My Sweet Land

Arab Feature Documentary Films

My Sweet Land

Genre:
Documentary

Year:
2024

Duration:
86 minutes

Rating:
16+

Screenplay: Sareen Hairabedian

Cast: Vrej and the Khatchatryan family

Cinematography: Sareen Hairabedian

Editing: Sareen Hairabedian, Raphaëlle Martin-Holger

Production: Azza Hourani, Sareen Hairabedian, Julie Paratian, David Rane

Début Status: National Première

Synopsis

My Sweet Land is a coming-of-age story set against a multigenerational war in the post-Soviet Caucasus Mountains. Eleven-year-old boy Vrej, who dreams of becoming a dentist, is forced to leave his homeland Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) during the 2020 war with Azerbaijan. Months later, upon returning to his surviving village, he confronts the devastation, new power dynamics, and education that prepares children for near-future battles. Vrej must learn the rules of war… but can he carry a nation’s hopes on his young shoulders?

Director’s biography

Sareen Hairabedian is an Armenian-Jordanian documentary filmmaker. Through her observational films, she captures the stories of the underrepresented. Hairabedian’s directorial debut "We Are Not Done Yet” is a 40-minute HBO documentary about the power of poetry to heal (Best Documentary: G.I. Film Festival, nominee for Best Documentary Shorts: International Documentary Association 2018 Awards.) "My Sweet Land” (Sheffield DocFest, 2024) is her debut feature-length documentary featuring one child’s journey through trauma and hope. It’s the recipient of the IDFA Spotlight Award, and is supported by ITVS, ARTE, International Documentary Association, Arab Fund for Arts & Culture, the Jordan Film Fund, CNC and others.