11/12/2025
Armenia’s winter spirit will come to life on POM’s Gala big screen
'A Winter’s Song' to premiere as the Pomegranate Film Festival’s 2025 Gala film; Toronto's Sisian Boghossian among film’s producers
TORONTOHYE—When the auditorium lights dim at the Hamazkayin Theatre on the evening of Nov. 15, the Pomegranate Film Festival (POM) will unveil its most anticipated moment of the year. The POM Gala presentation has become a cherished tradition for the Canadian Armenian community, a night when film is not only watched but celebrated as a shared cultural experience. This year, the honour belongs to "A Winter's Song," a heartfelt new feature filmed in Armenia. The movie will make its Canadian premiere at POM 2025, marking a milestone for the festival and for one of Toronto's own, associate producer Sisian Boghossian, who helped bring the project from idea to screen.
Running this year from Nov. 10 to 16, the Pomegranate Film Festival has grown into a signature event on Toronto's Armenian cultural calendar. Established in 2006 by the Klatsor chapter of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, it set out to create a platform where Armenian filmmaking, identity, and global perspectives could meet in one place. Over the years, POM has matured into a festival that draws submissions, directors, actors, and audiences from around the world, while maintaining a close-knit community atmosphere that makes it distinct. The Gala film, in particular, is seen as the festival's centrepiece, a unifying moment that often reflects where Armenian cinema and storytelling are headed. Choosing "A Winter's Song" for this slot signals a desire to spotlight Armenia, and to do so through a genre that embraces joy, warmth, and inclusivity.
The film follows Liana (Krista Marina), a struggling musician who travels to her father's homeland to find inspiration before an important career deadline. Surrounded by the music, cuisine, winter landscapes, and layered cultural rhythms of Armenia, she embarks on a journey that reshapes her relationships with family, identity, and love. Directed, written, and produced by Angela Asatrian, the film stars Krista Marina, Edgar Damatian, Jessie Bedrossian, Judah McFadden, Kev Orkian, Lily Vardan, and others, with original music by Arman Aloyan and cinematography by Miko Malkhasyan ACG. It is a feel-good holiday romance that seeks to show Armenia in a new light, offering a story that is uplifting without being simplistic, and rooted in culture without being weighed down by exposition.
For Boghossian, who was born in Iran and moved to Toronto at age 12, the project reflects something she long hoped to see on screen. Before entering the world of film, she completed an MBA with a specialization in marketing and organizational behaviour and spent much of her professional life in the consumer electronics industry in product management and marketing roles.
In 2019, she left her corporate career and volunteered in Armenia through Birthright Armenia - Դեպի Հայք, and eventually moved there in 2021 as an iGorts fellow. She was later appointed as Chair of Armenia's Tourism Committee, where she worked to refine the country's identity for international audiences. That experience shaped the way she viewed the role of narrative, imagery, and emotion in shaping how the world comes to know Armenia.
Her involvement with "A Winter's Song" began when she met director Angela Asatrian through mutual friends in Armenia. "Angela, known for her documentary work, including The Armenian Spirit, a film about the 2020 Artsakh War, shared her long-standing dream of shooting a feature in Armenia that would showcase the country's beauty in a modern and engaging way," Boghossian recalls.
"I wanted to create a film that captures the magic of Armenia, not just through its breathtaking landscapes, but through its warmth, light, and spirit," Asatrian says. "There's something truly enchanting about Armenia at Christmas: the way the streets glow, the way people come together, the feeling of home that fills the air.” Her hope was that through the film, audiences around the world would fall in love with Armenia the way she had: through its beauty, its people, and its heart.
Boghossian was immediately drawn to the concept. As discussions evolved, Sisian began to see how she could help. She explains that one of the biggest hurdles was funding and that she used her connections in Armenia's tourism and hospitality world to help secure partnerships as part of a broader collaborative effort.
"Angela and her team, including the executive producers and Strobia Foundation, did an amazing job fundraising and securing the core support for the film. I came in to help open a few additional doors. We met with a few big brands in Armenia to see if we could get support for the film," she says. Eventually, they had contracts in place with Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan, a few wineries, and ARARAT Brandy Company, among others. "At first, I just wanted to help a friend because I loved and believed in the project. But over time, it became a real commitment. My involvement grew into a more structured role as an associate producer."
The film was shot over twenty days in Armenia, and Boghossian spent nearly every day on set. She describes a hands-on environment where everyone took on multiple roles to keep the project moving. "I helped with everything from location scouting to script adjustments to problem-solving." The production relied on a local crew and took place before Armenia's new tax rebate law for filmmakers, which has since generated increased interest in the country as a shooting location. In that sense, the film stands at the beginning of a larger cinematic moment, not in response to it.
For Armenian cinema more broadly, this is an important time. New policies, growing technical talent, and a rise in diaspora co-productions have created momentum. At the same time, audiences around the world have become more open to international stories. In this environment, a warm, seasonal film with universal appeal can become a sort of cultural ambassador, offering viewers a different entry point into the Armenian world.
The Pomegranate Film Festival gives that mission a meaningful stage. Toronto's Armenian community has embraced film as a way to see itself reflected, challenged, and connected, and POM has played a unique role in that evolution. Its programming blends diaspora voices with filmmakers working in Armenia and beyond, creating a shared cinematic vocabulary that feels both global and local. "For nearly two decades, POM has been a proud platform for Armenian filmmaking, and we have been lucky to witness the development and growth of Armenian storytelling," says festival co-chair Araz Hasserjian. "We are honoured to be able to showcase such new and exciting films and hope to do so for generations to come."
Hosting "A Winter's Song" as the Gala selection underscores that Armenia's stories can be emotional, commercial, and joyful, not only dramatic or heavy. "It has been clear to us for many years that our audiences crave films that go beyond the 'typical' narratives. While we are molded by our past, it is so much more that defines us as Armenians. This year's POM lineup offers an array of genres, including a record 11 feature comedies. "A Winter's Song" is a beautiful, heartfelt story, and it promises to leave the audience smiling as they leave the theatre, feeling rejuvenated in spirit - it was an ideal choice as the 2025 POM Gala presentation."
Director Angela Asatrian and lead Krista Marina will be in town for the POM Gala. Asatrian will introduce the film and share insights from the production, while Marina will offer a short live musical performance.
Following its Toronto premiere, "A Winter's Song" will continue to travel quickly. The U.S. red carpet will take place on Nov. 24 at the Warner Bros. Historic Theater in Los Angeles, followed by the Armenia premiere on Dec. 4 at the Moscow Theatre in Yerevan. On Nov. 30, the film will begin streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime through Wonder Project, and discussions are underway for community screenings in other Armenian centres as well as global theatrical releases and streaming platforms.
For Boghossian, there is particular anticipation for the Toronto audience. "I grew up in Toronto. That community shaped me. So having this film premiere at POM, especially as the Gala selection, is very special," she says. "I hope people leave the theatre smiling, and that it brings them a little closer to Armenia during the holiday season."
When the credits roll on gala night, viewers will have experienced a story of music, discovery, and belonging, wrapped in the glow of an Armenian winter. It is fitting that Toronto, with its strong-knit community and its love of arts and culture, will be the first place to welcome "A Winter's Song" on the big screen in Canada. ֎
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This piece was published in Torontohye's Nov. 2025 ( #219) issue.
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