The Hidden Map to premiere on PBS in hundreds of US cities

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is days away from premiering the Armenian story as told through Ani Hovannisian’s The Hidden Map. The documentary will air about 1,000 times primarily between June 5-13, 2022 across the nation in cities from Boston, Massachusetts to Juneau, Alaska.

The Hidden Map takes viewers deep into the ancestral Armenian homeland, where a chance meeting between an Armenian-American granddaughter of genocide survivors and a Scottish explorer leads to a joint odyssey beneath the surface of modern-day Turkey, uncovering buried secrets, brave resilience, and the hidden map. 

“It’s time,” said Hovannisian. “To know that the silenced voices and stories of our people, of truth, are going to resonate into the homes and consciousness of perhaps millions of Americans are hugely filling.” She noted that she couldn’t have chosen a better home for her life’s most important work—four journeys and seven years in the making— and she is thankful that PBS feels the same. 

PBS’ historic decision to distribute this independent film to 330 stations comes on the heels of an outpouring of viewer support when it debuted locally in Southern California. With the film’s national release, viewers who pledge even a nominal amount to PBS will help ensure additional airings and receive unique gifts, including hand-crocheted dolls made by women in Goris, Armenia— among them displaced citizens of Artsakh working toward economic stability. This is a rare opportunity for individuals and communities to be directly involved in bringing this human story of heartbreak, discovery, and hope to live for millions of Americans, while touching the lives of Armenians today. 

To find program dates and times, which also include in-studio conversations with the filmmaker, viewers can check their local schedules online. Most PBS stations have multiple channels – for example, PBS World – so it is important to locate the right channel ahead of time.

The Hidden Map has earned more than a dozen international awards and honors and was considered for three 2021 Primetime Emmys, including Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Among many notable presentations in the US and abroad was a special in-person screening in the UK Parliament.  

Hovannisian has traveled the world producing stories for non-fiction television programs and reported the Armenian news on Horizon Television for more than a decade. She is the daughter of Professor Richard and Dr. Vartiter Kotcholosian Hovannisian, beacons of truth and humanity to whom she dedicates the film. Ani and their husband Armenio have two children, Sophene and Daron, named after the ancestral homes of their great-grandparents whose flame they keep alive. 

Guest Contributor armenianweekly.com