Premiere of Beniamin Matevosyan’s documentary ‘The Promised Mountain’

On April 22, the documentary film “The Promised Mountain” premiered at the Yerevan Cinema House. The film, produced by Alpha Cinema Production of Alpha Media House, explores events ranging from the Armenian Genocide to the expulsion of Armenians from Artsakh. It is dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“The idea and title of the film belong to Viktor Soghmonyan, the founder of Alpha Media House. I believe Alpha News could not overlook the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, so we decided to make this film. I am sure that this is one of the best forms of self-expression and, most importantly, one of the most enduring ways,” Beniamin Matevosyan, the film’s scriptwriter and political scientist, told Alpha News.

The current authorities are the apologists of the so-called “real Armenia”, trying to forget historical Armenia and abandon Mount Ararat, the symbol of Armenians and everything Armenian. It raises questions about whether the authorities will succeed in achieving oblivion and denial of the Armenian Genocide.

“There are reasonable doubts that we are dealing with a minority government. The public raises questions when the authorities attempt to consign Ararat to oblivion. However, it is one thing to view this as a minority government, unsympathetic to the majority of society, and quite another to articulate that the vast majority supports the preservation of historical identity. The film aims to highlight this as well,” said Beniamin Matevosyan.

The filming route included Yerevan, Khor Virap, Gyumri, and the Armenian-Turkish border village of Megrashat. The production took ten days, followed by another ten days of post-production. The director emphasized the importance of discussing historical and indisputable facts that are at risk of being forgotten.

“At first glance, it seemed impossible to approach the Armenian-Turkish border, film it, and portray the boundary separating Armenia and Turkey from our perspective. However, when you approach your goals with fairness, these challenges become surmountable,” said Artur Aghabekyan, the film’s director.

What happened to the Armenians a century ago is still relevant today. It remains a concern for the film’s scriptwriter.

“We are saying the following: You can surrender, you can put everything into oblivion, but those who have problems with you, who consider you an enemy, will continue working to destroy you and erase your historical and cultural heritage,” Beniamin Matevosyan said.

And what can we do to prevent Armenia from being destroyed in big politics?

“Loyalty to your national memory, your red state lines, and state pride is an important path that keeps you in big politics, attracts the attention of major players to you, and gives you a place at the big table; otherwise you won’t be at this table,” said Ruben Melkonyan, Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at YSU and a Turkologist.

The scriptwriter’s children, 7-year-old Adrian and 9-year-old Amelia, were the first to offer praise and congratulations to him.

This hour-long film combines historical facts with analysis to answer critical questions.

“This film has given a very important message, we can try to forget that we are Armenians, but the Turks will not forget it. Will we accept this and come to terms with it, or will we eventually realize that the only way to save ourselves is to fight?” said Arman Abovyan, co-founder of the ‘Kamurj’ civic initiative.

Gegham Manukyan, a member of the Armenia parliamentary faction, added:

“While watching the movie, I experienced mixed feelings. As someone who has worked in this field, I recalled the documentaries I made years ago on Armenian-Turkish relations. Back then, those films were created from the perspective of a victorious Armenia. Now, however, this film conveys a sense of defeat. The authors were compelled to ask whether these defeated authorities would relinquish Ararat.”

The documentary ‘The Promised Mountain’ will be available starting April 23 on Alpha News‘ social media platforms in both Armenian and Russian.