The year 2015 marks 100 years since the genocide of a million and a half Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire, an event still denied by many countries, including Turkey and the United States. We are making a film about being Armenian – about what it means to the soul of a people to be denied this recognition for generations. We will be filming our own family and many others both here and abroad in our search for identity, our place in the world and how we move forward – together – as a people. To do this we need your help to raise the funds necessary to begin filming this year. In September we will make our first of many trips to Turkey and Armenia, including a journey to the four villages our grandparents fled and where our family tree was severed.

This is not only an Armenian story; it’s an American story about yearning to connect to the memories, the history, and the people who created us, whether we knew them or not. It echoes the story of families all over the world – those who suffer tragedies, flee, create new lives with old traditions – and of the next generations who search for their place in a heritage that they only half understand.

We hope you’ll check out the details of our film below and see that this story needs to be told, so please – help us make this film.

FUNDING

The way Kickstarter works is that funding is all-or-nothing, which means that unless we meet our financial goal, we don’t get any funding at all. Once we meet our goal, all backers will be charged the amount they pledged, and you will receive your awesome rewards! Check out the rewards we’re offering to the right (and the pictures of some of them below!).

We've set a minimum goal of $33,000 to begin the first stage of filming in Armenia & Turkey, scheduled for 2-3 weeks in September 2012.Every dollar we receive will go directly to funding the production of JOURNEY TO ARMENIA, including: HD video and audio equipment rentals, the purchase of storage drives, memory cards, meals, accommodations and airfare, guides, drivers and fixers on the ground, and modest salaries.

Anything we raise above the minimum will allow us to spend more time on the ground shooting, and will help us produce an extended trailer to present to potential donors. The more we raise, the more we can accomplish now!

FILMMAKERS

Nubar Alexanian – Director/DP/Producer

Abby Alexanian – Writer/Producer/Researcher

HOW YOU CAN HELP

• We are grateful for any and all financial contributions. If you are interested in our project, please consider making a donation. Your support will make this film possible!
• Spread the word! Help us generate support by emailing this link to people you know who might be willing to help, or share it on facebook or twitter. Every dollar helps us get closer to our goal!
• Become our fan on Facebook!
• Get updates and show your support by following us on twitter! @journeyarmenia

BACKGROUND

In 1915 the Ottoman Empire launched a campaign to rid the empire of all Armenian citizens, which came to be known as the Armenian Genocide. Yet many countries, including the United States and Turkey, refuse to acknowledge the genocide for what it was. For the past century Armenians have sought recognition for what happened to them and their families.

This project began many months ago when Abby asked Nubar if he would go to Armenia with her. Growing up in an American house and in an American culture, she rarely heard about her Armenian heritage, and knew only vaguely of the genocide that drove her family from their homeland. Yet there was always something that lurked in the background of Abby’s identity, tugging at her until finally she decided to go looking for it.

Nubar, on the other hand, was the son of first generation Armenian-Americans, surrounded by the culture, language and music his grandparents brought with them from the “old country.” Nubar’s whole world was seeped in Armenian tradition, yet all he wanted was to escape it – to simply be American. He left home at 18 without looking back.

But when Abby asked him to go to Armenia, Nubar surprised himself by saying yes.

And this is where our film begins. Together Nubar’s reluctance to embrace his heritage and Abby’s eagerness to do precisely that create a story that is ultimately about family and how our family histories create us.

JOURNEY TO ARMENIA will be released in 2015, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, a moment we hope will offer an opportunity for renewed conversation about the past.

Thank you for your support of JOURNEY TO ARMENIA! 

Reward Examples:

NONFICTION: Photographs by Nubar Alexanian from the sets of Errol Morris

Where Music Comes From, Nubar Alexanian’s book of photographs that explores what inspires the great musicians of our time

Collections II, the CD by master Oud player John Berberian, a collection of his most-loved Armenian music.

Nubar Alexanian’s book JAZZ, a collaboration with acclaimed jazz musician, Wynton Marsalis.