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 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 have shaped their resilience across generations.
Sareen Hairabedian is an Armenian-Jordanian documentary filmmaker based in the U.S. Through her intimate observational filming style, she captures the untold stories of the underrepresented. Sareen Hairabedian founded her production company HAI Creative in 2016, through which she engages in international co-productions, and works with organizations and broadcasters such as Sesame Workshop, HBO, Wounded Warrior Project, and others. My Sweet Land (2024) is her debut feature-length documentary and has been supported by ITVS, ARTE, International Documentary Association, Arab Fund for Arts & Culture , Jordan Film Fund and CNC.