Documentary Voices from the Armenian Highlands and Diaspora
SCREENING NOVEMBER 16TH ONLY AT FILMHUIS DEN HAAG
Armenian Cultural Weekend in The Hague
On November 16th, Filmhuis Den Haag will showcase a selection of Armenian films as part of the Armenian Cultural Weekend. This special weekend is organized in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Armenian Cultural Association Abovian. During this event, the rich Armenian culture will be highlighted, featuring a diverse program that allows visitors to explore the history, art, and traditions of Armenia.
The day-long film program charts a delicate rendering of the Armenian experience.
The program opens with Motherland (Emily Mkrtchyan, 2019) and Sweeping Yerevan (Nairi Hakhverdi, 2020), both about women putting their lives on the line to provide for their families: one of them clearing mines in Nagorno-Karabakh, the other sweeping the streets of Yerevan in the middle of the night.
The second film, Tezeta (Aramazt Kalayjian and Garegin Papoyan, 2024), follows the migration of a group of Armenian musicians to Ethiopia, orphaned after the Armenian Genocide of 1915, which would have an everlasting impact on the Ethiopian music scene to this day.
The third in the line-up is reserved for Hishé (Anahid Yahjian, 2021) and Bon Voyage (Garegin Papoyan, 2021), the first, an evocative personal memoir of Nagorno-Karabakh, the second, an observational documentary about the Stepanakert Airport in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was kept alive, but had not been allowed to function since the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1990s.
The day closes with Those from the Shore (Tamara Stepanyan, 2017), a poetic depiction of the realities and pains of immigration, of living in between two worlds, while waiting in limbo for a final decision.
The curators of this program are Tina Bastajian and Nairi Hakhverdi.
Films in this program
Motherland + Sweeping Yerevan
Join us for a compelling screening featuring two poignant documentaries: Motherland, which follows the courageous journey of two women mine clearance officers in Nagorno-Karabakh, and Sweeping Yerevan, a heartwarming portrait of a mother who risks her life to clean the streets of Armenia’s capital while nurturing her children's future.
TEZETA
Discover the untold story of TEZETA, which explores the remarkable contribution of a small, country-less community of Armenians to Ethiopian music and culture, revealing their pivotal role in the rise of jazz fusion and the enduring legacy of Addis Ababa's vibrant musical history.
Hishé + Bon Voyage
Join us for a thought-provoking screening featuring Hishé, a poignant exploration of mourning and memory in post-conflict Nagorno-Karabakh, alongside Bon Voyage, an observational documentary that captures the absurdity of a once-bustling airport frozen in political limbo.
Those from the Shore
Those from the Shore paints a haunting portrait of Armenian asylum seekers in Marseille, trapped in a state of uncertainty and longing as they navigate the painful liminal space between their war-torn homeland and the hope of a new life in France.