GLENDALE, Calif. — In an industry where representation often arrives last and only after long insistence, one Glendale native embraced an old truth: When Hollywood doesn’t offer you a seat at the table, you build your own. Angela Asatrian debut narrative feature, “A Winter’s Song,” is proof that when underrepresented voices create their own paths, the world listens — and, this time, watches.
The holiday romantic comedy follows Liana, a young musician navigating creative burnout who travels to Armenia for the first time to reconnect with her craft. What she finds — in the snow-covered streets of Yerevan, in unexpected friendships, in the pulse of a culture older than empires — is a reminder that the stories we label “specific” often hold the universal threads that bind us.
For Asatrian, the film is more than a love story; it is a love letter to a homeland many know, but few outside the diaspora have truly seen. “The holidays are meant to be spent with family, and what better place than the homeland,” she said. Filled with romance, humor, and cultural texture, the film leans into the idea that we share more humanity than we sometimes recognize — even across borders and languages.
Shot with a predominantly Armenian cast and crew, including producer Annie Dashtoyan, editor and producer Yvette M. Amirian, composer Arman Aloyan, and actor-producer Edgar Damatian, “A Winter’s Song” became as much a community project as a cinematic one. Behind the scenes, the set played like a homecoming, with many team members connected through Glendale’s Armenian diaspora.
“We ended up with a team that was mostly Armenian, and especially filled with incredibly talented Armenian women,” Asatrian said. “It became a beautiful celebration of our community both in Glendale and abroad.”
The film’s cultural ambition is matched by its emotional intent – a storyline about resilience, belonging, and the internal narratives that shape us. She believes everyone can relate to the anxious, self-doubting protagonist; the supportive friend who represents the voice we wish we always had; the reminder that healing often begins with the company we keep.
But building one’s own table comes with challenges. Asatrian credits executive producers and the Strobia Foundation for helping bring the vision to life.
What “A Winter’s Song” ultimately delivers is representation not as a slogan, but as an act of self-definition. The film shows Armenia not through the lens of conflict, but through beauty, humor, love and everyday life. It reflects a people not merely surviving, but thriving — and invites audiences of all backgrounds to participate in a story that feels both culturally rooted and widely relatable.
The film’s distribution deal was inked thanks in part to the work of attorney Arine Harapeti, who negotiated the agreement with Amazon’s Wonder Project App — a crucial step in bringing this Armenian story onto a global platform.
“As an Armenian-American entertainment attorney, it means so much to support fellow Armenians in bringing stories that celebrate our culture and our country to a wider audience,” said Arine Harapeti.
“A Winter’s Song” has already made its rounds across major Armenian film festivals, from the ARPA International Film Festival at the Chinese Theater to the Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto. Its Glendale theatrical run drew a strong community turnout, culminating in a red carpet premiere at Warner Bros. The film becomes available Nov. 30 on the Wonder Project App on Amazon, opening its doors to international audiences just in time for the holidays.
In a season built around gathering, “A Winter’s Song” gathers a diaspora, a community, a culture — and invites the world to the table.
Because when you build your own table, you make room for everyone.
