Armenian Film Society

This is everything I watched for the week of June 17, 2024.

BAD NEWS BEARS (2005): Armenia gets two shout-outs in this.

A SCANNER DARKLY (2006): Haunting. I wish Keanu Reeves had been in more Richard Linklater projects.

FAST FOOD NATION (2006): This cast that includes Greg Kinnear, Bobby Cannavale, Paul Dano, Luis Guzmán, Kris Kristofferson, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Bruce Willis, and Glen Powell. Had you heard of this movie before?

LARRY DAVID: CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (1999)*: I hadn’t seen this in many years but it’s always perfect.

Francis Ford Coppola’s MEGALOPOLIS, which is executive produced by Anahid Nazarian, has set a release date of September 27 in the US and Canada via Lionsgate.

MEGALOPOLIS premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The film has been in the works for decades and was financed by the filmmaker’s own money from his family’s wine empire with a budget of $120 million.

Anahid Nazarian has collaborated with Francis Ford Coppola for over 30 years, during which she worked as an executive producer on YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH, TETRO, and TWIXT. In addition to Francis Ford Coppola’s films, she has worked on screenplays with many notable writers, including Ronald Bass, Arnold Schulman, Mario Puzo, David Peoples, John Le Carre, and Paul Schrader, with screen credits that include films such as ONE FROM THE HEART, THE OUTSIDERS, RUMBLE FISH, THE COTTON CLUB, MISHIMA, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, GARDENS OF STONE, TUCKER, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, JACK, and THE RAINMAKER.

This is everything I watched for the week of June 10, 2024.

CIVIL WAR (2024): I went into this quite suspicious, but appreciated how its narrative unfolded, though I spent much of the movie wondering how frustrated moviegoers must have been that it didn’t deliver on its title. Buy Cailee Spaeny stock.

AM I OK? (2024): This is very much worth watching for Sonoya Mizuno.

MAN ON THE MOON (1999)

ME AND ORSON WELLES (2008): Me and Richard Linklater

LOVE IS IN THE WATER (2023)

SUBURBIA (1996)

HIT MAN (2024): I think it’s time to have a serious conversation about Richard Linklater as one of the greatest living filmmakers.

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE (2019): Glendale gets a shout-out early on, so how can I NOT give this movie a 10/10?

The Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival has announced that Alexander Payne will serve as Jury President for the International Competition.

Alexander Payne has directed eight feature films, which have been nominated for a total of 24 Academy Awards. Alexander Payne’s credits include THE HOLDOVERS, THE DESCENDANTS, SIDEWAYS, among other films. SIDEWAYS, which won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, prominently features Armenian characters in the film.

The jury also includes film critic Peter Scarlet; cinematographer, editor, and director Alexandria Bombach; cultural manager Jaime Martin Noguera; and author Krikor Beledian.

The Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival is scheduled to be held from July 7 until July 14 in Yerevan, Armenia.

American Cinematheque and Armenian Film Society’s screening of MENACE II SOCIETY on June 4, 2024 at the Egyptian Theatre, followed by a Q&A with director Allen Hughes, moderated by Nelson George.

Presented in 35mm as part of Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair - Year 3.

📸: Jules Forde for at Egyptian Theatre

This is everything I watched for the week of June 3, 2024.

CITIZEN RUTH (1996) Is this Alexander Payne’s CITIZEN KANE?

MENACE II SOCIETY (1993)*: American Cinematheque x Armenian Film Society. Q&A with Allen Hughes.

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2007)*: I hope it’s not another 14 years before I get to see this on the big screen again.

UNFROSTED (2024): This starts off very funny, but then veers off into something bizarre.

IRMA VEP (1996): It’s an anagram!

We are now accepting submissions from filmmakers for the 2024 Armenian Film Festival, scheduled from September 4-8 at LOOK Cinemas in Glendale, California.

The inaugural Armenian Film Festival held in 2023 drew in over 1,500 attendees from all over the world, including Armenia, China, and the Netherlands, over the course of five days of sold-out screenings.

Link in bio.

Boston, New York, and Los Angeles!

Get your tickets now for the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra in your cities.

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra will perform the music of legendary Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian at three of the most prestigious concert halls in the United States. Aram Khachaturian was a legendary Armenian composer who composed 25 film scores, and whose work can also be heard in Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed film, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

Wednesday, June 26
Symphony Hall, Boston

Thursday, June 27
Carnegie Hall, New York

Saturday, June 29
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

Armenian Film Society is a community partner for the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra’s 2024 United States Concert Tour.

https://us.armsymphony.am/regular-tickets/

This is everything I watched for the week of May 27, 2024.

HOLLYWOOD HEIST (2024)

ABOUT SCHMIDT (2002): This, along with CITIZEN RUTH, are the only Alexander Payne films I had never seen. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t think I’d love this as much as I did, even though I more or less love everything he’s ever done. This is probably Alexander Payne’s most emotional film, and we’re just not talking about it enough.

PATIENTS (2016): I watched this to get a sense of Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir’s work, the directing duo who directed MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR.

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999): I could’ve sworn I’d seen this but Letterboxd says I haven’t, so I guess I hadn’t.

Armenian Film Society is excited to announce its community partnership with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra for its 2024 United States Concert Tour.

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra will embark on its debut tour in the United States in June with performances at three of the most prestigious concert halls, including Symphony Hall in Boston, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

The orchestra will perform the music of legendary Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian under the direction of Sergey Smbatyan, the Founding Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. The concert will feature Aram Khachaturian’s renowned Violin Concerto, performed by the acclaimed virtuoso Sergey Khachatryan, along with “Spartacus” and other iconic masterpieces.

https://us.armsymphony.am/regular-tickets/

See Allen Hughes in-person!

Allen Hughes is one-half of the Hughes Brothers, who were born in Detroit to an African-American father and an Armenian-American mother. The brothers moved to Pomona, California with their mother, Aida, when they were nine. Aida raised her sons by herself as she collected welfare checks, all the while being supportive of her sons’ ambitions as filmmakers, buying them a video camera when they were 12. Allen Hughes’ credits include DEAD PRESIDENTS, AMERICAN PIMP, FROM HELL, THE BOOK OF ELI, BROKEN CITY, THE DEFIANT ONES, and DEAR MAMA.

In an interview with VANITY FAIR in 2010, when asked if the brothers go to church, Allen Hughes commented: “We went to church. We were born Christians, initially. Armenia is a Christian nation surrounded by Muslims. In fact, we’re Persian Armenians. My mother’s family’s from Tehran and Iran, and Armenians are the only Christians in Iran. Or as the whites say, ‘Eye-ran.’”

Armenian Film Society and American Cinematheque () present a screening of MENACE II SOCIETY on June 4 at the Egyptian Theatre, followed by a Q&A with director Allen Hughes.

📆: Tuesday, June 4
🕦: 7:30pm
📍: Egyptian Theatre
🎟️: $15

In 35mm, courtesy of Park Circus.

Link in bio.

See THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD on the big screen, as part of Armenian Film Society’s Movies We Love series.

📆: Wednesday, June 5
🕦: 6:45pm
📍: LOOK Cinemas in Glendale
🎟️: $6.50

Robert Ford, who has idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the resurgent gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader. The film is written and directed by Andrew Dominik, and stars Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell.

2007, 160 minutes, DCP

Why THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD? There simply isn’t a movie like this one. This picture was released in 2007. I didn’t get to see it in theaters and had to wait until January 2010 when the film was shown at the Billy Wilder Theater. Now, I’m grateful to be in a position to put it on the big screen myself. Come see one of my absolute favorite movies, and the movie I am most excited to watch on the big screen.

Movies We Love is a monthly screening series in partnership with LOOK Cinemas, curated by Armenian Film Society, where we showcase some of our favorite movies on the big screen.

https://www.lookcinemas.com/movie/1001/42407

Armenian Film Society’s Armenian Film Festival returns September 4-8, 2024 at LOOK Cinemas in Glendale, California.

The inaugural Armenian Film Festival held in 2023 drew in over 1,500 attendees from all over the world, including Armenia, China, and the Netherlands, over the course of five days of sold-out screenings.

We can’t wait to welcome you back!

Film submissions now open.

https://filmfreeway.com/armenianfilmfestival

This is everything I watched for the week of May 20, 2024.

BABY REINDEER (5 episodes): I am the demographic for Donny’s stand-up.

PRINCE OF BROADWAY (2008): This was a Sean Baker blindspot for me, but it looks like Karren Karagulian has always been a deeply fascinating actor who brings so much depth to the screen as soon as he enters frame. The most French New Wave-esque film Sean Baker has ever made. The man really carved out his own path and scooped up a Palme d’Or on the way. Legendary.

Sean Baker’s ANORA, which stars Armenian actors Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan, has won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Karren Karagulian is a regular in Sean Baker’s films, having starred in all of the director’s films. In his speech, Sean Baker called the actor his “lucky charm” due to their collaboration spanning over 20 years.

The Palme d’Or is the most prestigious prize of the film festival— and arguably the most prestigious prize in all of cinema. The film is also the first American film to win the Palme d’Or since Terrence Malick’s THE TREE OF LIFE in 2011. In previous years, winners of the Palme d’Or have gone on to have notable success at the Academy Awards. Last year’s Palme d’Or winner ANATOMY OF A FALL received 5 Oscar nominations, including for Best Director and Best Picture, and won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

See THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD on the big screen, as part of Armenian Film Society’s Movies We Love series.

📆: Wednesday, June 5
🕦: 6:45pm
📍: LOOK Cinemas in Glendale
🎟️: $6.50

Robert Ford, who has idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the resurgent gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader. The film is written and directed by Andrew Dominik, and stars Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell.

2007, 160 minutes, DCP

Why THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD? There simply isn't a movie like this one. This picture was released in 2007. I didn't get to see it in theaters and had to wait until January 2010 when the film was shown at the Billy Wilder Theater. Now, I'm grateful to be in a position to put it on the big screen myself. Come see one of my absolute favorite movies, and the movie I am most excited to watch on the big screen.

Movies We Love is a monthly screening series in partnership with LOOK Cinemas, curated by Armenian Film Society, where we showcase some of our favorite movies on the big screen.

https://www.lookcinemas.com/movie/1001/42407

Join Armenian Film Society and American Cinematheque on Tuesday, June 4 at the Egyptian Theatre for a screening of MENACE II SOCIETY, followed by a Q&A with director Allen Hughes, moderated by author Nelson George. Presented as part of American Cinematheque’s Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair - Year 3.

📆: Tuesday, June 4
🕦: 7:30pm
📍: Egyptian Theatre
🎟️: $15

MENACE II SOCIETY is directed by the Hughes Brothers. The film is set in the Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and follows the life of Caine Lawson (Tyrin Turner), who attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

The Hughes Brothers were born in Detroit to an African-American father and an Armenian-American mother, and moved to Pomona, California with their mother, Aida, when they were nine. Aida raised her sons by herself as she collected welfare checks, all the while being supportive of her sons’ ambitions as filmmakers, buying them a video camera when they were 12. Allen Hughes’ credits include DEAD PRESIDENTS, AMERICAN PIMP, FROM HELL, THE BOOK OF ELI, BROKEN CITY, THE DEFIANT ONES, and DEAR MAMA.

American Cinematheque’s Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair - Year 3 is a weeklong festival that spotlights some of the greatest films from around the world that explore the darkest sides of humanity, as well as some of the bleakest points in human history. This year’s program includes 43 films, from 18 countries, archival prints, premieres of restorations, and in-person guests. Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair - Year 3 runs from June 1 until June 7, 2024.

In 35mm, courtesy of Park Circus.

https://www.americancinematheque.com/now-showing/menace-ii-society-6-4-24

Sean Baker’s ANORA, which stars Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan, premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival and received a seven and a half minute standing ovation.

Karren Karagulian, who is a regular in Sean Baker’s films, plays Toros, while Vache Tovmasyan plays Garnick. The film is being described as an “outrageous s*x worker dramedy” in which Mikey Madison gives an “all-time performance that pivots into UNCUT GEMS territory.

Indiewire calls Karren Karagulian “a dead ringer for Robert De Niro whose anxious presence helps to enhance the movie’s 35mm New Hollywood Cinema energy.”

Learn more about the short films we're screening at the Chinese Theatre in partnership with HollyShorts. The series be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and a networking mixer in the lobby of the theater.

📆: Wednesday, May 22
🕦: 7pm
📍: TCL Chinese Theatre
🎟️: $20

NOWHERE: Directed by Garin Hovannisian. In the city of Nowhere, shadows dream of a life without their human masters. NOWHERE won Best of Fest at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival.

BACK TO ASHTARAK: Directed by Tigran Nersisian. In BACK TO ASHTARAK, a man returns to his hometown to relive the happiest moments of his childhood.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE...: Directed by Ophelia Harutyunyan. The film centers on Mariam, who lives in an Armenian village where there are no men. On her birthday, her hopes of a reunited family are shattered, but she must put aside her own crushed dreams and help her friend Anush as she embarks into motherhood. IT TAKES A VILLAGE... won Best International Film at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival. Ophelia Harutyunyan is a producer of the upcoming documentary on THE SOPRANOS.

ECHOES OF KEF TIME: Directed by Avo John Kambourian. The documentary centers on Kef Time, a once popular genre of Armenian-American folk music, which had captivated the souls of its community from the 1970s to the 1990s. In this nostalgic intergenerational saga, a family and a community search for meaning and identity against the difficult cultural landscape of 21st century America, in an attempt to carve out a memory of permanence in the middle of transient history.

Sponsored by and .

https://filmfreeway.com/HollyShortsMonthlyScreenings/tickets

This is everything I watched for the week of May 13, 2024.

RIPLEY (6 episodes): Is this the greatest piece of television ever made?

BABY REINDEER (2 episodes)

THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT (2024)

MY SWEET LAND (2024)

A STORY OF PEOPLE IN WAR AND PEACE (2007)

AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973): Categorize this in the vein of movies like DAZED AND CONFUSED and DINER. In other words, a category of movies I love.

THE BLACK GARDEN (2024)

LE MEMOIRE DANS LES VEINES (2024)

PURPLE NOON (1960): I think I’m going to go through the various adaptations of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. This French version (directed by René Clément, who directed one of my all-time favorite films) has some great parts, all of which include Mr. Alain Delon.

Did you know legendary French New Wave filmmaker François Truffaut once called A.I. Bezzerides the greatest of all film noir writers?

Armenian Film Society and the American Cinematheque have been co-presenting the “Written by A.I.” series, featuring the works of Armenian-Greek screenwriter A. I. Bezzerides. The series kicked off on Saturday, April 20 and concludes this Sunday, May 19 with a screening of ON DANGEROUS GROUND at 1pm with an introdcutuion Fay Efrosini Lellios, director of the documentary, THE LONG HAUL OF A.I. BEZZERIDES.

Albert Isaac “Buzz” Bezzerides was born to a Greek father (Bondos Azarias Bezzerides) and an Armenian mother (Noorahn/Ourania Kaladjian). Their family escaped Turkey and emigrated to Fresno, California, where A.I. Bezzerides began writing stories inspired and encouraged by William Saroyan’s success in the 1930s. In his writings, he presented himself as Armenian and inserted elements of his Armenian ethnicity. In his later years, he expressed his strong emotional ties to the Armenian side of his family and the Armenian community of Fresno in his later years.

A.I. Bezzerides wrote films for directors such as Nicholas Ray, Raoul Walsh, and Robert Aldrich, and for stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Burt Lancaster, and Lizabeth Scott.

Link in bio.

We're partnering with one of the most prestigious film festivals, HollyShorts, to bring select Armenian short films to one of the biggest screens in the world. Support Armenian films and filmmakers at the historic Chinese Theatre.

📆: Wednesday, May 22
🕦: 7pm
📍: TCL Chinese Theatre
🎟️: $20. Limited free tickets available with the code HSMSAFS2024.

The series will include the following short films, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and a networking mixer in the lobby of the theater.

NOWHERE (Garin Hovannisian)
BACK TO ASHTARAK (Tigran Nersisian)
CARNIVORE (Michael Aloyan)
IT TAKES A VILLAGE... (Ophelia Harutyunyan)
ECHOES OF KEF TIME (Avo John Kambourian)

Sponsored by Zoe Kevork and .

https://filmfreeway.com/HollyShortsMonthlyScreenings/tickets

Join Armenian Film Society and American Cinematheque on Sunday, May 19 at the Los Feliz Theatre for a screening of ON DANGEROUS GROUND and the conclusion of our “Written by A.I.” series, featuring the works of Armenian-Greek screenwriter A. I. Bezzerides.

📆: Sunday, May 19
🕦: 1pm
📍: Los Feliz Theatre
🎟️: $13

Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan) is a New York police detective on the edge— hardened and embittered by his years of dealing with the lowest forms of criminal the city has to offer, he becomes increasingly violent with suspects. For his own good, his police captain (Ed Begley) assigns him to a murder investigation in the countryside for a change of scenery, and while searching for the killer, he meets the suspect’s sister, Mary Malden (Ida Lupino), a blind woman who might turn his life around.

“Written by A.I.” runs from April 20 until May 19 and features screenings of films such as KISS ME DEADLY (April 20), THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (April 21), DESERT FURY (May 8), SIROCCO (May 9), and ON DANGEROUS GROUND (May 19).

https://www.americancinematheque.com/now-showing/on-dangerous-ground-4-19-24/

This is everything I watched for the week of May 6, 2024.

This was a slow week but that’s only because you’ve gotten used to me watching 10 movies a week.

RIPLEY (1 episode)

DESERT FURY (1947)

ALL GOOD THINGS (2010): Netflix has been pushing this on me for years, and it’s exactly the type of movie you think it is. Overall, it’s incredibly uneven, but it’s worth watching for Ryan Gosling, who is an absolute dork in this.

Join Armenian Film Society and HollyShorts on Wednesday, May 22 at the TCL Chinese Theatre for a series of Armenian short films.

📆: Wednesday, May 22
🕦: 7pm
📍: TCL Chinese Theatre
🎟️: $20. Limited free tickets available with the code HSMSAFS2024.

Founded in 2005, HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual Oscar-qualifying independent short film festival located in Hollywood, California, and one of the most prestigious film festivals of its kind. The yearly festival features an eclectic mixture of short films of various genres from around the world. HollyShorts also hosts monthly screenings.

The series will include the following short films, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and a networking mixer in the lobby of the theater.

NOWHERE (Garin Hovannisian)
BACK TO ASHTARAK (Tigran Nersisian)
CARNIVORE (Michael Aloyan)
IT TAKES A VILLAGE... (Ophelia Harutyunyan)
ECHOES OF KEF TIME (Avo John Kambourian)

Sponsored by Zoe Kevork and Kevork Law.

The European Film Academy has added a record 709 new members for 2024, including director Jivan Avetisyan (Armenia), director, choreographer, writer, and performer Kosta Karakashyan (Bulgaria), and producer Hasmik Avetisyan (Germany). The membership list also includes Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett.

The European Film Academy seeks to support and connect its 4,000+ members and celebrates and promotes their work. The group honors films and filmmakers each year with the European Film Awards.

Andy Serkis is set to direct and star in LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM, which will focus on Andy Serkis’ Gollum.

The project, which is currently in the early stages of script development, is said to “explore storylines yet to be told.” Peter Jackson will produce and “will be involved every step of the way.”

The original set of three films grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and were nominated for 30 Academy Awards, winning 17, including Best Picture for 2003’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING. Peter Jackson’s follow-up trilogy, THE HOBBIT, also grossed nearly $3 billion.

Andy Serkis’ ancestors’ original last name was “Sarkisian.” Andy Serkis’ father Clement Serkis, was an Iraqi-Armenian gynaecologist., who worked in the Middle East.

Sareen Hairabedian’s Artsakh documentary, MY SWEET LAND, will world premiere at Sheffield DocFest.

Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s biggest documentary film festival and the third largest documentary film festival in the world.

MY SWEET LAND is a coming-of-age story set against a multigenerational war in the post-Soviet Caucasus Mountains, and follows an 11-year-old boy named Vrej, growing up in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) who dreams of becoming a dentist in his picture-postcard village with its roaming ducks and golden bees. Vrej’s life takes a sudden turn when war erupts, forcing him to flee with his family, and learn the rules of war. The film is a testament to the people of Artsakh, where hope and trauma had shaped their resilience across generations.

Sareen Hairabedian is an Armenian-Jordanian documentary filmmaker based in the United States. WE ARE NOT DONE YET, her directorial debut, was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the IDA Awards in 2018. MY SWEET LAND is her debut feature-length documentary.

Sheffield DocFest is scheduled to take place from June 12 until June 17.

Join Armenian Film Society and American Cinematheque on Thursday, May 9 at the Los Feliz Theatre for a screening of SIROCCO, as part of our “Written by A.I.” series. featuring the works of Armenian-Greek screenwriter A. I. Bezzerides.

📆: Thursday, May 9
🕦: 7pm
📍: Los Feliz Theatre
🎟️: $13

SIROCCO is an action-packed thriller starring Humphrey Bogart and Lee J. Cobb. The film centers on a cynical American expatriate who gets involved in smuggling and gun-running for the rebels during the 1925 Syrian insurgency against the French occupation.

“Written by A.I.” runs from April 20 until May 19 and features screenings of films such as KISS ME DEADLY (April 20), THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (April 21), DESERT FURY (May 8), SIROCCO (May 9), and ON DANGEROUS GROUND (May 19).

Link in bio.

Lauren Chooljian, along with Alison Macadam, Jason Moon, Daniel Barrick, and Katie Colaneri of New Hampshire Public Radio, has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting for THE 13TH STEP.

The 13th Step is an investigative series that explores the addiction treatment industry and its massive failings in a manner that respects survivors and avoids sensationalist tropes. The name of the podcast is a term that is used in addiction-recovery communities and refers to a person who engages in s*xually predatory behavior toward someone who is less than a year sober. Lauren Chooljian hosts the series and speaks to survivors, former patients, prosecutors, and friends to unpack movements like and the cult-like community of Alcoholics Anonymous. The nomination was the first in New Hampshire Public Radio’s 42-year history.

Lauren Chooljian is a senior reporter and producer for New Hampshire Public Radio’s Document, a narrative-driven, longform reporting project. In her career, she has appeared on NPR, CNN, C-SPAN, MSNBC, and in The Washington Post.