As a political science and economics professor at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), J. Michael Hagopian was unsatisfied with the quality of educational films that were available for use in his classroom.  Before long, he left his teaching post and picked up a camera to produce and direct quality educational tools on topics ranging from Black history to Nigerian culture.

Born in Kharpert-Mezreh, Hagopian's search for his roots and the history of his people have won him critical acclaim, including two nominations for Emmys for the writing and production of The Forgotten Genocide, the first full-length feature film on the Armenian Genocide of 1915.  In all, Hagopian's work encompasses nearly 400 survivor interviews and 20 years of research.

In 1979, Hagopian founded the Armenian Film Foundation, a California non-profit organization, to document the Armenian culture and instill pride in Armenian youth worldwide.

His other films have included the well respected Jerusalem - Center of Many Worlds and the first full-color film on the Nile River, which took first place at the Cleveland Film Festival in 1950. His next, Asian Earth, won the Golden Reel Award at the American Film Festival and first place at the Cleveland and Boston film festivals.

Hagopian holds a doctorate in international relations from Harvard University and an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley.  As a young boy, he emigrated with his parents to Fresno, California.  In his teens, they moved to Los Angeles.