A Sweetly Bittersweet Film

 

Originally published in the Armenian Weekly on November 6, 2025 

On October 26, 2025, the Chicago chapter of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) launched its AREV Film Series at the Glenview Public Library. The series marks the inaugural initiative of the Kazarian-AGBU/Chicago Armenian Humanities Festival, an ongoing celebration of Armenian heritage and culture in the city. The first film, “My Sweet Land,” is a documentary by filmmaker Sareen Hairabedian that depicts the plight of Artsakh Armenians through the eyes of a coming-of-age boy, Vrej, amid the recent sad history of the Republic of Artsakh.

Hairabedian grew up in Jordan, immersed in a family that celebrated the arts. She moved to the U.S. for her education, earning a Bachelor of Arts in film and media studies at American University. In 2016, she founded her production company, HAI Creative, which collaborates with organizations like HBO, Sesame Workshop and the United Nations Women to produce media focused on social issues.

Since then, Hairabedian has become an award-winning documentary filmmaker known for her intimate, human-driven approach to telling socially conscious stories, often focusing on the unheard and underrepresented.

Many in the diaspora recall the 2008 mass wedding ceremony in Artsakh, which became a powerful symbol of resilience and efforts to repopulate the region. Hairabedian decided to make a documentary exploring how one of those marriages grew into a family. In her research, she interviewed 23 families before settling on Vrej Khachatryan and his family in Martakert. She began living in Armenia and traveled to Artsakh for a week or two at a time. 

The film opens prior to the 2020 war — in which Azerbaijan employed drones and other advanced weaponry, funded by their oil industry, aided by Turkey and mercenaries from Syria — and continues through the fall of Artsakh after the 2023 blockade. As these events unfolded, Hairabedian kept filming, giving the documentary added urgency and poignancy.

We read a bit about the film before going to see it. We were prepared to relive the gut-wrenching feeling we experienced when Artsakh fell.  But rather than focusing solely on tragedy, the film emphasized Armenian traits of endurance and communal spirit — the fate that has helped us survive tragic periods and also to thrive. 

 

Under Hairabedian’s beautiful cinematography and artful editing, the documentary highlights the Armenian spirit in a somber yet dignified way. Vrej’s soliloquy at the end of the film — which Hairabedian said was spontaneous, unscripted and uncoached — makes the film all the more endearing. The history is what it is, but in the midst of it, Hairabedian has produced and gifted us a documentary that is bittersweet, not just devastating. I suppose we could call this the Armenian dichotomy.

Hairabedian began filming the documentary in 2018 or 2019 and concluded in 2024. What dedication and time commitment to gift the world this special film for all Armenians and the world. Our story often seems small and is treated as lesser compared to whatever else is dominating the news. It is only appropriate that Hairabedian’s focus was even smaller — telling the story from the perspective of one boy, the child of one of those 2008 mass-wedding couples.

After the screening, Hairabedian spoke briefly about the film and took questions from the audience of about 60 Chicago Armenians. She was humbled by the generally good reaction and reviews of “My Sweet Land.” Generally good reaction? 

Well, predictably, Azerbaijan has lobbied against the film wherever and whenever it can. Jordan nominated it for an Academy Award for Best International Feature — a category that required a nomination by a country — but Azerbaijan pressured Jordan to withdraw the nomination. The film was due to be shown on April 24th at the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center, but the screening was postponed after Azerbaijani students and the Azerbaijani consulate protested. The film was also dropped from a screening in India due to Azerbaijani pressure. This PR and misinformation campaign constitutes a second front from the Azeris against Armenians. 

Lastly, Hairabedian said that when she showed Vrej the finished film, he told her,“Now, I see why you were filming so much. It is not only my story, but every child’s in Artsakh.”

Indeed, it is.  Every Armenian should see this documentary, which hopefully will air on PBS in the coming year.

Here is the schedule for the rest of the AREV Film Series in January and February. I encourage everyone in Chicago to take advantage of this series:

• Jan. 18, 2026 — “Women in Black,” Director: Gor Kirakosian
• Jan. 25, 2026 — “The Reverse Side of the Medal,” Director: Anna Maxim
• Feb. 1, 2026 — “Amerikatsi,” Director: Michael Goorjian
• Feb. 8, 2026 — “Tezeta,” Director: Aramazt Kalayjian
• Feb. 20, 2026 — “Warrior Saints,” Director: Roger Kupelian