Céline Roustan
Music therapy is a common practice with proven effectiveness. Armenian sisters Anna and Anahit Mkhitaryan combined it with cultural heritage by creating the Tshakhruk Ethnoband through their Tshakhruk Cultural NGO. This band, composed of musicians with special needs, celebrates Armenian folk music and performs on ancient traditional instruments. With The Falcons, filmmaker Taniel Kilajian takes us inside the Kharberd Specialized Children’s Home, offering a rare glimpse into their rehearsal process.
“The Tshakhruk Ethnoband and their art helped me find a way to express myself and reconnect with Armenia”
“Meeting the Tshakhruk Ethnoband (The Falcons) inspired me to make this film,” Kilajian confessed. While traveling through Armenia, his motherland, he felt a “deep yearning to make a film there,” he explained. He added, “The Tshakhruk Ethnoband and their art helped me find a way to express myself and reconnect with Armenia.” That deep bond with the country and its culture is palpable on screen, and the film celebrates it – which, given the historical context, feels all the more powerful.
What struck him most when he visited the orphanage was both the music and the overall energy. “There’s a hope and a joy in the music room that was infectious,” he recounts. Wanting to capture that love for music and the affectionate dynamic between all the participants, he chose an observational approach for his film – one that could preserve this unique atmosphere and carry it far beyond the highlands of Armenia. Watching the film feels truly special, as we witness these artists in the intimacy of their creative process.
“Our goal in making this film was to help The Falcons share their art outside the orphanage and with the rest of the world.” – Kilajian discussing the motivation behind his film
Kilajian readily admits he carried preconceived notions when he first stepped into the orphanage, but was soon surprised by The Falcons. “I quickly learned that those preconceptions had much more to do with me than with them, and that pity is condescending and distancing,” he reflects. The film does not dwell on the participants’ special needs; instead, it highlights their musical talent and the ensemble’s dynamic as a whole. To capture that authenticity, the film was shot over five weeks, allowing Kilajian time to build rapport with the musicians, help them feel comfortable with the camera, and gain a deeper understanding of both their personal relationships and their identities as individual artists within the group.
The Falcons is a film that radiates love on so many levels – for Armenian culture, for the music ensemble and their creative process, and for the two women leading the initiative, whose work sets the tone not only for the program but for the film itself. Having made its way around the festival circuit, with notable stops at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, we’re excited to host the online release of The Falcons on Short of the Week. If you enjoy the film, you’ll be happy to hear that Kilajian is already developing a new short documentary, which he hopes to shoot in Armenia over the summer of 2026.