Due to the protests of Azerbaijani students and the efforts of the Azerbaijani Embassy, the screening of the film “My Sweet Home” at the University of Berkeley was canceled. American journalist Gohar Vezirian wrote about this on her Facebook page.
“On April 24, at the initiative of the Department of Armenian Studies, a screening and discussion of the documentary film “My Sweet Land” was supposed to take place at the University of Berkeley, the topic of which was Artsakh. On the evening of April 23, we received an email informing us that the screening of the film was canceled. For the Department of Armenian Studies and students, this was a surprise, an incomprehensible reality, which, as I understand, they have not encountered. The Department of Armenian Studies reported that the exhibition at the University of Berkeley was canceled due to the protests of Azerbaijani students and the efforts of the Azerbaijani Embassy. The department demanded an explanation from the University’s Human Rights Center.
I just checked my email and saw that I received a long explanation from the university’s Human Rights Center. They decided and promised to show it in September, “when they have more personnel to ensure the safety of students, staff and participants.” According to the explanation, “… the postponement is due to security, not censorship.” It also turns out that on April 22, the Human Rights Center received information and notification from various sources about upcoming protests that could threaten the safety of students. It was not possible to double the number of security guards in one day, and they decided to close the issue. The rest of the text: “We sincerely apologize”, “We fully recognize the Armenian Genocide and mourn the murder of 1.5 million Armenians”, “Recognition of the Genocide is a moral imperative, and we sincerely apologize for any confusion regarding our position” does not matter.
PS: The Jordanian Film Committee has nominated the film for the 2024 Oscars in the Best International Documentary category. The Azerbaijani government appealed to the Jordanian Foreign Ministry to reconsider the decision to select the film. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry, in turn, put pressure on the Jordanian Film Commission. The film was withdrawn, and Jordan will not be presented at the 2025 Oscars.
Reports, PhD and doctoral dissertations, and translations of scientific articles on Artsakh continue abroad. The change of generations in the Diaspora (American segment) and the loss of Artsakh intersected at one point, intersected and moved away from Armenia.
PS: “I specifically emphasize: I have not seen the film, so I cannot judge what it will be like,” he wrote.