Released in 2015, Dear Armen is a short film by Kamee Abrahamian and lee williams boudakian.
Kamee Abrahamian was born into an Armenian family displaced from the SWANA (Southwest Asian, North African) region, and grew up in an immigrant suburb of Toronto. They arrive in the world today as a queer and feminist mother, interdisciplinary creative, scholar, writer, producer, and facilitator. They have a BFA/BA in film and political science (Concordia University), an MA in expressive art therapy (European Graduate Institute), and soon to be MA/PhD in community, liberation, indigenous and eco psychologies (Pacifica Graduate Institute). They have published both literary and academic work, facilitated workshops, and exhibited and curated art, films and staged performances internationally.
lee williams boudakian (they/them/theirs) is an Artistic Producer working across Film, Performance, and Digital Media. Recent Projects include Dear Armen (2013-2017), Setting Bones (2017), and World of Q (2017-2019). Lee holds an Honours BA from the University of Toronto in Contemporary Visual Studies, English Literature, and Politics; and is currently pursuing a joint Master of Fine Arts (Film and Media Production) and Master of Business Administration (Schulich School of Business) at York University. As a queer, trans & non-binary, mixed-Armenian raised in an immigrant family, lee grew up pulled between many worlds that seemed incompatible, constantly feeling like they had to choose one part of themself or one community over another.
Garo has been researching Armen Ohanian, an enigmatic Armenian performer and survivor of the early 20th century anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku. Grappling with the discrepancies between Ohanian’s biography and memoirs, they are forced to confront memories from the past, unraveling experiences around gender, sexuality, ethnicity, family, and the role of the artist. Dear Armen weaves together the voices and struggles of three generations of women and gender nonconforming Armenians.
Film Synopsis
Dear Armen has a fascinating production history, evolving from a residency, to an interactive performance, immersive-media installation, and then to this short film.
Dear Armen was initially conceived during a three-week artist residency in September 2013 at the Abrahamian Arts Centre in Yerevan, Armenia. Since its inception, the project transformed from interactive performance, to immersive-media installation, to short film. As part of the project’s lifespan, Dear Armen toured to major North American cities between 2014-2016 (including New York, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver); held two residency/creation periods in Yerevan, Armenia (2013 & 2015); and the short film was an official selection at multiple festivals including Chicago Film Festival and Seattle Queer Film Festival.
For more information about the film and potential viewing options, please visit Kalik’s website.
