My Sweet Land

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My Sweet Land

2024

1h 26m

Documentary

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9 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

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.

Alissa Simon

Variety

11/25/2024

Artfully combining lyrical images that she shot with news footage, Hairabedian captures an indoctrination that, sadly, seems destined to keep the situation intractable from generation to generation.

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Alan Ng

Film Threat

01/08/2025

8/10

Every thought and emotion of Armenian youth is felt in the eyes of young Vreg.

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Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Hammer to Nail

11/30/2024

We can’t help but have a visceral reaction to the footage. Ordinary people are no match for tanks and bombs.

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Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

11/28/2024

Powerful and moving. A protest against war.

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Paul Emmanuel Enicola

The Movie Buff

11/23/2024

A-

While Hairabedian avoids overt political commentary, the urgency of her message is clear: the erasure of a homeland isn’t just a geopolitical tragedy—it’s a human one.

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Jared Mobarak

Jaredmobarak.com

11/19/2024

7/10

Yes, the story itself seems familiar to those paying attention to the many instances of violent displacement and ethnic cleansing occurring all over Asia, but familiarity doesn’t negate the importance of providing Artsakh a platform to be heard.

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Library B

Feb 2

Movie hides a fundamental truth - Armenians are occupiers who have ethnically cleansed native population of Karabakh (Azerbaijanis), committed a genocide in town of Khojaly, caused "the Hiroshima of the Caucasus" in city of Agdam where, as BBC journalist Roy Parsons reported, "every single Azeri house in the town was blown up to discourage return". It is to be noted that the landmines planted by Armenians continue killing and injuring innocent people.

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Sareen Hairabedian

Director

Sareen Hairabedian

Writer

Sareen Hairabedian

Producer

Azza Hourani

Producer

Beth Levison

Executive Producer

Carrie Lozano

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Sareen Hairabedian
Producer: Sareen Hairabedian, Azza Hourani
Screenwriter: Sareen Hairabedian
Distributor: HAI Creative
Production Co: HAI Creative, Sister Productions, Soilsiú Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Armenian
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 29, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 1h 26m