Category Archives: Events
Naples Armenians Host 3rd Annual Basterma Breakfast
The Basterma Boys of Naples, FL; 2017.
By Frank Avakian-Stoneson
FLArmenians Naples Contributor
The Armenian Church of Southwest Florida (ACSWFL) celebrated its third annual STAG Basterma Breakfast on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at the home of Nancy and Sam Kazarian. The sold out breakfast attracted 31 lucky men from our Parish community who feasted on unlimited basterma and eggs, mimosas, and other Armenian delicacies.
Nancy Kazarian, formerly of Racine, Wisconsin, Dolly Matoian from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Alice Boyajian of Palos Heights, Illinois, and Ziba Rezai of Naples, Florida prepared the feast for the hungry gentlemen all morning and afternoon in traditional Armenian style.
The Kazarians and Matoians generously sponsored this event, with all proceeds from admissions donated to the Church. Everyone left for the day asking when the next year’s Basterma Breakfast is to be scheduled, so they can make sure to be in town!
Florida Premier of ‘Earthquake’ to Take Place in Miami on March 2
MIAMI, FL – The Florida premier of ‘Earthquake,’ a drama set in Soviet Armenia about the tragic 1988 earthquake in Gyumri (Leninakan), Armenia will take place at the O Cinema in Miami Beach, Florida on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 7:00pm. This will be the first and only screening of the film in Florida.
Based on a true story, ‘Earthquake’ is a dramatized recreation of one of the Soviet Union’s most devastating natural disasters — a massive 7.0 earthquake that struck northern Armenia in December 1988 — produced by Mars Media in Russia and directed by Sarik Andreasyan. ‘Earthquake’ tells the story of the massive quake that struck Armenia’s second largest city, destroyed more than 300 communities, and killed about 30,000 people.
Focused around the story of two young men, Andrey Berezhnov and Robert Melkonyan, whose fates were already intertwined by an earlier tragedy — a car crash caused by Andrey that killed Robert’s parents — the film brings them together in the same rescue squad of Gyumri (formerly Leninakan) as they struggle to cope with a disaster that eclipses their own personal stories.
Directed by Sarik Andreasyan, the film is in Russian with English subtitles. It was selected by Armenia as an entry for the 89th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
Tickets are $18 (non-refundable and can not be exchanged) and available for purchase online here. The film is only for viewers 16 years+, and not recommended for pregnant women and people suffering from heart disease
You can RSVP on Facebook and connect with other attendees here. For background information on the Gyumri earthquake, watch the ABC News coverage from 1988 below.
Florida Armenians 