by Alex Billington
August 9, 2023
Source: YouTube

"I can see you better than you." Variance has revealed the trailer for an Armenian film titled Amerikatsi, made by filmmaker Michael A. Goorjian. This premiered at last year's Woodstock Film Festival, and it also played at the Hamburg, Glasgow, Fargo, and RiverRun Fests recently. The comedy-drama film was shot in Armenia by People of Ar Productions. Amerikatsi is about hope and the art of survival in the worse of conditions. Armenian-American repatriate, Charlie Bakhchinyan, is arrested for the absurd crime of wearing a tie in Soviet Armenia. Alone in solitary confinement, he soon discovers that he can see into an apartment building near the prison from his cell window. By always watching the native Armenian couple living in the apartment, day in and day out, Charlie soon discovers everything he came back to Armenia for. The film stars Goorjian as Charlie, also with Hovik Keuchkerian, Nelli Uvarova, Mikhail Trukin, and Narine Grigoryan. This looks extraordinary! How have we missed this until now?! This is absolutely worth a look.

Here's the official US trailer (+ two posters) for Michael A. Goorjian's Amerikatsi, direct from YouTube:

In 1948, decades after fleeing Armenia to the US as a young child, Charlie (Michael A. Goorjian) returns in the hopes of finding a connection to his roots, but what he finds instead is a country crushed under Soviet rule. After being unjustly imprisoned, Charlie falls into despair, until he discovers that he can see into a nearby apartment from his cell window – the home of a prison guard. As his life unexpectedly becomes entwined with the man's, he begins to see that the true spirit of his homeland is alive in its passionate people. Filled with warmth and humor, Goorjian's Amerikatsi film celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the bonds that unite us all. Amerikatsi is both written and directed by Armenian-American actor / filmmaker Michael A. Goorjian, director of many films including Oakland Underground, Illusion, The Shift, The Magic Hand of Chance, Tales of Everyday Magic, My Greatest Teacher, and Entanglement previously. It's produced by Robert Patrick Malkassian, Michael A. Goorjian, Arman Nshanian, and Sol Tryon. This initially premiered at the 2022 Woodstock Film Festival last year. Variance Films will debut Amerikatsi in select US theaters (NY & LA) starting September 8th, 2023 coming soon. Want to watch?

https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/wonderful-us-trailer-for-armenian-story-amerikatsi-about-resilience/