Motherland + Sweeping Yerevan • Filmhuis Denhaag Filmhuis Denhaag

Emily Mkrtichian, Jesse Soursourian, Nairi Hakhverdi

Motherland + Sweeping Yerevan - Armenian films

Before the screening there will be a welcome to the programme Documentary Voices from the Armenian Highlands and Diaspora. This screening will show the following two films:

Motherland (Emily Mkrtichian and Jesse Soursourian) - Armenia, 2018

Motherland follows two women who work full-time as mine clearance officers in Nagorno-Karabakh. They put themselves at great risk in order to save the lives of countless people who use these lands to farm, collect wood, attend school, and rebuild after war. Despite their courageous work, they still face the stigma of independent, working women in a country where they are often the property and responsibility of men. In following their stories, we explore not only their dangerous work, but their lives as they wrestle with the pain of their pasts, their dreams for the future of their children and their country, and the immense joy and bonds they share.

Directors biography

Emily Mkrtichian is an Armenian-American filmmaker and writer. Her films touch on themes of Memory, Place and Identity, exploring creative and collaborative ways to tell stories from marginalized communities around the globe. Her work includes the immersive, multimedia installation Luys i Luso, an exploration music’s effect on spaces that were lost to a genocide a century before. The installation has traveled to Munich (Unterfahrt), Armenia, NYC (BRIC Arts), LA (Arts Activation fund recipient for public art), and Istanbul (DEPO Gallery). Emily also directed the viral web documentary Levon: a Wondrous Life, about 60-year-old rollerblader living exuberantly in the post-Soviet landscape of Yerevan, Armenia; and she just completed the short documentary Motherland, about the women who shake tradition and risk their lives to rid their country of landmines leftover from an ethnic war.

Jesse Soursourian is an Armenian-American writer and director based in New York City. He wrote the script for the short film Hugh the Hunter, directed by Oscar nominee Zachary Heinzerling, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as well as other festivals around the world. His feature screenplays have gained recognition from numerous festivals and contests including Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope, in which he was a quarterfinalist. As a director, Jesse's short documentary, They Were Afraid of Us, screened at multiple festivals at home and abroad.


Sweeping Yerevan (Nairi Hakhverdi) - Armenia, 2020

Sweeping Yerevan is the warm portrait of Marina, a woman who travels 40 km every night to sweep the streets of Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, while dodging cars and putting her life at risk, in order to provide for her family. By day, she mends clothes for clients and works as a janitor at the local music school to cover the remainder of her family’s expenses. With few options for her generation, Marina nurtures education and musical skills in her children, hoping that they will have a different future from her own.

Director biography

Nairi Hakhverdi is a translator, writer, and filmmaker. She grew up in the Netherlands and travels regularly to Armenia. For several years, she wrote skits before writing her first feature-length screenplay, The Driver, which was selected at EAVE on Demand and Berlinale Talents, among others. She is currently working on her second feature-length screenplay, Bodil, and her first feature-length documentary, Between the Rails. Her first mid-length documentary, Sweeping Yerevan, was released in 2020 and won Best Documentary at Ramsgate Film Festival.

Documentary Voices from the Armenian Highlands and Diaspora

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. See the program here.

Regisseur Emily Mkrtichian, Jesse Soursourian, Nairi Hakhverdi
Land Armenië, Verenigde Staten
Taal Armeens
Ondertiteling Engels
Speelduur 73 min
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Voor je bezoek

Openingstijden

Van maandag t/m zondag is de kassa van 10.00 tot 22.00 uur open. Ons café is open van 10.00 tot 00.00 uur. Kom dus heerlijk ontbijten, een kop koffie drinken, lunchen of vegetarisch dineren. We kijken ernaar uit!

Kassa

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Kom eten

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