My Sweet Land

dir. Sareen Hairabedian, 86 minutes, in Armenian with English Subtitles

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.

The film will be followed by a conversation with guest speaker Ani Avetyan who will be discussing Armenia and the recent war in Artsakh.

Ani Avetyan is a senior news anchor at Alpha News, a leading Pan-Armenian channel, where she focuses on critical issues affecting Armenia, including the occupation of Artsakh, the denial of the Armenian Genocide, and the foreign policies of Turkey and Azerbaijan. Her special project, “The Real Turkey” (Իրական Թուրքիա), delves into the complexities of Turkey’s political landscape and its historical and contemporary policies, emphasizing that Turkey and Azerbaijan are not invincible forces.