Amerikatsi () is a 2022 Armenian comedy-drama film written, edited, directed by, and starring Michael A. Goorjian. The film is about an Armenian-American who repatriates to the Armenian SSR after World War II and ends up in a Soviet prison.
The film premiered at Woodstock Film Festival in 2022, winning the Best Narrative Feature award. It received positive reviews. Armenian Film Society held an additional premiere for the film at its 2023 Armenian Film Festival in Glendale, California. It was also selected as the Armenian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
Synopsis Armenian-American repatriate Charlie Bakhchinyan is arrested for the absurd crime of wearing a tie in Soviet Armenia. Alone in solitary confinement, he soon discovers that he can see inside of an apartment building near the prison from his cell window. By watching the native Armenian couple living in the apartment, day in and day out, Charlie soon discovers everything he returned to Armenia for.
Amerikatsi is about hope and the art of survival in the worst of conditions.
Cast Michael A. Goorjian as Charlie Bakhchinyan Hovik Keuchkerian as Tigran Nelli Uvarova as Sona Mikhail Trukin as Dmitry Narine Grigoryan as Ruzan Jean-Pierre Nshanian as Warden Sargisyan
Reception Amerikatsi won the Best Narrative Feature award at the Woodstock Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Hamburg Film Festival, and the Best Narrative Feature at the Beloit International Film Festival.
It holds a 89% "Fresh" rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. Alan Ng of Film Threat, who gave the film a positive score for example, argued that the story brings "humor and levity to a solemn subject." Film critic Richard Propes says Amerikatsi is a "film of tremendous spirit and hope."
Variety called it “gentle, humane and quietly gripping,” noting the film’s warmth and Goorjian’s nuanced portrayal. ScreenDaily praised its balance of humor and political history, describing it as “an affecting and unexpectedly uplifting story.” The Armenian outlet CivilNet noted the film’s cultural resonance and authenticity, especially in its depiction of diaspora identity and all-Armenian production.
Accolades + Awards and nominations received by Amerikatsi Year Award / Festival Category Recipient Result Ref 2022 Pomegranate Film Festival Audience Award Amerikatsi Won 2023 Woodstock Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Amerikatsi Won 2023 Hamburg Film Festival Critics' Choice Award (Michel Award nomination noted) Amerikatsi Won 2023 Beloit International Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Amerikatsi Won 2023 Salento International Film Festival Best Actor Michael A. Goorjian Won 2023 International Oriental Film Festival of Geneva (FIFOG) Silver FIFOG Award – Feature Film Competition Amerikatsi Won 2024 Anahit National Film Awards (Armenia) Best Feature Film Amerikatsi Won 2024 Anahit National Film Awards Best Actress Narine Grigoryan Won 2024 Anahit National Film Awards Best Music Andranik Berberyan Won 2024 Anahit National Film Awards Best Production Design Amerikatsi Won
See also List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Armenian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links Amerikatsi at the National Cinema Center of Armenia