Day: June 4, 2024
Still from “My Sweet Land”
My Sweet Land, a film by Sareen Hairabedian and Azza Hourani, will have its world premiere at the Sheffield DocFest in England. The film, which is entirely in Armenian with English subtitles, will be screened on June 13 at 6:15 p.m. at the Showroom, Bertha DocHouse, Screen 3; June 15 at 10:15 a.m. at Curzon, Screen 2; and June 16 at 3:15 p.m. at the Showroom, Bertha DocHouse, Screen 3.
My Sweet Land is a coming-of-age story set against a multigenerational war in the post-Soviet Caucasus mountains. It follows an 11-year-old boy named Vrej, growing up in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) who dreams of becoming a dentist in his picture-postcard village with its roaming ducks and golden bees. His sweet land, however, is strewn with mines from previous wars, shaping a country that remains unrecognized to the world. Vrej’s life takes a sudden turn when war erupts, forcing him to flee with his family. He spends his days in exile impatiently waiting for victory, but reality takes a different turn; Armenians lose the war. Upon returning to his surviving village, he confronts the devastation, new power dynamics and education that prepares children for near-future battles. Vrej must learn the rules of war…but can he carry a nation’s hopes on his young shoulders? The film is a testament to the people of Artsakh, where hope and trauma had shaped their resilience across generations.
About the director
Sareen Hairabedian is an Armenian-Jordanian documentary filmmaker based in the U.S. Through her intimate observational filming style, she captures the untold stories of the underrepresented. Hairabedian’s directorial debut We Are Not Done Yet is a 40-minute HBO documentary about U.S. veterans grappling with PTSD who use poetry to heal (Best Documentary, G.I. Film Festival, Nominee for Best Documentary Short at the IDA Awards 2018). My Sweet Land is her debut feature-length documentary featuring one child’s journey of disillusionment, trauma and hope. It’s the recipient of the IDFA Spotlight Award and is supported by ITVS, ARTE, the International Documentary Association, the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture, the Jordan Film Fund, CNC and others. Hairabedian is a fellow at DocNYCxVC Incubator and at Creative Armenia.
About the producer
Azza Hourani is a Jordanian producer and assistant director with over 15 years in the industry. She graduated from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in 2011 and has worked with National Geographic, the Doha Film Institute, MBC and various global non-profit organizations. Hourani produced My Sweet Land by Hairabedian, an IDFA Spotlight Award winner in 2021 (Sheffield DocFest, 2024). Her assistant director credits include notable films including Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider (Palme d’Or nominee 2022), Abu Bakr Shawky’s Hajjan (TIFF 2023) and Amjad Al Rasheed’s Inshallah a Boy (Cannes 2023). Hourani is currently developing her third short film, aiming for production by the end of 2024.
Select credits
Director: Sareen Hairabedian
Producers: Sareen Hairabedian, Azza Hourani
Co-Producers: Julie Paratian, David Rane
Executive Producers: Beth Levison, Carrie Lozano, Hallee Adelman, Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh
Co-executive Producer: Robina Riccitiello
Supervising Producer: Shana Swanson
Cinematographer: Sareen Hairabedian
Editors: Raphaëlle Martin-Holger, Sareen Hairabedian
Composer: Tigran Hamasyan
Sound Recording: Azza Hourani
Colorist: Shanna Maurizi
Sound: Tom Efinger
With support from
ITVS, Arte France, World of HA Productions, Spark Features Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée, The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, La PROCIREP, L’ANGOA, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund, the Jordan Film Fund, Creative Armenia/AGBU, RTS Radio Télévision Suisse, Fís Éireann/ Screen Ireland, Fest Pitching Forum, MediMed, Astra Film Lab, FIPADOC, LIGHTDOX, East Doc Platform, Sunny Side of the Doc, The Gotham – Spotlight on Documentaries, Amman Festival Industry Days, Golden Apricot International Film Festival, Odesa Industry Days (B2B Doc)
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Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.
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Armenian State Symphony Orchestra with Maxim Vengerov at Barbican on January 14, 2020
NEW YORK—The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, led by the Founding Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Sergey Smbatyan, is gearing up for its debut tour in the United States this summer with performances at three of America’s most prestigious concert halls. The orchestra will perform at Boston’s Symphony Hall on June 26; New York City’s Carnegie Hall on June 27; and Los Angeles Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall on June 29. Ticket information can be found at https://us.armsymphony.am/ustour2024/.
Performing extensively in its native Armenia and touring numerous countries around Asia and Europe, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra boasts a versatile repertoire that spans from all-time favorites and orchestral masterpieces of Armenian and global musical heritage to cutting-edge premieres of works by contemporary composers. The program for all three U.S. concert engagements will celebrate the legendary Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978). Under the baton of Maestro Smbatyan and joined by featured soloist Sergey Khachatryan (violin), the orchestra will showcase Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto, along with pieces from ballet suites “Spartacus” and “Gayaneh.”
Sergey Smbatyan is an acclaimed cultural leader in Armenia and is increasingly in demand on the international stage. Not long after founding what is now the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra in 2005, Smbatyan’s conducting career was highlighted by his debut performance with the London Symphony Orchestra at Windsor Castle, under the auspices of Prince Charles, now His Royal Highness Charles III, followed by a subsequent invitation to conduct the Philharmonia Orchestra at Buckingham Palace. Today, Smbatyan serves as the Principal Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra as well.
Smbatyan is a committed advocate for cultivating youth and supports several educational enterprises together with his orchestra. Among remarkable initiatives designed and implemented by Smbatyan was the creation of the World Orchestra for Peace in 2015, in commemoration of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. He has been recognized as a UNICEF National Ambassador since 2023.
Over almost two decades of its history, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has earned an international reputation for its orchestral virtuosity and has garnered sterling reviews for its overseas concert tours and numerous notable recordings. The orchestra performs a rich and diverse repertoire covering multiple genres and performance formats, ranging from symphonies to ballet and opera music to symphonic arrangements of popular and cinematic music or jazz interpretations of classical music.
By virtue of its belief in meaningful dialogue bridging classical music and modern technologies, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra embraces innovative practices, pursuing diversity and bold experimentation in its artistic endeavors. The orchestra also distinguishes itself through its commitment to social responsibility within the Armenian cultural context.
For more information about the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and the three U.S. concerts, please visit www.armsymphony.am and follow the orchestra @ArmSymphony on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Tickets are available for each U.S. performance:
June 26, Boston, Symphony Hall https://www.bso.org/events/armenian-state-symphony-orchestra-2024
June 27, New York, Carnegie Hall https://www.carnegiehall.org/calendar/2024/06/27/armenian-state-symphony-orchestra-0800pm
June 29, Los Angeles, Disney Hall https://www.musiccenter.org/tickets-free-events/lease-events/armenian-state-symphony-orchestra/
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Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.
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