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Philadelphia, Pa.—Stephanie Ayanian is developing what she calls “A New Armenia” and just in time to commemorate the genocide centennial next year.

She’s working with partners on a one-hour documentary that she hopes to complete in time for it to be shown next fall.

Ayanian is already into a Kickstarter campaign for seed money that ends»Oct. 20»with a goal of reaching $45,000 and will begin filming shortly after that. The entire budget is in the neighborhood of $500,000.

“Right now, we’re searching for unique stories of five Armenian-American families, across the generations, and fund-raising to develop the project,” she says. “We’ll travel to meet the potential five families and begin filming with the older generation. This will help us put together a short film to seek larger financial donations.”

Both Ayanian’s grandparents are genocide survivors. She and her partners have made multiple films that have been screened across the United States on PBS, internationally at festivals, and have won awards.

The 39-year-old is the real deal when it comes to documentaries and could very well give the genocide standard new meaning once the project is aired.

“After we successfully finance the Kickstarter Campaign, we’ll be meeting with foundations for major gifts to fund the feature documentary,” she plans. “We want to raise awareness about our rich culture.”

For areas outside the country, the film will be available on DVD and Blu-ray. It may also be considered for film festivals around the world and live on at public screenings and events.

She hopes to complete her project by next fall—six months after the genocide commemorations—to continue with the anniversary year and bring back stories into the public’s consciousness.

The emphasis is being placed upon a celebration of Armenian culture and where we’ve come since the genocide, not necessarily the doom and gloom.

“We lack a film that documents and celebrates the joys, struggles and values of these Armenian-Americans,” she confirms. “We’ll peek into kitchens while grandparents impart thousand-year-old recipes. We’ll share social and religious traditions with laughter and solemnity, huddle with business leaders as they bring honor and financial security to their families and communities.”

The audience will be introduced to the Genocide for a foundation of understanding, then meet five survivor families and see their lives, accomplishments and how the culture (language, music, cuisine, customs) are still alive and being celebrated a century later.

“Last April, I questioned if someone was making a project of this scope on such a topic,” she added. “Where are we now, 100 years after the genocide? We are thriving. But what does the future hold? My partners and I started developing ‘A New Armenia.’ We will look at what it means to be a survivor and the challenges we face in America generations after arriving here.”

With the plethora of films, books and events marking the centennial, Ayanian sees this as being a different venue from the rest. It’s more of an opportunity to celebrate what we’ve accomplished as strong, vibrant communities.

“As with all films, the challenge comes in finding the right stories,” she points out. “We’re working diligently to seek out stories across the country and across generations to make this a rich experience for the public. And, of course, we need to get foundations and individuals aboard for financial support.”

The mission is two-fold: to increase American public awareness of Armenian heritage and culture, along with inspiring Armenians about the strength of their culture.

Ayanian holds an undergraduate degree in Film and Video from Penn State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts from Temple University.

She’s a former member of AGBU-Young Professionals in San Francisco and Philadelphia, where she met her husband and settled down after graduate school.

She previously worked as a Senior Producer/Director for Penn State Public Broadcasting where she was a Producer and Director of Liquid Assets.

As an independent producer, her film “Kinderwald” was an Official Selection of Munich International, Seattle International, Slamdance and Napa Valley film festivals.

Ask Ayanian about any specific role models to draw her inspiration and her response is general.

“Any Armenian-American who works hard to build a dream,” she answers. “I’m inspired by writers, filmmakers, musicians, artists, dancers, chefs, doctors, lawyers, businesspeople and scientists who share their stories. It thrills me to watch people create, think and share their gifts with others.”

One surprising element to this filmmaker is her athletic prowess. She played basketball in the Pan American Games in Yerevan in 2001 with a team from San Francisco. It was an unforgettable experience to say the least.

“To be welcomed by the masses of fans in that stadium during opening ceremonies with people shouting ‘San Francisco! San Francisco!’ was totally unreal,” she recalled. “And to have the opportunity to experience Armenia at that time, in that way, was truly amazing.”



The post Ayanian Documentary Planned for Centennial appeared first on Armenian Weekly.


Philadelphia, Pa.—Stephanie Ayanian is developing what she calls “A New Armenia” and just in time to commemorate the genocide centennial next year. Filmmaker Stephanie Ayanian is producing a documentary on Armenian-Americans for the 100th anniversary of the Genocide. She’s working with partners on a one-hour documentary that she hopes to complete in time for it to be shown next fall. Ayanian is already into a Kickstarter campaign for seed money that ends»Oct. 20»with a goal of reaching $45,000 and will begin filming shortly after that. The entire budget is in the neighborhood of $500,000. “Right now, we’re searching for unique stories of five Armenian-American families, across the generations, and fund-raising to develop the project,” she says. “We’ll travel to meet the potential five families and begin filming with the older generation. This will help us put together a short film to seek larger financial donations.” Both Ayanian’s grandparents are genocide survivors. She and her partners have made multiple films that have been screened across the United States on PBS, internationally at festivals, and have won awards. The 39-year-old is the real deal when it comes to documentaries and could very well give the genocide standard new meaning once the project [...]

The post Ayanian Documentary Planned for Centennial appeared first on Armenian Weekly.


Philadelphia, Pa.—Stephanie Ayanian is developing what she calls “A New Armenia” and just in time to commemorate the genocide centennial next year. Filmmaker Stephanie Ayanian is producing a documentary on Armenian-Americans for the 100th anniversary of the Genocide. She’s working with partners on a one-hour documentary that she hopes to complete in time for it to be shown next fall. Ayanian is already into a Kickstarter campaign for seed money that ends»Oct. 20»with a goal of reaching $45,000 and will begin filming shortly after that. The entire budget is in the neighborhood of $500,000. “Right now, we’re searching for unique stories of five Armenian-American families, across the generations, and fund-raising to develop the project,” she says. “We’ll travel to meet the potential five families and begin filming with the older generation. This will help us put together a short film to seek larger financial donations.” Both Ayanian’s grandparents are genocide survivors. She and her partners have made multiple films that have been screened across the United States on PBS, internationally at festivals, and have won awards. The 39-year-old is the real deal when it comes to documentaries and could very well give the genocide standard new meaning once the project [...]

The post Ayanian Documentary Planned for Centennial appeared first on Armenian Weekly.


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