Press Release

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For Immediate Release

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Media Contact: 

communications@thebluntpost.com

'Motherland' Releases First Official Trailer, While The Paros Foundation's Peter Abajian Is The Newest Members Of One of 2022's Most Anticipated New Documentary Films

The First Official trailer For 'Motherland,' The Film That HuffPost's Thom Senzee Called 'Most Anticipated Documentary Of 2022,' Gets Released

Peter Abajian is now on board with Motherland's select group of filmmakers and human rights leaders that includes Mark Geragos, Sam Kbushyan, Dr. Nishan Odabashian, Lilit Dolkarian Odabashian, Judy Saryan, Oshin Harootoonian, Jacob Bournazian, and Professor John Dennem

LOS ANGELES—Renowned leader in the Armenian American community, Peter Abajian has teamed up with the acclaimed producers of Motherland, a much-anticipated, feature-length documentary film that's expected to blow the lid off Azerbaijan's concerted campaign of violence, deception, and burgeoning genocide against the Armenian civilians of Artsakh.

In addition to his new role as a development producer, Peter Abajian is the executive director of The Paros Foundation. Abajian is supporting the production of filmmaker-journalist and Los Angeles-based national radio host Vic Gerami's penetrating investigation into the global community's impotent response to war crimes being committed on a daily basis by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's military as enabled and augmented by a cadre of regional allies led by Turkish forces under the control of Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

'I care passionately about the future of Armenia, and I take great pride in contributing to its development. During the 2020 War, using whatever resources we could muster, we tried to spread the word and engage the world community to engage and assist our brothers and sisters in Artsakh against the Azeris and their corrupt regime,' said Abajian.

Abajian has worked in the Armenian American community for almost 30 years. He worked with the Armenian Assembly from 1995-to 2006. During this time, Abajian worked with both the Armenian community and the U.S. Congress to promote a stronger U.S. – Armenia relationship while simultaneously working on expanding the Assembly's membership and financial support. Nationally, he spearheaded efforts to raise new sources of revenue, organizing several successful national events and serving as one of the organization's chief spokespeople. In 2006, Abajian and his family moved to Armenia and formally launched and led the Paros Foundation. He and his wife, Houry, are proud parents of identical twin daughters. 

'It means a great deal to have someone of Peter's caliber join our team. I've admired his work and The Paros Foundation for many years, so this is a tremendous honor,' said Vic Gerami. 

According to Motherland's producers, front-and-center and even more compelling than the film's list of high-profile supporters, participants, and willing interviewees – among them Congressman Adam Schiff (D–California), Sen. Bob Mendez (D–New Jersey), and Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-New Jersey)– the real attraction that draws to it passionate support is the desperate need for sunlight to reveal the scale and the savagery of murders being committed in Artsakh by oil- and gas-wealthy Azerbaijan, as well as ever-present Turkey and both countries' regional and strategic allies. 

'Motherland tells the story that needs to be told, and I am proud to be a part of it,' Abajian added.

A Southern California 'Who's Who' List of Filmmakers Goes National with New Producers

Adding national visibility, Peter Abajian is now in league with the renowned criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, California State Commissioner Sam Kbushyan, Dr. Nishan Odabashian, Lilit Dolkarian Odabashian, Judy Saryan, Dr. Armen Vartany, Oshin Harootoonian, Jacob Bournazian, and Professor John Dennem as Motherland producers.  

Previously, Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell, who secured a symbolically important grant from the City of Los Angeles for the film, congratulated Gerami, Geragos, and Motherland's entire production team on recruiting Commissioner Kbushyan.

"With the addition of Sam, this team continues to impress,' said Councilman O'Farrell. 'This film will help give much-needed attention to the injustices in Artsakh."

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About 'Motherland'

Produced and directed by Los Angeles-based Armenian American journalist and activist Vic Gerami, 'Motherland' is a new feature-length documentary film about the genocidal assault and the violent ethnic cleansing that was unleashed on September 27, 2020, by Azerbaijan and Turkey. The 90-minute documentary film focuses unwavering attention on the coordinated, systematic, and wholly unprovoked genocidal attack and ethnic cleansing against the Armenians of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Gerami is the founder and editor of The Blunt Post and host of the national radio show that focuses on politics titled, THE BLUNT POST with VIC on KPFK 90.7 FM, part of Pacifica Network.

'We are racing against time to bring much-needed attention to this humanitarian catastrophe and the imminent threat it poses to millions of innocent people,' says Gerami.

'Armenian and Artsakh people have a combined population of about three million, but Azerbaijan and Turkey have ninety million,' he continues. 'It's a genuine David versus Goliath nightmare.'

21st Century Armenian Genocide in the Making

'We are trying to prevent another Armenian Genocide,' Gerami explains.

It took 106 years before the United States formally recognized the Armenian Genocide of 1915, which was committed by Ottoman Turks.

On April 24, 2021, President Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to recognize the Armenian genocide officially — and to recommit America to its promise to prevent such an atrocity against humanity from ever occurring again.

Yet tragically, history is repeating itself. Turkey's and Azerbaijan's ongoing genocidal attack and ethnic cleansing against Armenians, as we've witnessed recently in Artsakh, is unrelenting.

Motherland tells the story of this ongoing and tragic chapter of human history as it was recently witnessed in Armenia and surrounding areas when Producer-Director Vic Gerami and his film crew capped a yearlong reporting and advocacy project by taking cameras on riveting location shoots near the scenes of what many are calling war crimes.

New Chapter in Regional Warfare

Azerbaijan, with declared assistance from Turkey, has launched a large-scale offensive against Artsakh. Employing thousands of Turkish-paid jihadist mercenaries airlifted from terrorist camps in Syria, Libya, and Pakistan, Azerbaijan's war effort has been empowered by Erdogan to magnify the violence already being perpetrated by the Azerbaijani Army against innocent children, women, and men who, previously, had lived peacefully for generations in Artsakh.

The 2020 invasion opened a new chapter in the history of regional warfare. The travesty has been marked by unmatched suffering anywhere on the planet today, which Artsakh's civilian population currently endures on a daily basis. For 44 days, the world stood by, largely in silence, as more than 4,000 Armenians were massacred.

Motherland, currently entering post-production, has received broad support from some of America's leading elected officials, including influential United States Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ). A part of Sen. Menendez's interview with Gerami is featured in the Motherland's 'sizzle,' also known as a preview trailer.

In that segment of the film, Sen. Menendez tells Gerami, 'The [Trump] administration turned a blind eye to what was happening.'

Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) granted Gerami an on-camera interview for the film. A part of Rep. Schiff's interview is featured in the sizzle. In it, he explains, 'Turkey's role in importing mercenaries from Syria, and terrorists to join the mayhem demonstrate how Turkey's actions are incompatible with being a NATO ally.'

You can watch Motherland's official trailer here. For more information, please visit the film's website, MotherlandDoc.com. High-resolution photos and headshots can be found here.

Vic Gerami is available for interviews. You can contact him at 310.880.8563 or vic@thebluntpost.com. 

About Peter Abajian 

Peter Abajian has worked in the Armenian American community for almost 30 years. Abajian worked with the Armenian Assembly from 1995-to 2006. During this time, Abajian worked with both the Armenian community and the U.S. Congress to promote a stronger U.S. – Armenia relationship, while simultaneously working on expanding the Assembly's membership and financial support. Nationally, he spearheaded efforts to raise new sources of revenue, organized several successful national events, and served as one of the organization's chief spokespeople. In 2006, Abajian and his family moved to Armenia and formally launched and led the Paros Foundation. He and his wife, Houry, are proud parents of identical twin daughters. The Abajian family lives in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Abajian received his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and took graduate courses in Business and Marketing at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

About The Paros Foundation

Formally launched in 2006, The Paros Foundation is based in Berkeley, California. Paros welcomes the involvement of our friends around the world. We invite organizations and individuals to partner with us and utilize our on-the-ground resources in Armenia to implement valuable projects.

Paros has earned a reputation as the "go-to" organization to oversee project implementation in Armenia. The Foundation works to help build a sustainable and vibrant homeland while improving living conditions for its most vulnerable population. 

To facilitate volunteerism, The Paros Foundation launched its SERVICE Armenia program in 2013. This Armenia-based service program for teens and young adults provides participants an opportunity to travel to and experience all Armenia has to offer while helping make a difference. 

The Paros Foundation has implemented more than $12 million worth of important projects throughout Armenia and Artsakh since its inception. To learn more, please visit ParosFoundation.org.

About Vic Gerami

Vic Gerami is an award-winning journalist, columnist, media commentator, and the host of his prime-time headline news + politics radio program THE BLUNT POST with VIC (TBPV) on Independent + Progressive Radio KPFK 90.7 FM (Pacifica Network). Vic is also the editor + publisher of The Blunt Post. 

Today reaching national and international audiences, Gerami first built a foundation of knowledge and skills by learning the media industry during his years at Frontiers Magazine, followed by positions at L.A. Weekly and Voice Media Group. 

Gerami's radio program, TBPV, covers national, regional, and local headline news, politics, and current events, and Gerami offers analysis and commentary. He also interviews a high-profile member of Congress or other high-profile public figures on each show. His recent guests include Congressman Adam Schiff, Senator Bob Menendez, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Governor Howard Dean, Congresswoman Katie Porter, Congressman Brad Sherman, Congressman Mike Levin, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Judy Chu, LA District Attorney George Gascon, among many others. You can listen to all the interviews here. 

Gerami is also a contributor to some of the most prominent publications in the nation, including Windy City Times, Bay Area Reporter, Armenian Mirror-Spectator, The Advocate, The Immigrant Magazine, GoWeHo, Destination Luxury, OUT Traveler, The Fight, and among others.

Gerami founded the Truth And Accountability League (TAAL), a 501©3 non-profit organization that advocates for Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia. TAAL monitors & addresses Armenophobia, extremism & bigotry around the globe on the level of media, including social media, public policy, academia, and intelligentsia. 

The Wall Street Journal featured Gerami as a "leading gay activist" in its landmark 2008 coverage of opposition to Proposition 8, the ballot measure that for years denied same-sex couples in California the freedom to marry. In addition to his years of volunteer work as a leading advocate for marriage equality, Gerami served as a Planning Committee member for the historic Resist March in 2017. 

In 2015, Gerami was referenced in the landmark Supreme Court civil rights case, Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court held in a 5–4 decision that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Please click here for more information about Vic Gerami.

Instagram: @vicgerami

Facebook: facebook.com/vic.gerami

Twitter: @vicgerami