The most spectacular stories of the Armenian diaspora can be found in the most modest of places. For Stephanie Ayanian, the producer and co-director of Whatever Dreams They Had, it was in print.
“When I was researching stories for my previous film, What Will Become of Us, I came across the story of Fr. Armenag and Karoun in a newspaper article. I contacted him to learn more about his story, and we began filming soon thereafter,” she explained. “The footage was initially intended for inclusion in What Will Become of Us. However, we determined that the story would best stand on its own, so we created Whatever Dreams They Had.”
An Armenian Catholic priest based in Los Angeles, Fr. Armenag Bedrossian is beloved by his parish and the greater immigrant community (his cell phone “never stops ringing with requests for help,” according to Ayanian). Going beyond his parish responsibilities, he specifically works with Syrian refugees seeking a better life in the United States, helping them resettle despite the challenges that come with this tremendous undertaking.
After coming across Fr. Armenag’s story in the newspaper, Ayanian was compelled to contact him and did so through his church website. Following their initial conversation, she learned Fr. Armenag was once a priest near her home in the Philadelphia region — where she is presently based — and that they are familiar with many of the same community members.
“This has been my experience when making films in the Armenian community — and my filmmaking partners always thought it was funny — Armenians are often interconnected,” Ayanian said. “When we film our stories with Armenians, I usually only have one degree of separation. And, after we film, it only increases our circle of friends and family.”
Ayanian and her team wanted to shine a light on the struggles individuals face upon their arrival in the United States. As a third-generation Armenian American, the granddaughter of Armenian Genocide survivors and the daughter-in-law of immigrants, Ayanian understands the importance of this particular subject matter.
“I’ve been raised with and continue to hear about how the immigrant experience in America is a challenge, from not speaking the language to trying to navigate systems to being treated as outsiders,” she said. “I wanted to show how one person can make a real impact.”
The film itself follows a narrative structure. Ayanian worked with writer Mary McDermott, co-director and director of photography Joseph Myers and editor Greg Feinberg to pick apart the footage and decide on the “strongest threads that could be woven together” to craft the story.
Aside from seated interviews, Myers used a handheld camera approach to help the audience feel immersed in the story. Feinberg worked with both Ayanian and Myers to provide a space for viewers to “feel an emotion, to absorb the story and have a moment to sit with it.” McDermott, on the other hand, helped shape the interwoven stories and characters.
“It was so important to have [Mary] and [Greg] join us in this process, as Joseph and I were already so enmeshed with the stories that their outside perspective helped shape the film we have today,” Ayanian said.
Ayanian and the rest of the team took care to ensure that the stories of refugees were told both authentically and respectfully. She said that the goal of this documentary in particular — which is also true of many of the other educational documentaries she has worked on — is to provide a platform for audiences to learn more about different perspectives.
“When we choose stories, we like to focus them on someone doing something in the present day, something we can see them doing, something we can share with audiences as it unfolds rather than talking about something that happened in the past. To see an Armenian-Catholic priest openly aiding Syrian refugees and immigrants from all backgrounds, not just individuals who would attend his congregation, was exciting,” she said.
Still from Whatever Dreams They Had
However, filming with Fr. Armenag, according to Ayanian, was both enlightening and exhausting. With the aim of being considerate and welcoming, Fr. Armenag is dedicated not only to his own faith but also to Islamic studies, to show how a person can maintain their faith while welcoming another.
“He is one of the busiest people I know. There wasn’t a lot of downtime with him and his schedule. We were constantly moving from one place to another,” Ayanian explained. “When we film, [Myers] is operating the camera, often on his shoulder. I’m operating the boom microphone and recording sound with a mixer on my hip. We like to keep it just the two of us to stay as unobtrusive as possible to the world we are capturing. Seeing Father interact with Karoun and Jaklin, seeing him working with people in his community, seeing him lead his congregation…it was a gift and so inspiring.”
Fr. Armenag’s work with immigrant communities does not end with helping the Armenian community. He goes above and beyond to understand the cultural values, beliefs and needs of the immigrants he supports. His dedication reaches the extent of pursuing a graduate degree in Islamic studies. Ayanian said that his aid goes far beyond what we see in the film due to budget and time constraints.
“We were unable to include additional stories where Fr. Armenag aided Muslim families, helped them with their paperwork and made sure they were finding their way in America,” she said.
The film showcases his efforts in helping a young Armenian Syrian woman with hand cancer and his support throughout her treatment. He also befriends and aids a refugee woman with no relatives in the country to apply for a permit to permanently reside in the United States.
Despite carrying the weight of his own personal sorrow, Fr. Armenag remains steadfast in his mission, sharing stories of how his family members were killed by ISIS or remain in Syria living under constant threat, while others are scattered around the world as refugees. Every day, he grapples with feelings of sadness, fatigue and regret, yet he remains dedicated to devout prayer and always extends his hand to those in need.
“Jesus is for everybody, you know,” said Fr. Armenag. “He was always with the sick, with the depressed, with the injured, with the widow and the orphans — reaching others — different cultures, different people. I need to be unlimited. Jesus was unlimited.”
His unwavering commitment to humanitarianism is an example of what it means to be a true Christian.
The documentary is presented by Detroit PBS and distributed by The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA). It premiered on PBS SoCal on September 14, 2024 and will premiere on public television stations across the United States beginning Saturday, September 28, 2024.
“There are so many Armenian stories to be told. We would like to continue to develop and film Armenian stories across the United States and throughout the world. However, filmmaking requires investors or donors to come onboard to support the filmmakers,” Ayanian said. “We have many talented Armenians whose stories deserve to be told, and we have many talented Armenian filmmakers to collaborate with on our coming projects. We look forward to audiences screening Whatever Dreams They Had, and we look forward to creating more films in the future, if we are able to secure the funding.”
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