'Survive, Remember, Thrive: Armenian Traditions' in Western New York at CAM

Documentary film series screening on Sunday

√ View the documentary preview

“Survive, Remember, Thrive: Armenian Traditions in Western New York” is a documentary video series celebrating local expressions of Armenian culture and heritage. The series is produced by the folk arts program at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University and the Buffalo Documentary Project. 

A short film and five short videos will debut to the public from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at the Russell J. Salvatore Dining Commons on the Niagara University campus. Remarks about the project and a Q&A will take place following the screening. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is required for this event. Visit armenianwnyfilmseries.eventbrite.com to make a reservation.

The project preserves the traditions, memories and stories of the local Armenian community through a short film and video series highlighting local churches, oral history and family narratives, food traditions, family-owned businesses, artistic crafts and music. Documentation of local festivals and participants continues through the end of 2022, culminating with a final full release of an 11-episode series in spring 2023.

CAM stated, “In the early and mid-twentieth century, Niagara Falls, New York, and the Niagara Region in Canada became home to many resettled genocide survivors. The Armenian Genocide of 1915 resulted in a massive displacement of Armenian survivors and the formation of a significant diaspora refugee community throughout the world, including one that formed in Western New York. While families settled throughout the Buffalo-Niagara metropolitan area, the East Falls Street neighborhood in the City of Niagara Falls became the major hub for the local Armenian community in the 20th century.”

The Castellani Art Museum is a major resource for the visual arts in Niagara County. The CAM's permanent collection includes over 5,000 pieces of modern and contemporary art, Niagara Falls art, and regional folk arts.