“Between Borders,” a new film that will hit theaters Jan. 26–28, is based on the true story of an Armenian family who was forced to flee their home in Baku, Azerbaijan, during the anti-Armenian massacre that took place in the late 1980s.
Experiencing discrimination in their home country and then in Russia, the country to which they fled, the Petrosyans — made up of husband and wife Ivan and Violetta and their two daughters, Olga and Julia — eventually found hope in a church established by American missionaries. There they became Christians and were helped to seek refuge in the United States.
Actress Elizabeth Tabish, known for her role as Mary Magdalene in the hit series “The Chosen,” portrays Violetta Petrosyan in the film. She spoke to CNA in an interview and shared how she was impacted by the role and what she hopes people will take away from the film.
Being part Armenian herself, Tabish was initially interested in the role due to the fact that there aren’t many movies telling the stories of Armenians. Once she read the script, she “fell in love with the characters and their hearts and I was just very eager to be a part of it,” she said.
While Tabish is familiar with portraying true stories, she told CNA that, typically, “there’s no direct personal feedback from the experience.” However, while filming “Between Borders,” the actress was able to meet the real-life Petrosyans, watch their home videos, and come to know the woman she was portraying in the movie.
“When I met Violetta, she’s just all love, she’s so much love, and she’s so strong,” she said. “So I think I was just trying to match the essence of that.”
“We see this transformation throughout the story of her going from someone who’s relatively secure … and we see them lose everything and in the midst of that loss, we see her find faith and start learning about Jesus and how that can transform everything … So, when I finally got to meet her and get to know her, it’s so clear and that is so much a part of her,” Tabish recalled.
The actress also touched on her hopes that this film will shed light on the many wars and political tensions taking place around the world right now. She shared that America has always been “a place of refuge for so many people.”
“So many of us come from immigrant parents, or grandparents, or great-grandparents — most of us are immigrants here in some capacity and the film really highlights this. In a beautiful moment [the film references] the poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty that America is supposed to be a refuge for people and it is one of the most, I think, Christian elements of America,” she said.
“I know there’s a separation of church and state, but in terms of philosophy, and in terms of concept, taking care of people who have to flee their homes because of racism, because of threats, because of danger, is one of the most Christian things we can do as a country.”
She added: “It’s one of those elements that I’m so proud of America for is opening its arms to those who have nowhere else to go and this film really highlights what that can do for people … Just by knowing the Petrosyans, of what America has done for them — and also what they have done for America now and their communities, and their church communities, and the work that they do at their school — they’ve given back so much of their hearts and love.”
Tabish shared that taking part in the film personally impacted her in many ways and left her feeling “proud to be Armenian and American.”
“It made me really think about my grandparents, my great-grandparents, and great-great grandparents and the struggles that they’ve all gone through in their own ways,” she said. “It makes you appreciate family and it makes you really appreciate what they’ve done for us.”
She pointed out that it also “inspires this sense of faith.”
“We have a home in God, we have a home in the Father in a way that this life can shift so dramatically and change so quickly, and politics and wars and things can happen so quickly, and that to have your safety and your peace and your home in God — that can’t be taken away.”
Tabish said she hopes the movie will inspire a “sort of synthesis between being from other countries and being American,” adding: “This is a melting pot; this country is about lots of different cultures coming together and making something beautiful from those differences.”
Additionally, the actress said she hopes viewers will “cling to their families and really appreciate their families and really appreciate their ancestors and those who came before them, [who] have done really difficult things and challenging things to give them, to give us new generations, better lives.”
Check theater listings near you for “Between Borders” showtimes.
