The Falcons
2025 · 14m · Armenia
Directed by Taniel Kilajian
Genres: documentary, musical
Tones: contemplative, tender, whimsical
An intimate observational documentary set in the Armenian highlands, following the Tshakhruk Ethnoband — a musical ensemble of children with special needs at the Kharberd Specialized Children's Home who perform traditional Armenian folk music on ancient instruments, guided by sisters Anna and Anahit Mkhitaryan.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Special-needs Armenian kids playing folk music in the highlands — radiant, joyful, exactly the kind of tender film that's a hard no for the back row. Not for me.
Kilajian spent five weeks building rapport before turning the camera on Tshakhruk Ethnoband — the deliberate decision to foreground music over disability is curatorially mature, and the Armenian highland setting is rarely seen. Buena Vista Social Club is the honest lineage.
13:55 observational doc filmed over five weeks in the Armenian highlands at a state orphanage — the OG description confirms the music-room-as-sanctuary framing, and the choice to focus on talent rather than disability is exactly the ethical inversion that makes documentary worth doing. Small footprint (799 views) but the craft intent is clear.
Reviews
Kilajian has a gift for capturing the intimate moments shared between the musicians; his camera lingers on smiling faces, on kids hugging and goofing around.
The film 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.
Festivals
- Encounters Film Festival 2025
- Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2025
- Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2025