Film festival brings Armenian history and culture to Mercyhurst
The Department of Anthropology and World Languages at Mercyhurst, in collaboration with PlatformDoc, presents the Armenian Documentary Film Festival, a two-day event showcasing four compelling documentaries that explore Armenian history, culture, and resilience.
The festival runs Tuesday, April 8, and Friday, April 11, at 7 p.m. in Zurn 114. Admission is free and open to the public.
Organized by Stella Hambaryan, an international student from Armenia studying Marketing at Mercyhurst and a volunteer at PlatformDoc, the festival aims to introduce audiences to the rich and often untold stories of Armenia through the power of documentary film.
“Every year Mercyhurst welcomes students from the World Learning Global UGrad program, a highly competitive scholarship program funded by the U.S. State Department, which brings incredibly talented college students from all over the world to do a semester of study abroad at Mercyhurst,” explained Dr. Alice Edwards, chair of the Department of Anthropology and World Languages. “Stella is a great example of these students, whose intellect, creativity, and leadership skills enrich our campus life. We are very happy to collaborate with her on this project that explores the social and political situation in her country.”
The film lineup includes:
April 8 | 7 PM
Aurora’s Sunrise
This powerful documentary tells the story of Aurora Mardiganian, a young Armenian girl who survived the Armenian Genocide and became an iconic figure, sharing her harrowing experience with the world.
April 11 | 7 PM
Lights (1st showing, 20 minutes)
The film showcases several stories of kids: A girl is volunteering to make nets for the front-line, a boy is selling nuts to fundraise for the soldiers fund, and other kids had to leave their homes and be separated from their families because of war. They all share a little bit of light from their life and hear to us through this film.
April 11 | 7 PM
Stones (2nd showing, 20 minutes)
The brutal Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020 ended in a Russian-mediated ceasefire, forcing Armenia to cede territory it had controlled to Azerbaijan. As a result, thousands of Armenians living in these regions were forced to leave their homes. Days before the handover deadline, a group of volunteers risk their lives to enter the Lachin region to search for and save beautiful sacred ancient Armenian stone inscriptions, known as “khachkars,” from destruction.
April 11 | 8 PM
One, Two, Three
A group of solitary elderly individuals from Armenia, who have been neglected by society, unify in an amateur dance troupe and prove during each performance that they still can dream, fall in love, amaze, and wonder.
For more information, contact Stella Hambaryan at shamba15@lakers.mercyhurst.edu.