Series Site
Traveling, leaving one’s home and country, has long been part of the Armenian cultural imagination, appearing in folklore, songs, and the work of medieval Armenian poets. Centuries of displacement, the absence of statehood, the Genocide and the formation of one of the largest diasporas in the world, as well as difficult economic conditions, have made movement an enduring part of Armenian life. But leaving is not always only about departure. Journeys can also become ways of searching for oneself, rediscovering a lost connection, negotiating one’s sense of belonging, and sometimes finding a way back home.
The five films in this program, made by Armenian filmmakers from different parts of the world and across different periods, follow characters who are constantly on the move. Their journeys unfold across borders and landscapes, but also through memory, history, identity, and imagination. From a pilgrimage to the pursuit of the American dream, from tracing the image of a homeland through a childhood calendar to crossing the country to escape the truth, the program offers a glimpse into an Armenian cinema in an uncompromising search for answers to its own existential questions. These are journeys that rarely follow a straight line, circling back to questions of home, identity, memory, and belonging.
Guest curated by Sona Karapoghosyan.
Our Century: Spiraling Through Armenian Cinema is supported by the Armenian General Benevolent Union.