Launching with a traditional Gala event on Saturday, 11 June at Top Ryde Event Cinemas, the festival will include Armenian food, live music, song and dance performances to make this year’s event a truly immersive cultural experience.
As part of this year’s Gala event, former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will be inaugurated as official Patron of the festival. Since 2016, Ms Berejiklian has attended and opened every Armenian Film Festival in Sydney.
Co-founders of the Armenian Film Festival, Hourie Demirjian and Margaret Chater said: “It’s a great honour for our festival to have the support of Gladys Berejiklian – a proud Armenian who has a deep appreciation for history and films. We thank her for her ongoing commitment in representing the Armenian community and multiculturalism in Australia.”
A highlight of this year’s festival is documentary 45 DAYS: THE FIGHT FOR A NATION – a film by British conflict documentary journalist reporter and filmmaker, Emile Ghessen, who has flown in from the Russia-Ukraine war to launch his film in Australia as part of the festival. It covers the largely unreported 44-day war on the indigenous Armenian Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by Azerbaijan, backed by NATO member Turkey – only 18 months before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS BELOW –
FESTIVAL LAUNCH: Songs of Solomon – watch trailer here.
Sydney: 10 June, 8pm.
Special guest: Features a live musical performance in tribute to the musical genius of Komitas, performed by Masha Mnjoyan – winner of The Voice Armenia and finalist of The Voice Australia in 2021.
Summary: From Two Time Academy Award Winning Producer of Green Book, Nick Vallelonga, Songs of Solomon was Armenia’s official selection for Best International Feature Film category at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021. Inspired by true events, Songs of Solomon follows a brave Turkish woman who at a time of dire prejudice in the days of the Ottoman Empire, risks her life and that of her family to save her best friend from persecution for her race and religious beliefs.
GALA NIGHT, featuring film, Gate to Heaven – watch trailer here.
Sydney: 11 June, 7pm.
The Gala event includes a red carpet, cocktail party, Armenian food, live entertainment.
Special Guest: Filmmaker, Jivan Avetisyan from Armenia who will participate in a Q&A at the completion of all sessions.
Summary: Gate to Heaven tells the story of a German Military journalist who returns to Artsakh in the Caucus region years after an unforgivable act was committed. Focused on themes of war, the film has toured multiple festivals and is currently screening in the US.
45 Days: The Fight for a Nation – watch trailer here.
Sydney: 12 June, 2pm and 4:30pm.
Special Guest: Journalist and documentary filmmaker, Emile Ghessen, who will participate in a Q&A at the completion of all sessions.
Summary: On the 27th day of September 2020, Azerbaijani forces supported by NATO member, Turkey launched full scale attacks on the Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. Former British Royal Marines Commando turned documentary filmmaker Emile Ghessen, travelled to the region to report firsthand what was going on. The war lasted 44 days and on the 45th day, a trilateral peace agreement was signed, ending hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan. With thousands of people killed and displaced from their homes, Armenia lost the majority of their territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The raw unseen footage of 45 Days: The Fight for a Nation tells the story of the war and post-war from an Armenian perspective in a humanistic feature documentary film.
Should the Wind Drop – watch trailer here.
Sydney: 18 June, 8pm.
Summary: Selected and screened at Cannes Film Festival and Armenia’s official selection for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, 2022.
Alain, played by the captivating Grégoire Colin, arrives in Stepanakert, capital of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), to assess the airport and open this self-proclaimed republic to the world. But Alain knows nothing about this strange territory or its inhabitants, and things don’t go according to plan.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM – Sabre Dance – watch trailer here.
Melbourne: 5 June, 1pm; Sydney: 19 June, 4:30pm.
Special Guest: A dance tribute to Armenia’s most famous composer Aram Khachadurian.
Summary: Set in the cold autumn of 1942 amidst World War II, in the face of Soviet censorship and with the German Army advancing, this historical drama follows the life of brilliant composer Aram Khachaturian. The film transports the viewer to the Kirov Ballet theatre, in Soviet Russia, where Khachaturian prepares for the premiere of his ballet Gayane. Remarkably, the pressures of war are unable to halt his genius as he creates, in eight hours, one of the most famous compositions in history – the famed Sabre Dance.
For the full festival program and to purchase tickets visit www.armenianfilmfestival.com.au
All films feature English subtitles.
Please review the website for ratings information and content warnings.
