My Sweet Land

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 a patriotic education preparing 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.

Film's Trailer:

My Sweet Land reveals the way that the war robs boys of their childhoods - hyperallergic

USA, France. Ireland, Jordan and Armenia co-production. A big team has worked for around 6 years to make this film possible.

Azza Hourani | Producer, Sound Recordist 

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 (Palm d’Or nominee 2022), Abu Bakr Shawky's HAJJAN (TIFF 2023), and Amjad Al Rasheed's INSHALLA A BOY (Cannes 2023). Azza is currently developing her third short film, aiming for production by the end of 2024.

Tigran Hamasyan | Composer

Tigran Hamasyan is considered one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock pianists/composers of his generation. Hamasyan seamlessly fuses potent jazz improvisation and progressive rock with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. Born in Gyumri, Armenia, in 1987, his musical journey began in his childhood home at the age of three. Tigran won the Montreux Jazz Festival’s piano competition in 2003. He released his debut album, World Passion, in 2004, the following year, he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. His Nonesuch debut, Mockroot (2015), won the Echo Jazz Award for International Piano Instrumentalist of the Year. Tigran’s new conceptual album ‘The Bird of a Thousand Voices’, is an intriguing immersive light installation with shadow play, digitally programmed voices, live music, and an Armenian-English libretto, that will have its world premiere at Holland Festival in 2024. Hamasyan has built a dedicated following worldwide, as well as praise from Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau and the late Chick Corea. (photo: Vahan Stepanyan)

Julie Paratian | Co-Producer

Julie Paratian created SISTER Productions (an anagram of RESIST) with emphasis on an international, feminist and militant approach. Julie has a 20-year experience in international co-productions with countries ranging from Greece, Srilanka, Belgium to Tunisia, Jordan and the USA. She has produced around thirty documentary and fiction films noticed in major festivals: from debut films to later works with experienced directors, TV or cinematic pieces as well as art films, all of SISTER’s works take strong political stances and explore unique cinematic expressions. Her latest release was CAITI BLUE directed by Justine Harbonnier (ACID Cannes 2023), THE CASTLE by Martín Benchimol (Berlinale – Panorama), UNDER THE LEAVES by Florence Lazar (awarded at Cinéma du Réel 2024).

The film has participated in more than 15 international film festivals gaining big audience's attention to Vrej's story and Artsakh conflict issues.