Family Secret Inspires Douglas Kalagian to Reclaim Armenian Heritage and Honor Step-Grandfather in ‘Peace for Armenia’

Douglas Kalagian’s documentary “Peace for Armenia” weaves together the stories of Christian Armenians living in the United States, Armenia, and Artsakh in the three nerve-racking months leading to the end of the 35-year-long conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Beginning in the U.S., the film examines the context in which Armenian-Americans have maintained their cultural identity following the Ottoman Empire's genocide of their people. Unfortunately, history appears to be repeating, as Azerbaijan blockades 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh from receiving supplies essential to their survival. Against a backdrop of a brewing war, the story is transported to Armenia through the main character, a second-generation Armenian-American who visits his homeland for the first time to connect with his roots and learn about the modern challenges faced by the nation.

About the Director

Douglas Kalagian is an independent filmmaker from Orange County, California. After earning a Bachelor’s in Political Science from UCLA, he served as an educator with the Peace Corps in China from 2013-2014. When he returned to the U.S., he began his career in digital media production and marketing. His curiosity about Armenian identity and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict led him to pursue a Master of Philosophy in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Norway in 2021. This academic journey inspired his independent production of a documentary exploring diaspora, genocide, and conflict, aiming to use storytelling to foster social impact.

The Armenian Report’s interview with Kalagian:

Q: What inspired you to tell the story of Armenian-Americans and their connection to their homeland in “Peace for Armenia”?

Douglas Kalagian: I was initially inspired to tell the story of Armenian-Americans and their connection to the homeland because I was personally seeking answers to my own complex family history and diaspora identity.

My story is complicated and multi-layered, as many family histories are. I carry an Armenian last name because of my Armenian step-grandfather, Charles Kalagian, whom my family believed to be our biological relative for most of our lives. His family had fled the Armenian Genocide from Hadjin, Turkey, to the United States, but Charles was orphaned as a child and lost all cultural and linguistic ties to his Armenian heritage.

It wasn’t until I gave my father a DNA test that we discovered we were not biologically related to Charles. Yet we still carry his surname, Kalagian, because he raised my father as his own.

All my life, I identified as Armenian without having any direct connection to the Armenian community—except through Andre Marcarian, the main character in the film and one of my closest friends from high school.

After learning the truth about my family history, I felt a deep desire to honor my step-grandfather by reclaiming his forgotten culture and learning what it truly means to be Armenian.

This film is ultimately an exploration of two questions: “What does it mean to be Armenian? And what are the Armenian people going through today?”

Q: How did you approach the sensitive subject of the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh while filming?

Douglas Kalagian: I had the privilege of earning a master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Oslo, where I was introduced to the trauma and tragedy that conflict inflicts on people worldwide. I also worked as the national communications manager for a disaster recovery nonprofit called SBP, where I shared the heartbreaking stories of disaster survivors who lost their homes to hurricanes.

With this background, I understood the importance of approaching my subjects with sensitivity and care. Many of them have not only lost friends and family members due to this conflict but have also been separated from their homes and communities. These are among the most painful experiences a person can endure. While capturing emotion is essential for effective storytelling, I always give my subjects the space and time to breathe and feel what they’re feeling. I never want to twist the metaphorical knife to garner a more heightened reaction.

I believe storytellers have a duty to respect and honor their subjects and avoid the trap of re-traumatizing them for the sake of a story.

Q: Can you discuss the significance of cultural identity for Armenian-Americans as depicted in the film?

Douglas Kalagian: In the first part of the film, I explore the unique challenges faced by Armenians living in the diaspora, particularly the psychological impacts of the Armenian genocide and the communal desire to preserve cultural and linguistic traditions. I felt a strong urge to understand how and why Armenians in California have maintained such a deep connection to their cultural traditions and sense of identity while living far from their homeland. Unlike many of my peers from other cultures, who were often taught to abandon their cultural identities to fit into mainstream American society, I noticed that Armenians had managed to avoid excessively diluting their culture and losing their sense of identity. This always amazed me, so I wanted to fully understand it.

Q: What were some challenges you faced while documenting the stories of those living in Armenia and Artsakh?

Douglas Kalagian: A major challenge I faced while documenting the stories in this film was the understandable fear some Armenians have that participating could lead to direct retaliation from Azerbaijan. For example, I met a taxi driver in Yerevan, whose story is not included in the film. He was from Artsakh but had become separated from his family due to the blockade. His wife and children were living in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, and he was unable to reach them. Although I found his story incredibly captivating and powerful, he backed out of the interview on the day of recording. He profusely apologized and shared that he feared that if Azerbaijan discovered his involvement in the film, he would be identified and unable to return home to his family if the blockade were lifted.

I believe this anecdote not only illustrates the intense fear that Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh endure under Azerbaijani oppression but also highlights the incredible bravery of those who chose to participate in the film and share their stories.

Q: How did you choose the main character, and what does his journey represent for the Armenian diaspora?

Douglas Kalagian: This story is carried by the main character, Andre, who is an Armenian-American living in California. I chose him as the main character because he is one of my lifelong best friends, and in my youth and early adulthood, taught me most of what I then knew about Armenian culture and history. Year after year, growing up, I saw how he was emotionally and psychologically impacted by the anniversary of the Armenian genocide. So, when he was ready to embark on his first visit to the homeland to explore his roots, reconnect with his heritage, and process the historical tragedy of the genocide, I knew there was a powerful story to tell.

With nearly 70% of Armenians living outside Armenia, I believe there is a shared desire among diaspora Armenians to make a pilgrimage to the homeland. Armenia is the source of the cultural, religious, and linguistic heritage diaspora Armenians have been taught their whole lives, making it an incredibly special and irreplaceable experience to witness firsthand where they come from. It is as if Armenians in the diaspora and the homeland were biological twins separated at birth, who are finally given the chance to be reunited.

Q: In what ways do you hope the film will resonate with audiences unfamiliar with Armenian history?

Douglas Kalagian: My goal is to show the audience why the Armenian people, culture, and history are worth saving, so they feel compelled to stand up against ongoing persecution. I hope the audience walks away feeling they know who the Armenian people are, more than just the conflicts and hardships they endure. 

Q: In what ways do you hope the film will resonate with audiences unfamiliar with Armenian history?

Douglas Kalagian: My goal is to show the audience why the Armenian people, culture, and history are worth saving, so they feel compelled to stand up against ongoing persecution. I hope the audience walks away feeling they know who the Armenian people are, more than just the conflicts and hardships they endure.  

Q: What role do you believe art and storytelling can play in addressing contemporary issues faced by marginalized communities?

Douglas Kalagian: Just weeks before the October 7th terrorist attack in Israel, Azerbaijan forcibly displaced 120,000 Armenian Christians from their ancestral homelands in Nagorno-Karabakh in a campaign that many view as a continuation of the Armenian Genocide. Sadly, this brutal ethnic cleansing was quickly overshadowed in the media by the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Now, a little over a year later, Azerbaijan is hosting COP29, using the global stage to greenwash its image within the international community.

I believe art and storytelling can, in a way, rewind the clock to highlight injustices that have been overlooked in the ever-changing tide of the news cycle. To me, documentaries serve as a megaphone in a public square, drawing attention to these issues and calling for accountability from the perpetrators.

Q: How did you incorporate the voices of those directly affected by the conflict in your narrative?

Douglas Kalagian: Understanding that conflict has a ripple effect that reaches all levels of society, I made a conscious effort to incorporate voices from a variety of backgrounds – from artists, activists, soldiers, and persons displaced by conflict to presidents and CEOs of international nonprofits, clergymen, and politicians.

Q: What message do you want viewers to take away regarding resilience and hope in the face of adversity?

Douglas Kalagian: I want viewers to hear the Armenian story and witness the resilience of the Armenian people, so they can understand that family, community, and country are all worth fighting for. Whether you are an Armenian living in Artsakh, a Palestinian in Gaza, an Israeli in Tel-Aviv, or a Ukrainian in Kharkiv, no one is justified in harming you or removing you from your homelands due to political, religious, or ethnic grievances. How many people have been killed over conflict in which they were innocent bystanders?

Furthermore, I hope viewers feel compelled to speak out against the tyrannical forces that seek to destroy peaceful communities across the world. We should use our collective political and economic influence to isolate countries that violate the international order. If we are to have hope for the future, we need to act.

Q: Can you share any memorable experiences or moments from filming that deeply impacted you?

Douglas Kalagian: I had the unbelievable opportunity to join a humanitarian convoy led by the AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union) and the mayor of Paris to the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, to document an attempt to deliver essential supplies to Artsakh. Up until this point, I had watched interviews with Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev, who repeatedly denied blocking the corridor, which would be a violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement. 

Before I left, I shared with my mom and wife where I was going, and they cried all night worrying about my safety. I was only supposed to be gone for a few hours, but they feared for my life. This put things into perspective for me because that’s the level of fear Armenians in the region live with every day — especially those within Artsakh. I knew I had to go to witness the blockade myself.

Driving along the Lachin Corridor from Goris felt surreal, as if time had slowed in anticipation. I had seen this road countless times in news stories and through the work of photojournalists, yet I couldn’t believe I was traveling it myself. When we arrived, a swarm of journalists surrounded the French politicians who exited our convoy to view the blockade. I moved off to the side, documenting the Azerbaijani blockade with my telephoto lens, zooming in on the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Russian military personnel and their bases. I couldn’t help but wonder if someone was looking back at me through a rifle scope.

While only a few shots from this scene made it into the film, that moment transformed me. It showed, without a shadow of a doubt, that President Aliyev had been lying the entire time about the blockade. Since I tried to approach this conflict from a balanced point of view, I was aware of my intrinsic biases toward the Armenian perspective and sought to understand the Azeri perspective too. But this experience instantly discredited everything President Aliyev had claimed about the corridor — it was a clear, undeniable lie. And it made me wonder, “What else has he been lying about?” In the end, I believe the film does a great job of exposing these lies.