Featured Content
Chances are you haven’t heard of Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Hagop Goudsouzian. Hard to imagine, when he has had such an illustrious and prolific career producing and directing television programs: well over 250 of them, in fact, mostly for public broadcasters in Canada.
Since leaving the world of television, he has produced and directed several films, including the acclaimed National Film Board of Canada-produced 2004 documentary "My Son Shall Be Armenian," the French version of which ("Mon fils sera arménien") aired on national television both in Canada and in France.
C-rouge was one of the first musicians who ventured into the unchartered territory of integrating electronic sounds with Armenian traditional melodies in the early 2000s. Over the years, he has traversed his way through trance and house music, aiming high for a wide range of epic orchestral scales. In this exclusive interview with h-pem, he reveals how, deep in his heart, he has always longed for a special “something” that would make a difference for the music he grew up with and adored.
Submissions
“Shining light on the overlooked and unspoken topic of the sociological dual burden within immigrant children... I have found a lack of coverage of this topic with respect to immigrant women.”
In this very personal and candid piece, Sareen Hadeshian explores the pressures on intergenerational relations in immigrant families and asks important questions about generational trauma, love of family and culture, and managing expectations.
In the United States, just four percent of firefighters are women, but that has not stopped Ani Arzoumanian. The 19-year-old pre-med student and volunteer firefighter gives us an insider’s look at navigating this industry as a young female. Check out part two of her journey below!
In the summer of 2016, Souren Papazian, a then-recent grad from Columbia University’s Computer Science program, was placed in Artsakh for three weeks as a part of his community work as a Luys Foundation scholar.
“I found the people of Artsakh to be very different from folks in the rest of Armenia—different even from spyurkahais [Diasporan Armenians]. Just a different mindset and philosophy: reserved but kind, they don’t talk much, very into nature,” he explains.
Souren’s submission to h-pem is a series of 17 photographs taken on his iPhone during those three weeks in Artsakh—a collection of the faces and places that spoke to him most.
For the past decade, Lebanese indie-rock-folk band, Sandmoon, has been shredding up the local music scene with its fresh, fluid compositions. Helmed by Lebanese-Belgian-Armenian Sandra Arslanian, the group’s fourth studio album, “Put a Gun/Commotion,” drops this spring. Check out “Angels,” the second single off the upcoming record, in our video section below!
Most popular
Running out of juice during these trying times? Well, we've got you covered! On April 6, h-pem kicked-off its social connection initiative #IsolateWithHPem. For the foreseeable future, we will periodically post exclusive videos from our talented friends, who are professionals in their respective fields—from cooking and dance to comedy, journalism, and beyond. Their snappy tutorials will help us all combat the challenges posed by physical isolation through a virtual learning hub. Stay tuned!
Running out of juice during these trying times? Well, we've got you covered! On April 6, h-pem kicked-off its social connection initiative #IsolateWithHPem. For the foreseeable future, we will periodically post exclusive videos from our talented friends, who are professionals in their respective fields—from cooking and dance to comedy, journalism, and beyond. Their snappy tutorials will help us all combat the challenges posed by physical isolation through a virtual learning hub. Stay tuned!
In the family of Armenian "clap dances" (ծափ-պարեր | tzap parer), Yarkhushta sits at the head of the table. In addition to its emotional, spiritual, and historical attributes, this folk and martial dance is a great all-body workout: cardio, squats, upper arm conditioning, and a whole slew of benefits that come with clapping! Just a few minutes of Yarkhushta-ing a day will have you toned like Vahagn, the Armenian Hercules. Read on to learn about this epic dance of the Armenian warriors!
Multimedia guide
These are trying times: The world is being overrun by an insidiously contagious virus, schools and businesses have shuttered, and people all across the world are physically locked-in and virtually logged-on.
Since the advent of the internet, many have posited whether the invention can bring us closer or drift us further apart. For the time being, our “real” world has been suspended and moved to a “virtual” reality. It is perhaps the biggest migration in the shortest span of time in history. If this crisis has taught us anything, it’s that we all need connection, community, and comfort.
One of the heartwarming sides of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an explosion of all three C’s—whether it’s neighbors singing songs from their balconies, museums posting exhibitions online for free, or musicians livestreaming their concerts.
Art is the antidote...
In her new album, “Bells & White Branches,” jazz singer Gracie Terzian recreates six Christmas classics with her signature voice and everyone’s favorite tropical instrument: the ukulele! The result is a unique reimagining of these timeless tunes…
Stomp your feet to this latest Collectif Medz Bazar tune, full of raging emotional envy and a continuous pumping beat—a reflection of uncompensated affection (sans-melancholy). Directed and edited by the colorful genius behind their extravagant "Poshmanella" video, Samuel Buton, and shot at the New Morning in Paris, the “Inch G'ella” music video perfectly presents the second single from their third studio album, “O”—another collection of multilingual indie-folk-experimental hits from the eclectic group.
What happens when you defy tradition? In the gripping short family drama, “I Promised Her Life,” an Armenian mother tackles the interplay between tradition and agency at her daughter’s funeral. The result is a devastating rendering of death and the afterlife through cultural superstition. Watch the film online, for free!
At first glance, this song about a “red girl” seems like a beautiful, yet ordinary, Armenian folk love song. Except that it is neither a folk song nor Armenian—at least, not quite. “Garmi” meaning “red” in the Hamshen dialect (or “karmir” / «կարմիր» in Armenian) is a song composed by Meluses, a contemporary folk-rock band from Turkey. This soothing version, by two young Lebanese-Armenians, will transport you to the idyllic villages of the Hemshin people.
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