Boijmans by Sonia Herman Dolz. Impasse by Nabil Shahar won best Narrative Short, with a Jury Special Award for Limbo by Alex Ramsey. In the Documentary Short category, the award went to ByKids: Beekeeper by Keith Griffith III, with Jean Fell In Love by Romain Roellet garnering a Jury Special Award. Best Actor in a short film went to Willie Rayson for Forbidden Fruit, and in a feature film, Beka Sikharulidze for From Life to Life. Ruzan Khachatryan from 250km was the Best Actress in a short film, and Maria Hassan from Valley of Exile, in a feature film. The Women Film Critics Circle Award went to 250km by Hasmik Movsisyan. The IndiePix Unlimited Vision Award went to Bleecker by Edith Hagigi and Phantom Parrot by Kate Stonehill. The Best Screenplay award went to Glams Casino by Darcia Prada, second place to Everybody Knows by Rangeley Wallace and third place to Joe Goes Courting by Evan Laughlin. The full list of awards and details may be found here.

“We’re proud to have the opportunity to present 750 socially relevant films from 40 countries over the past 11 years. This year’s selection comprised 53 amazing social issue-oriented films from all over the world. Congratulations to the winners, a hearty applause to all participants and our deep gratitude to our sponsors and partners,” said the SRFF’s founding artistic director Nora Armani.

SRFF was founded by actress and filmmaker Nora Armani in 2013, following a family tragedy that cost the lives of two of her dearest, her cousin Vania and uncle Jack Exerjian. Armani founded the festival to commemorate them in a meaningful way. SRFF believes in the power of the film medium in raising awareness of social issues and promoting positive social change. This new edition deals with Climate Change, LGBTQ Rights, Aging and Disability, Incarceration and Freedom, New York City and BIPOC cultures.

The mission of the SRFF is to shine the spotlight on filmmakers who tell compelling, socially relevant, human-interest stories across a broad range of social issues without resorting to gratuitous violence and violent forms of storytelling.

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LOS ANGELES—The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA (PAI) will hold an all-day symposium on April 6, 2024, dedicated to honoring and celebrating the life and legacy of the late UCLA Professor Richard G. Hovannisian.

The symposium will feature remarks by Professor Hovannisian’s former students, distinguished colleagues, and friends and family, as well as screenings of short videos. The day will also include a musical performance of historic Armenian pieces provided through the UCLA Armenian Music Program.

Professor Hovannisian was a faculty member at UCLA for over 50 years and was the first holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Professorial Chair in Modern Armenian History, now named in his honor. His monumental works include The Republic of Armenia in four volumes, several volumes on the Armenian Genocide, 15 volumes in the series Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces and documentation of over one thousand interviews of Genocide survivors conducted with his students. 

“His tremendous work and legacy will continue to inspire and guide scholars for many generations. It is a privilege for us to honor Professor Hovannisian’s impact and legacy in this important symposium,” stated Ann Karagozian, director of the PAI and distinguished professor in the UCLA Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. 

Hovannisian was a pillar in the field of Armenian studies in the United States and a mentor to generations of scholars, students and community leaders. His passing in July 2023 continues to be deeply felt at UCLA and around the world, and the Promise Armenian Institute aims to pay homage to his vast accomplishments and express a vision for the future through this symposium. 

“Remembering Professor Richard G. Hovannisian: Looking Back, Moving Forward” will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) at the UCLA Mong Learning Center (Engineering VI Building). Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day, and the event also will be accessible remotely. Those wishing to attend in person may RSVP at bit.ly/RGH04-06-24.

This symposium is co-sponsored by the UCLA Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History, UCLA Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies, UCLA Armenian Music Program, The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law, UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, ​Fowler Museum at UCLA, National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Society for Armenian Studies, UCI Center for Armenian Studies, CSU Fresno Armenian Studies Program, USC Institute of Armenian Studies,​ Ararat-Eskijian Museum and the USC Shoah Foundation. 

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