Our director, Tatevik Ayvazyan sits in conversation with Oksana Mirzoyan, screenwriter, producer and director. The two friends revisit Oksana’s childhood: fleeing her hometown, Baku, at the age of 4, to witnessing Armenia’s earthquake, Russia’s breadlines and discrimination from all sides. Arts, music and culture never ceased to amaze Oksana from a young age, and now after settling in Detroit, she encapsulates her lived experiences subtly, and so beautifully, in her range of incredibly touching films.

You can watch some of Oksana’s films through our website: https://bit.ly/3m5fC4T

The Armenian Institute is a London-based charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a lived experience through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, lectures, exhibits and performances. This year we present Zanazan: an umbrella title covering our upcoming media output, from online publications to podcast series.

Zanazan Sounds is a project that aims to explore shared histories, learn about contemporary Armenian worlds and create new ones. Zanazan (meaning “variety” in Armenian) is also the title of our latest online publication where photo essays, articles and poetry from around the world can be found.

We aim to publish 2-3 episodes a month, taking a different angle each week as we explore our three podcasting strands: Discover, Treasures From The Library and Uncover. You can follow our social media accounts for updates in between episodes.

To get involved with AI you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like to reach out, or to discuss anything you’ve heard in this series, feel free to email us anytime at olivia@armenianinstitute.org.uk

Our music is Shadow by Buddha’s Lounge.