‘Pride Jewel,’ New Film Produced by Armen Dilanchian to Be Released in May

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LOS ANGELES — A new film, “Pride Jewel,” from award-winning screenwriter and producer Armen Dilanchian, directed by Doug Thomsen, and co-produced by Megan Louise Thill will be released on May 3rd on Amazon, Apple TV, VUDU, On Demand and Google Play.

Set in San Francisco, “Pride Jewel” is an Armenian film about love, crime revenge, and the American Dream.

An Armenian father and son immigrate to U.S. after a massive earthquake leveled their small town in Armenia, Andre and his father move to San Francisco, to be near family, and in hopes of a better life. Amidst the challenges of this new environment, no job perspective, and desperate for a family life, Andre quickly turns to jewel thief, Cyrus for guidance. Andre tries to make fast money, but he has a change of heart when Cyrus instructs the crew he hangs with to make a score at an Armenian wedding. In the end, we find that revenge is the only way out and redemption is nowhere to be found.

“Pride Jewel” features Suro’s music, and stars Jake Vincent, Sarkis Bakalyan, George Boudoures, Aya Hoja and others, including Kristina Ayanian.

This film  won “Best Picture” at the Paris Film Festival and Amsterdam International Film Festival in 2021.

Despite unprecedented challenges, and an aggressive schedule, “Pride Jewel” began production on July 7, 2020, during the worldwide COVID 19 pandemic and with no vaccines available at that time. Due to 4D Legacy Studios’ rigid COVID 19 safety guidelines, top-notch cast , crew, and their dedication to excellence, the talented team completed this epic feature-length film in just two weeks.

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Born into an Armenian family, Dilchanian immigrated to the US when he was 12 years old and saw his own father start his life over again. Years later, Armen attended a lavish Armenian wedding and thought what a great place it would be if someone wanted to pull off a heist!

Thus was born the idea for “Pride Jewel,” a heist film that unites the  glamor of the genre with elements of an immigrant narrative many Armenians and others will recognize.

Armen has an MFA in theater and an extensive background writing and producing plays in and around San Francisco, CA. He has also written and produced several short films. Pride Jewel is his first feature, and he hopes it will resonate with audiences far and wide.

Director Doug Thomsen Doug Thomsen is a director and production company owner of BT Studio. He belonged to an acting workshop for 6 years, giving him in-depth insight into what actors need to be successful. When he’s not working on a film or commercial, he’s watching cinema in all its forms.

A scene from “Pride Jewel”

Producer Megan Louise Thill Megan Louise Thill is an actor, singer, and producer from Wisconsin with theater, film, dance, and casting experience. After working as a project manager for many years in healthcare IT, Megan enjoys producing and acting in feature and short films, commercials, and industrials in San Francisco.

Cinematographer Jonathan Salazar Jonathan Salazar is a narrative cinematographer based in San Francisco. He is an alumni of the SFSU Cinema program where he began his career as a director of photography shooting short films. His experience ranges from independent features, documentaries to commercial and  corporate work.

 

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