GLENDALE, Calif. — The second annual Armenian Film Festival was held on September 4-8 in Glendale, California. The opening night film was Atom Egoyan’s “Seven Veils,” which will be released in theaters in 2025. The closing night film was the Oscar-winning short documentary “The Last Repair Shop.” The Armenian Film Society (AFS), which was founded in 2015 by husband and wife Armen and Mary Karaoghlanian, organized the five-day film festival.
Armen and Mary noticed a new wave of Armenian filmmakers emerging around 2010. They decided to provide a platform for those filmmakers because of the lack of opportunities in the industry. “There was a noticeable lack of screenings and events centered around their films, so we set out to create a creative space in our community where people could watch these films and interact with the filmmakers,” said Armen. “We’ve evolved quite a bit since then, but that’s how and where the Armenian Film Society began.”
The Armenian Film Society held its first event at Abril Books in Glendale on September 11, 2015, with the support of Arno Yeretzian: a screening of Atom Egoyan’s directorial debut, “Next of Kin” (1984). The society champions Armenian films and unites Armenian filmmakers. It shines a spotlight on Armenian stories and highlight the contributions of Armenian filmmakers. It also lobbies for representation and create opportunities for Armenian filmmakers through partnerships with leading global organizations. “We don’t award prizes at the Armenian Film Festival because we want to celebrate Armenian films and filmmakers,” said Armen during the closing ceremony of the Armenian Film Festival. “We see our festival as an annual celebration of Armenian stories,” he added with pride.
AFS partnered with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on their Stravinsky and Khachaturian program in July 2024. It also collaborates with other organizations and co-present screenings and events together. It hosts an Armenian Women in Film and Entertainment panel every year, which has become one of their flagship events. It has many other projects in the works as well.
The programming for the Armenian Film Festival combines films that their team invites and films that are submitted. Atom Egoyan was unable to attend the festival’s opening ceremony due to prior commitments with the Toronto International Film Festival. However, one of the main characters of “The Last Repair Shop,” Steve Bagmanyan, attended the closing ceremony, during which Armen Karaoghlanian held a Q&A with him after the screening. Bagmanyan is the supervisor of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s instrument repair supervisor. Armen said, “I made sure Steve could be present at our event.”
“I have always been a lover of film,” Armen said during an interview after the festival. He added, “The happiest memories I have growing up are movie nights with my family, either at home or at the theater.” Armen went to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and studied film. That was a very formative time for him, personally and professionally. He started out making films but later pivoted to building the Armenian Film Society with his wife, Mary, and they have worked tirelessly for the past decade. AFS is not an overnight success. This is the result of almost a decade of hard work, perseverance, and pure passion. Armen boasted, “We are incredibly proud of our successes, including the Armenian Film Festival and our partnerships with some of our favorite organizations who share the same values we do.” They have faced many challenges, but with a clear purpose in mind, they overcame those challenges.
