My Sweet Land will premiere at Sheffield DocFest

My sweet landa film by Sareen Hairabedian and Azza Hourani, he will have his world premier at Sheffield DocFest in England. The movie, which is entirely in Armenian with English subtitles, will be screened on June 13 at 6:15 pm at the Showroom, Bertha DocHouse, Screen 3; June 15 at 10:15 a.m. at Curzon, Screen 2; and June 16 at 3:15pm at the Showroom, Bertha DocHouse, Screen 3.

My sweet land is a coming-of-age story set against a multigenerational war in the mountains of the post-Soviet Caucasus. It follows an 11-year-old boy named Vrej, who grew up in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), who dreams of becoming a dentist in his postcard village with its wandering ducks and golden bees. His sweet earth, however, is littered with mines from previous wars, shaping a country that remains unrecognized to the world. Vrej’s life takes a sudden turn when war breaks out, forcing him and his family to flee. He spends his days in exile looking forward to victory, but reality takes a different turn; Armenians lose the war. Upon returning to his surviving village, he is faced with devastation, new power dynamics, and education that prepares children for the struggles of the near future. Vrej must learn the rules of war…but can he carry the hopes of a nation on his young shoulders? The film is a testament to the people of Artsakh, where hope and trauma have shaped their resilience over generations.

About the director

Sareen Hairabedian is an Armenian-Jordanian documentary filmmaker based in the US. Through her intimate observational filmmaking style, she captures the untold stories of the underrepresented. Hairabedian’s directorial debut I have not finished yet is a 40-minute HBO documentary about US veterans dealing with PTSD and using poetry to heal (Best Documentary, GI Film Festival, Nominated for Best Documentary Short at the 2018 IDA Awards). My sweet land is a debut feature documentary that chronicles a child’s journey of disappointment, trauma and hope. It is the recipient of the IDFA Spotlight Award and is supported by ITVS, ARTE, International Documentary Association, Arab Fund for Arts & Culture, Jordan Film Fund, CNC and others. Hairabedian is a fellow at DocNYCxVC Incubator and Creative Armenia.

About the producer

Azza Hourani is a Jordanian producer and assistant director with over 15 years in industry. He graduated from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematographic Arts in 2011 and worked with National Geographic, Doha Film Institute, MBC and various global non-profit organizations organizations. Hourani produced My sweet land by Hairabedian, an IDFA 2021 Spotlight Award Winner (Sheffield DocFest, 2024). Credits to her assistant director include notable films including that of Ali Abbasi The Holy Spider (nominated for Palme d’Or 2022), Abu from Bakr Shawky Hajjan (TIFF 2023) and Amjad Al Rasheed Inshallah a boy (Cannes 2023). Hourani is currently developing her third short film, aiming for production until the end of 2024.

Select credits

Director: Sareen Hairabedian
Producers: Sareen Hairabedian, Azza Hourani
Co-Producers: 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
Cinematographer: Sareen Hairabedian
Editors: Raphaëlle Martin-Holger, Sareen Hairabedian
Composer: Tigran Hamasyan
Sound Recording: Azza Hourani
Colorist: Shanna Maurizi
Sound: Tom Efinger

With support from

ITVS, Arte France, World of HA Productions, Spark Features Center National du Cinéma et de l’image animée, The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, La PROCIREP, L’ANGOA, 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, Fest Pitching Forum, MediMed, Astra Film Lab, FIPADOC, LIGHTDOX, 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 (Doc B2B)

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