The Armenian Film Society is joining Tigran Nersisian’s short documentary “Back to Ashtarak.” Armen and Mary Karaoghlanian, the husband and wife team behind Armenian Film Society, will serve as executive producers, with their organization providing strategic support to the film.
“Back to Ashtarak” is a short documentary about its director, who returns to his hometown of Ashtarak in Armenia to relive the happiest moments of his childhood. Armenian Film Society hosted the world premiere of the film on September 1, 2022 in Glendale, California.
Tigran Nersisian is a film director born in Armenia, raised in Russia, and currently based in Los Angeles.In his career, his work has focused on mental illness, identity, and self-exploration. “Out of Mind,” his thesis film at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, explores depression in the Armenian community.
“Mary and I are admirers of the film, first and foremost, and we immediately fell in love with Tigran’s work. The film is poignant because of how it deals with memory, childhood, and family. This partnership allows us to get more people, both Armenians and non-Armenains, to see the film,” said Founder and CEO Armen Karaoghlanian.
“This partnership with the Armenian Film Society is the ideal thing that could have happened with’Back to Ashtarak.’ As the film’s director, I feel incredibly grateful, supported, and motivated to continue sharing the film with audiences around the world. It’s also especially symbolic that our first screening will take place at the Pomegranate Film Festival, because of what the festival means to both Armenian Film Society and I,” said director Tigran Nersisian.
The team will present “Back to Ashtarak” at the Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto on Saturday, November 12, while additional screenings and dates are said to be announced in the near future.
