{{short description|2024 documentary film}} {{use mdy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = My Sweet Land | image = My Sweet Land poster.jpg | alt = | caption = Promotional release poster | director = Sareen Hairabedian | producer = {{Plainlist| * Sareen Hairabedian * Azza Hourani }} | writer = Sareen Hairabedian | starring = | music = Tigran Hamasyan | cinematography = Sareen Hairabedian | editing = {{Plainlist| * Sareen Hairabedian * Raphaëlle Martin-Holger }} | production_companies = {{Plainlist| * HAI Creative * Sister Productions * Soilsiú Films * ITVS * Corporation for Public Broadcasting * Arte * World of HA Productions }} | distributor = | released = {{Film date|2024|6|13|Sheffield}} | runtime = 86 minutes | country = {{Plainlist| * United States * France * Ireland * Jordan }} | language = Armenian | budget = | gross = }}
'''''My Sweet Land''''' is a 2024 documentary film written, co-produced, edited and directed by Sareen Hairabedian. It follows 11-year-old Vrej, a boy living in Nagorno-Karabakh whose life takes a sudden turn when war erupts and he is forced to flee.
It had its world premiere at Sheffield DocFest on June 13, 2024.
==Premise== Eleven-year-old Vrej lives in Nagorno-Karabakh, and his life takes a sudden turn when the war erupts and he is forced to flee. He later returns, and he must learn the ways of war to defend his homeland.<Ref>{{cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/459538/|title=EXCLUSIVE: First look at Sareen Hairabedian’s documentary My Sweet Land|website=CineEuropa|first=Davide|last=Abbatescianni|date=April 10, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref>
==Production== In 2018, Sareen Hairabedian met Vrej in Nagorno-Karabakh, during a research trip, to meet children of couples who mass married in 2008, in order to populate the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://awfj.org/blog/2024/11/27/sareen-hairabedian-talks-my-sweet-land-vrej-and-authentic-story-jennifer-merin-interviews/|title=Sareen Hairabedian talks MY SWEET LAND , Vrej and Authentic Story – Jennifer Merin interviews|website=Alliance of Women Film Journalists|first=Jennifer|last=Merin|date=November 27, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/127898-sareen-hairabedian-my-sweet-land/|title=“Shifting Focus from Political Agendas To the Real Faces of Conflict”: Sareen Hairabedian on Her DOC NYC-Premiering My Sweet Land|website=Filmmaker|first=Lauren|last=Wissot|date=November 15, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref> Hairabedian wanted to tell the story through the eyes of a child in order to focus on humanitarian and humane aspects.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.documentary.org/online-feature/space-where-play-and-guns-co-exist-sareen-hairabedian-coming-age-during-war-my-sweet|title=Sareen Hairabedian on Depicting Coming-of-Age During War in ‘My Sweet Land’|website=International Documentary Association|first=Sevara|last=Pan|date=November 11, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://moveablefest.com/sareen-hairabedian-on-the-many-internal-conflicts-of-my-sweet-land/|title=Sareen Hairabedian on the Many Internal Conflicts of “My Sweet Land”|website=The Moveable Fest|first=Stephen|last=Saito|date=November 27, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref>
==Release== The film had its world premiere at the Sheffield DocFest on June 13, 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sheffdocfest.com/film/my-sweet-land|title=My Sweet Land|website=Sheffield DocFest|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/video/my-sweet-land-artsakh-nagorno-karabakh-documentary-trailer/|title=A Boy Deals With Consequences Of War In ‘My Sweet Land’: Watch Trailer For Film Premiering At Sheffield DocFest|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Matthew|last=Carey|date=May 28, 2024|access-date=November 1, 2024}}</ref> It also screened at DOC NYC on November 16, 2024 and at CPH:DOX in March 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.docnyc.net/film/my-sweet-land/|title=My Sweet Land|website=DOC NYC|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cphdox.dk/film/my-sweet-land/|title=My Sweet Land|website=CPH DOX|access-date=January 17, 2026}}</ref>
==Reception==
===Oscar submission=== In September 2024, Jordan selected the film as the country's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/oscars-jordan-doc-my-sweet-land-international-feature-film-race-1236098871/|title=Oscars: Jordan Selects Doc ‘My Sweet Land’ For International Feature Film Race|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Melanie|last=Goodfellow|date=September 25, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref> In November 2024, Jordan withdrew the film for consideration following diplomatic pressure from Azerbaijan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/966047/jordan-withdraws-artsakh-film-from-oscars-citing-diplomatic-pressures/|title=Jordan Withdraws Artsakh Film From Oscars, Citing “Diplomatic Pressures”|website=Hyperallergic|first=Rhea|last=Nayyar|date=November 13, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/11/jordan-drops-my-sweet-land-as-best-international-feature-oscar-entry-1236171430/|title=Jordan Drops ‘My Sweet Land’ As Its Oscar Entry For Best International Feature, “Due To Diplomatic Pressures”|website=Deadline Hollywood|first1=Melanie|last1=Goodfellow|first2=Matthew|last2=Carey|date=November 8, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref> Additionally the film was banned in Jordan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/global/my-sweet-land-pulled-jordan-oscar-entry-pressure-azerbaijan-1236211086/|title=‘My Sweet Land’ Team on Their Doc Being Pulled as Jordan’s Oscar Entry Due to Pressure From Azerbaijan: ‘This Means That Censorship and Silencing Can Win’|website=Variety|first=Nick|last=Vivarelli|date=November 15, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref>
Hairabedian responded by stating: "It’s a film that has documented a place and a life that no longer exists now. Film and documentary art is one of the most important and effective tools to continue telling the truth that has been cleansed, silenced".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://armenianweekly.com/2024/11/20/my-sweet-land-team-determined-to-reach-global-audiences/|title=My Sweet Land team determined to reach global audiences|website=The Armenian Weekly|first=Lillian|last=Avedian|date=November 20, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref>
===Censorship=== In April 2025, the University of California, Berkeley, sparked a free-speech controversy after canceling a scheduled screening of the documentary My Sweet Land, which depicts the life of a child in Nagorno-Karabakh. Scheduled for April 24 (Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day), the event was canceled just 24 hours prior by the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center. The university reportedly received demands from the Consulate General of Azerbaijan and government-funded scholarship students to halt the screening, labeling the film "political propaganda."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mirrorspectator.com/2025/04/26/uc-berkeley-human-rights-center-cancels-film-screening-on-genocide-remembrance-day/|title=UC Berkeley Human Rights Center Cancels Film Screening on Genocide Remembrance Day|website=The Armenian Mirror-Spectator|date=April 26, 2025|access-date=January 17, 2026}}</ref> UC Berkeley attributed the cancellation to security concerns and a lack of adequate staffing to manage potential protests, denying that political pressure influenced the decision.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/press-release/human-rights-center-response-to-our-postponement-of-my-sweet-land-screening/|title=Human Rights Center response to our postponement of “My Sweet Land” screening|website=Berkeley Human Rights Center|date=April 29, 2025|access-date=January 17, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecollegefix.com/uc-berkeley-disputes-claims-it-censored-armenian-conflict-film-due-to-political-pressure/|title=UC Berkeley disputes claims it censored Armenian conflict film due to political pressure|website=The College Fix|date=May 29, 2025|access-date=January 17, 2026}}</ref> The move was condemned by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus and civil liberties groups as a violation of academic freedom and an instance of foreign interference on campus. Following months of sustained advocacy, the screening was eventually held at Berkeley Law on September 18, 2025, accompanied by a panel discussion on human rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://armenianbar.org/2025/09/14/armenian-bar-association-applauds-rescheduled-screening-of-my-sweet-land-at-uc-berkeley-lawschool-following-attempted-suppression/|title=Armenian Bar Association Applauds Rescheduled Screening of My Sweet Land at UC Berkeley LawSchool Following Attempted Suppression|website=The Armenian Bar|date=September 14, 2025|access-date=January 17, 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDB title|32259705}} * [https://www.mysweetlandfilm.com/ Official Site]
{{Jordanian submission for Academy Awards}}
Category:2024 documentary films Category:2024 films Category:American documentary films Category:Irish documentary films Category:French documentary films Category:Jordanian documentary films Category:Documentary films about war Category:Documentary films about genocide Category:Documentary films about children in war Category:Films about the First Nagorno-Karabakh War Category:Second Nagorno-Karabakh War Category:Aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War