GLENDALE — “My Sweet Land,” a documentary by Sareen Hairabedian, was screened at Laemmle Theatre in Glendale from November 29 to December 5, with three different question-and-answer sessions scheduled. Friday night’s moderator was Abby Sun, the director of Artists Programs and editor of Documentary Magazine IDA. On Saturday, Armen Karaoghlanian, the founder and CEO of the Armenian Film Society (AFS), moderated the session, while Matt Carey, the documentary editor of Deadline, did it on Tuesday, December 3.
The documentary follows 11-year-old Vrej for four years, from 2019 to 2022. Vrej dreams of becoming a dentist in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). But the young boy has to deal with the 40-day War of 2020. His family is forced to flee. Later, they return to their village to find it has been razed.
The first time that Hairabedian traveled to Artsakh with her collaborator, Azza Hourani, was in 2018. They interviewed many families. Vrej’s family lived in Tsaghkashen in the Martakert region, a few kilometers from the Azerbaijani border. Vrej’s younger sister and brother have captivating parts in the film. Most of the camera angles are from children’s points of view. Hairabedian considered it essential to create a film from a children’s perspective. She returned to Artsakh several times.
“I chose Vrej because he was comfortable in front of the camera. He was curious and shared his thoughts,” she said on Friday night. She added, “Vrej’s grandmother gave me permission to join the family and capture their daily lives after developing a relationship and trust.”
During Saturday’s Q&A with Karaoghlanian, Hairabedian explained, “I was the only one with a camera. I didn’t want to take a big crew with me.” She followed them closely and did the cinematography to maintain intimacy. Hairabedian said, “The rules of going to Artsakh changed over the years. I faced many challenges to complete my project.”
