My Sweet Land — Coming Soon!!

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. Vrej lives in a 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 an education that prepares the children for near-future battles. Vrej struggles with a reality that forces him to learn the rules of war, while longing to live in his homeland in peace. The film is a testament to the people of Artsakh, where hope and trauma had shaped their resilience across generations.

This film is a production made possible because of HAI Creative, Sister Productions, Soilsiu Films.

The education guide has been made possible by a grant from the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU).

The Social Studies section of our educational materials include:

• Historical Context
• Background regarding the Armenian Genocide and the Armenian Diaspora
• Questions to explore the concept of a homeland and genocide, including regarding Raphael Lemkin who coined the term
• Case Study Activities with Handouts

English Language Arts components in the guide include: 

• Poetry Anthology (Handout packet of poems) focused on the theme of home
• Poetic Terms Handout
• Literary Terms Handout
• How to Read a Poem Handout
• Handouts for discussion and analysis of poems in the Poetry Anthology
• Poetry Analysis Handout
• Cross-Media Connection Unit for Persepolis
• Graphic Novel Analysis Handout
• Graphic Novel Terms Handout
• Blank Comic Panels Handout

Media Literacy components in the guide include:

• Active Documentary Viewing Handout
• Active Documentary Viewing Worksheet
• Section focused on the driving question: What is media literacy and why it is so important?
• Media Analysis Worksheet
• Different Kinds of Media Worksheet
• Coming of Age Film Worksheet
• Media Audit

These resources will be available very soon! Don’t miss out when new materials become available. Sign up for our newsletter!