Charles Aznavour’s family attended the opening of the Armenian Film Festival (Katia is in the middle with blond hair, and Seda is wearing a hat). (Karine Armen photo)

Armenia & Karabakh Arts & Culture International Armenian Film Society Film Festival

Another Packed AFS Film Festival Concludes

September 9, 2025

by

530

GLENDALE — Armenian Film Society (AFS) opened its annual film festival on Wednesday, September 3, at the historic Alex Theatre with the movie “Monsieur Aznavour.”

AFS’s founder and CEO, Armen Karaoghlanian, welcomed the audience and said, “We started at Abril Books, an Armenian bookstore with a few people, and tonight we have a full house.”

The five-day event concluded with their first gala, which honored three filmmakers and inducted one into the Hall of Fame.

“Monsieur Aznavour” is a biographical film based on the life of Charles Aznavour. It is in French with English subtitles. It is written and directed by Mehdi Idir, and produced by Jean-Rachid Kallouche, who is married to Aznavour’s daughter, Katia. Kallouche and Katia Aznavour attended the opening event with their daughter. Kallouche said, “This film was a family project.” In addition, Seda Aznavour, her son, and his family were in attendance. Seda and Katia welcomed the audience before the screening.

Tahar Rahim portrays the title character. The veteran actor was born in France to an Algerian family. “Monsieur Aznavour” opened in France but has not been distributed in the U.S.

From left: the crew of “A Winter’s Song,” composer Arman Aloyan, actor Edgar Damatian, director Angela Asatrian, actress Jessie Bedrossian, and the leading actress, Krista Marina (Karine Armen photo)

The second day of the film festival had a packed house at the AMC Theatres in Glendale for the screening of a romantic comedy called “A Winter’s Song” directed by Angela Asatrian. In the film, the protagonist travels to Armenia, and it becomes a journey to self-discovery. The footage of the scenery during the Christmas holiday is breathtaking. The mesmerizing music is composed by Arman Aloyan. There are many scenes featuring traditional Armenian foods.

“A Winter’s Song” was produced in association with Strobia Foundation.

Before the Q&A, Christine Soussa, the founder of the foundation, said, “We hope that through this movie you see the magic and splendor of Armenia.” She added, “We are so happy that you’re the first to see this film.”

The Q&A panelists were the director, and actors Krista Marina, Edgar Damatian, Jessie Bedrossian, Judah McFadden, producer Annie Dashtoyan, and producer/editor Yvette Amirian. Director Asatrian said, “I want to show the world the beauty of our country, our culture, music, and food.” The American actor Judah McFadden said, “Armenia, yes kez siroum em. (I love you.) The people of Armenia were amazing.”

The festival featured three short film blocks: Around the World, which included filmmakers from the Armenian diaspora; Made in Armenia; and Student Filmmakers.

Friday evening’s short film block included “Before They Joined Us” by Arshile Khanjian Egoyan. During the Q&A, Egoyan said, “This was my mother’s immigration story. She had a short role where you can get a glimpse of her profile.”

Another short film featured was by actor/director Tigran Tovmasian from Australia. Tovmasian said, “The producer, Daniel Havas, suggested cutting down the script from 40 to 15 pages and took a year to shoot it.” He added, “I am thankful for the kindness of many people, especially the composer Arman Aloyan.” Following the shorts was “Thus Spoke the Wind,” directed by Maria Rigel.

The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

Topics: Armenian Film Society, Film Festival

People: Armen Karaoghlanian

MORE FROM Armenia & Karabakh

church Religion

Armenian Church Barred from Medieval Monastery

Saturday’s shorts also had Q&As after each set. Lily Ghazaryan, who directed “The Doorman,” discussed her experience and the challenges she faced. In the afternoon, they screened five short films by students. The two were in attendance and spoke with Karaoghlanian, who expressed his amazement at the quality of the films by the students. “How It Should Be” was Natalie Yerelekian’s high school project. Artur Haroutyoun Andonian directed “Long Time No See” for his graduation from Film Production in Toronto, Canada.

From left: Producer Daniel Havas, actor/director Tigran Tovmasian, filmmaker Arshile Khanjian Egoyan, and actor Karren Karagulian (Karine Armen photo)

“Words Left Unspoken” was screened Saturday night to a packed house. The film follows Joze Piranian over eight years as he overcomes his shyness and stutter. The filmmaker Josiane Blanc and Piranian traveled to Lebanon to meet with his family, who are an essential part of the documentary. As a child, Piranian did not speak for a long time, but he overcame his challenges and performed comedy in front of a large audience. Piranian, who currently lives in Toronto, is fluent in English, French, Armenian, and Arabic. He welcomed the audience before the screening. During the Q&A, he said, “We all stutter. We can overcome them by self-awareness. We need to be patient and let people express themselves. Not just with people who stutter but people who speak another language.”

On Sunday, September 7, a special panel discussion featuring Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler took place to discuss their collaboration and success. The two had collaborated on the smash hit “Sinners.” Ohanian said, “My company is called Proximity Media. We want to bring the audience into the proximity of real subjects, including stories from our culture.”

The film festival ended with a gala celebrating their tenth anniversary on Sunday evening at the Vertigo Event Venue, hosted by Sona Movsesian. AFS honored visionary storytellers in the film industry. Vache Tovmasyan presented Karren Karagulian, Pixar’s Katherine Sarafian presented Madeline Sharafian, and Ryan Coogler presented Sev Ohanian. Each honoree received an award modeled after Mother Armenia. The mayor of Glendale, Ara Najarian, presented Ohanian with a symbolic Key to the City as the highest form of recognition for his accomplishments. AFS has created the Hall of Fame award, and Ohanian was the first inductee.

Previous Obituary: Karine Asatryan, Young Mother, Dedicated Caregiver

Next Defeat and Victory: After First Series of WCQ Games, Armenia Ranks Second in Group

Discover more cities:

Top 5 Articles