Join us for a screening of award-winning documentary My Sweet Land followed by a panel discussion with director Sareen Hairabedian, Berkeley Journalism’s Jennifer Redfearn, and Myrna Douzjian of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, with introductions by Betsy Popken, executive director of the Human Rights Center, and Dzovinar Derderian, executive director of the Armenian Studies Program. RSVP is required and must be completed by Sept 16 at 5pm; day-of registration will not be available.
My Sweet Land follows an 11-year-old boy growing up in Nagorno-Karabakh/ Artsakh who dreams of becoming a dentist, but new hostilities force him to flee with his family. Upon returning to his surviving village, he confronts devastation, new power dynamics, and an education that prepares the children for near-future battles.
No signs, banners or noisemakers permitted in event. Arrive by 5:15 to check in and get a snack before entering the auditorium. Enter building next to Cafe Zeb.
Speaker: Sareen Hairabedian, Director
Moderator: Jennifer Redfearn, Professor, filmmaker, Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley
Speaker: Myrna Douzjian, Continuing Lecturer, Slavic Languages & Literatures at UC Berkeley
Presenter: Betsy Popken, Executive Director, Human Rights Center at Berkeley Law
Presenter: Dzovinar Derderian, Professor, Executive Director, Armenian Studies Program at UC Berkeley Admission Information:
RSVP is required and must be completed by Sept 16 at 5pm; day-of registration will not be available. No signs, banners or noisemakers permitted in event.
Cosponsors: Armenian Studies Program, the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies
On April 24, 2025, Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center was set to host a screening of My Sweet Land, a documentary about a boy named Vrej growing up in Artsakh in the midst of the Azeri conflict.
A series of hollow threats from an Azeri student and the Azeri consulate forced the Human Rights Center to cancel this screening out of an abundance of caution.
After many months of meetings and outreach, we are looking forward to having an even bigger screening on September 18, 2025 5:30pm at Booth Auditorium at Berkeley Law.
In addition to Dr. Myrna Douzjian, the panel following the film has expanded to include Sareen Hairabedian (film director) and Jennifer Redfearn (professor, Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley). Complete details can be found here.
The Booth Auditorium is a large accommodation, in the heart of the law school, waiting to be filled with students and community members willing to stand witness to the adversity Vrej faced in Artsakh, and that Armenians face to this day in our own Bay Area.
The event is free, but requires an advanced RSVP by 5:00pm September 16, 2025.
RSVP HERE
Please join us in supporting this film and Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center for insisting on exploring the heartbreaking realities of Artsakh in defiance of Azeris’ shameless attempts to silence them.
We look forward to joining you there.
