Andrew Goldberg again turns cameras on Armenia

Emmy Award-winning producer/director Andrew Goldberg believes every country has a story. His latest documentary – “Armenia, My Home” – looks to tell a portion of the country’s 3,000-year-old history. The film debuts at 8:30 p.m. March 5 on Valley Public Television.

“I think the Armenian story is unique because it comes out of an enormous amount of tragedy and heartbreak,” Goldberg says. “Many communities have these very difficult pasts. But the Armenians, like the Jews and a number of other communities, come out of another nation’s attempt to completely annihilate them.

“When you add to that the country was part of the Soviet Union for many decades, you get a people who have just really been traumatized and beaten down in a lot of ways by outside forces. There is a certain rebirth going on there that is unique in that regard.”

Through images that would make a stunning travelogue, Goldberg’s “Armenia, My Home”celebrates the modern-day, independent Armenian Republic and its people. The film goes from medieval monasteries in northern forests to the Hellenistic temple of Garni.

A team of cinematographers used drones to provide a panoramic view of the country. Alongside the spectacular landscapes, the documentary delves into the complex and crucial subjects of the Armenian Genocide and the recent war in Artsakh, acknowledging their historical significance and impact on the Armenian people and the world.

Goldberg’s plan was to intermix the broad images captured by the drones with the very personal stories collected through numerous interviews.

The production, narrated by Andrea Martin, features interviews with actor Eric Bogosian, author Chris Bohjalian, author Peter Balakian, journalist Araksya Karapetyan, author Dawn Anahid Mackeen, Conan O’Brien’s assistant Sona Movsesian and Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of NY.

“For so many that we interviewed in this film, Armenia is more than a country, it’s a part of who they are – a community that has survived and flourished, despite untold enemies who sought to conquer them. This is more than a story of a nation, it is the story of some of the most resilient people alive,” Goldberg says.

Martin calls it an honor to narrate this documentary.

“As an Armenian-American, I am deeply connected to our ancient history and thrilled to be partnering on this project,” Martin says.

This is not the first in-depth look Goldberg has created dealing with Armenia. In 2006, he produced and directed “The Armenian Genocide” for PBS. The founder and owner of So Much Film has executive produced and directed 15 prime-time documentary specials for PBS and public television, multiple lifestyle series for HGTV, and Magnolia Channel, and a variety of long and short-form news segments.  He has worked as a journalist for ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and Fox.

Goldberg’s work has looked at such difficult topics as animal cruelty, racism and antisemitism. He has covered so many horrific subjects that when he pitched an idea about spotlighting cats to PBS, the response was that it didn’t seem like his kind of project because there was no death or violence.

There are dark parts of the Armenian past, but Goldberg focused more on the beauty of the country, the rich history and its resilient people with “Armenia. My Home.”

“I thought it was nice to do a piece that was celebratory rather than heartbreaking,” Goldberg says. “Both stories need to be told. And with this film, there is still kind of an undertone of heartbreak in this.

“The country is still a work in progress. It is still dealing with very complicated neighbors.”

Those complications did have an impact on the filming. Azerbaijan’s blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh kept the filmmaker and his crew from getting footage there. After the film crew left, the country was taken over. The prospect of rule by Azerbaijan resulted in more than 100,000 people, 80% of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population, fleeing to Armenia in one week.

Goldberg was forced to use footage of the area that others had shot. It was disappointing because he wanted to get images using his drones.

Another major image in the film was shot from a distance. Mount Ararat, that sits just across the border in Turkey, has huge religious significance to Armenians.

“It is not even in Armenia, so it has this tragic idea that our national symbol is lost in a certain way,” Goldberg says. “It is still very imposing.

“It is always there standing in the background. I think it is very symbolic and visually stunning to look at.” For his latest film, Goldberg stood at a distance to capture images of the mountain that he could use as a portion of his examination of the country through its people and geography.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.