Filmmaker Sareen Hairabedian’s “My Sweet Land,” a documentary that follows the life of an 11-year-old boy from Artsakh, opens on Friday, November 29 at Laemmle Theatres in Los Angeles.
“My Sweet Land” had its world premiere at the 2024 Sheffield DocFest in the International First Feature Competition. It was the official selection at the 2024 Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival, the 2024 Bergen International Film Festival, and the 2024 Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Future Doc Competition.
The documentary has been nominated for three IDA Documentary Awards and is an official selection for the 2024 DOC NYC. “My Sweet Land” has won a number of awards, including the “Jury Award,” “FIPRESCI Award,” and “Audience Award” at the 2024 Amman IFF.
In September, Jordan announced that the documentary had been selected to represent the country in the 97th Academy Awards in the “Best International Feature Film” category. However, due to pressure from Azerbaijan, Jordan withdrew its submission of the film.
Since being dropped by Jordan, “My Sweet Land” has been invited to qualify for “Best Documentary Feature Film” by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Fine Arts.
“My Sweet Land” is a coming-of-age story set against a multigenerational war in the post-Soviet Caucasus Mountains. It follows an 11-year-old boy named Vrej, growing up in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) who dreams of becoming a dentist in his picture-postcard village with its roaming ducks and golden bees. His sweet land, however, is strewn with mines from previous wars, shaping a country that remains unrecognized to the world.
Vrej’s life takes a sudden turn when war erupts, forcing him to flee with his family. He spends his days in exile impatiently waiting for victory, but reality takes a different turn; Armenians lose the war. 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? The film is a testament to the people of Artsakh, where hope and trauma had shaped their resilience across generations.
Sareen Hairabedian is an Armenian-Jordanian documentary filmmaker based in the U.S. Through her intimate observational filming style, she captures the untold stories of the underrepresented. Hairabedian’s directorial debut “We Are Not Done Yet” is a 40-minute HBO documentary about U.S. veterans grappling with PTSD who use poetry to heal. (Best Documentary, G.I. Film Festival, Nominee for Best Documentary Short at the IDA Awards 2018.)
“My Sweet Land” is her debut feature-length documentary featuring one child’s journey through disillusionment, trauma, and hope. It’s the recipient of the IDFA Spotlight Award, and has the support of ITVS, ARTE, International Documentary Association, Arab Fund for Arts & Culture, Jordan Film Fund, CNC and others. Hairabedian is a fellow at Doc NYC VC Incubator and a fellow at Creative Armenia.
Azza Hourani is a Jordanian producer and assistant director with over 15 years in the industry. A 2011 graduate of the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, she has worked with National Geographic, the Doha Film Institute, MBC, and various global non-profit organizations. Azza produced “My Sweet Land” by Sareen Hairabedian, an IDFA Spotlight Award winner in 2021 (Sheffield DocFest, 2024). Her assistant director credits include notable films like Ali Abbasi’s “Holy Spider” (Palme d’Or nominee 2022), Abu Bakr Shawky’s “Hajjan” (TIFF 2023), and Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah A Boy” (Cannes 2023). Azza is currently developing her third short film, aiming for production in Spring 2025.
Select Credits of the film: Directed & Produced by Sareen Hairabedian; Produced by Azza Hourani; Co-Produced by Julie Paratian, David Rane; Executive Producers Beth Levison, Carrie Lozano, Hallee Adelman, Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh; Co-executive Producer Robina Riccitiello; Supervising Producer Shana Swanson; Cinematography by Sareen Hairabedian; Edited by Raphaëlle Martin-Holger, Sareen Hairabedian; Composer Tigran Hamasyan; Sound Recording by Azza Hourani; Colorist Shanna Maurizi; Sound Tom Efinger; Featuring Vrej and family.
The documentary was produced by HAI Creative in co-production with Sister Productions and Soilsíu Films.
The making of “My Sweet Land” was made possible with support from: ITVS, Arte France, World of HA Productions, Spark Features Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée, The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, La PROCIREP, L’ANGOA, The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund, The Jordan Film Fund, Creative Armenia, AGBU, RTS Radio Télévision Suisse, Fís Éireann/ Screen Ireland.
Additional support was provided by: Fest Pitching Forum, MediMed, Astra Film Lab, FIPADOC, LIGHTBOX, East Doc Platform, Sunny Side of the Doc, The Gotham – Spotlight on Documentaries, Amman Festival Industry Days, Golden Apricot International Film Festival, Odessa Industry Days (B2B Doc).
To learn more about the documentary, visit the “My Sweet Land” website or Facebook, Instagram, and X pages, @MySweetLandFilm.
