EXCLUSIVE: Armenia politics documentary The Winning Generation will simultaneously world premiere at the Netherlands’ Movies that Matter Film Festival and launch on the White Rabbit streaming platform this weekend.
The work follows the trajectory of rising Armenian politician Shahen Harutyunyan from 14-year-old activist to emerging political leader, as he follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in Armenia’s long struggle for independence.
Along the way, he transforms their tradition of resistance into a new democratic vision, with the creation of the grassroots “Winning Generation” movement, which has since morphed into the Shant Alliance party.
The documentary’s launch comes at a pivotal moment for Harutyunyan and Armenia as the country gears up for national elections on 7 June 2026. Having previously secured a significant regional victory in Kapan, Harutyunyan is running for office against a backdrop of political instability and strong Russian influence, as he redefines what a new generation’s fight for freedom could look like.
The Winning Generation is directed by Italian, Netherlands-based filmmaker Marco De Stefanis. He has worked on numerous productions for broadcasters including Rai, Mediaset, Discovery Channel, and History Channel, while his first feature documentary Waiting for Giraffes was selected for IDFA and CPH:DOX.
“Shahen’s story is more than a personal story; it is a portrait of a country striving to define its future. As Shahen says in the film, ‘Freedom is much easier to achieve than to maintain’, a sentiment that resonates far beyond Armenia, highlighting the fragility of democracy worldwide,” said De Stefanis.
The new feature is an Amsterdam-based BIND production in coproduction with EiE film, supported by Netherlands Film Fund, Netherlands Film Production Incentive, Italian Ministry of Culture, Film Commission Torino Piemonte and Regione Piemonte.
“Given the urgency of upcoming elections and timeliness of the subject, we wanted to make the film immediately accessible to audiences worldwide,” said BIND producer Joram Willink.
“Partnering with White Rabbit was the perfect way to achieve that, allowing us to implement a new distribution model for a socially relevant story and ensure viewers everywhere can engage with it immediately after its world premiere.”
The doc’s launch on the White Rabbit streaming platform will target Armenian diaspora communities, in places such as L.A., France, Canada, Buenos Aires, Georgia, and Ukraine – alongside politically engaged young audiences.
“The Winning Generation is exactly the kind of film that can show why audiences matter more. For too long, the film industry has treated audiences as passive consumers rather than active supporters of the stories they believe in,” said White Rabbit CEO and founder Alan R. Milligan.
“White Rabbit empowers audiences and influencers to participate directly in a film’s journey, enabling them to share their experience with friends, communities, and networks. Cinema and festival audiences become the engine of discovery, helping important stories travel beyond the theater, and far beyond the limitations of algorithms.”
The human rights and social justice-focused Movies that Matter Film Festival runs from March 20 to 28 in the Dutch capital of The Hague.
Watch a trailer for the film below.
