LOS ANGELES—“Journey to the Homeland,” a short documentary chronicling the recent trip to Western Armenia by Nora Hovsepian will compete in the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards on January 23.
The screening of the film, written by Hovsepian and edited by Hovig Kazandjian, will take place on Sunday, January 23 at 2:15 p.m. at Raleigh Studios Hollywood, 5300 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles.
In this 30-minute film, Hovsepian documents her long-awaited pilgrimage, in 2014, back to the land from where her grandparents were forced to flee in 1915. The film shows the remnants of an ancient and resilient Armenian culture after Ottoman Turkey attempted to destroy Western Armenia in the first Genocide of modern times. It is a labor of love, which Hovsepian hopes will evoke a sense of longing and belonging in every Armenian who is able to share this life-changing experience.
The film is also a companion to the newly-released book, “Historic Armenia, After 100 Years: Ani, Kars, and the Six Provinces of Western Armenia,” by Matthew Karanian, who is featured in the film.
“Journey to the Homeland” premiered in February during an event hosted by the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region to launch Karanian’s book.
The film has screened on several occasions during the past year, most recently at the Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto, where it won an audience choice award for best short documentary.
An attorney by profession, Hovsepian is the chairperson of the ANCA-WR and has been long-time activist for the Armenian Cause.
The LAIFF Awards is a monthly film festival that celebrates creative work from around the world with more than 50 awards given away each month to those well deserving filmmakers.
For tickets visit the LAIFFA website.
Congratulations on this achievement!
Congratulations Nora. It is nice to have you in the film arena!
Congratulations Nora H! You were able to capture every sentiment, thought and emotion of our trip!Hovig, great editing!!!
Nora, your film is a testimony that no project is ” too small”. What started as a humble documentation has already reached thousands and thousands of homes and accepted in several film festivals, educating all of where we came from and the heroes that still remain there…Proud to be your friend …as well as your Roomate on our Journey to the Homeland…I encourage all to go and personally “feel the connection” to our homeland, Sirov, Nora Y