Soviet Armenia

Casimê Celîl was born into a Yezidi Kurdish family in 1908, in a village called Kızılkule, located in Digor, Kars. The village and family life, which he longed to remember throughout his life, ends with the massacre they endured in 1918. During his long road to Erivan, Armenia, he lost all his family members. Left all alone, Casim was placed into an orphanage and was forced to change his name. To remember who he was and where he came from, every morning he repeated the mantra “Navê min Casim e, Ez kurê Celîlim, Ez ji gundê Qizilquleyê Dîgorê me, Ez Kurdim, Kurdê Êzîdî me”, which translates to: “My name is Casim, I am the son of Celîl, I come from the village of Kızılkule in Digor, I am a Kurd, and I am Yezidi”. He clings to every piece of his culture he can find, reads, and saves whatever Kurdish literature or art he comes across. As the year’s pass, Casim finds himself with an impressive collection of Kurdish culture and history.

INTENT TO DESTROY embeds with a historic feature production as a springboard to explore the violent history of the Armenian Genocide and legacy of Turkish suppression and denial over the past century.

The 40-day war has just ended in Armenia. David completed a 2-year service and has returned home from the front. Uncertain about his next steps, he is actively searching for a job that resonates with him. Arthur served in the army for a year and is currently on vacation. He continues his efforts to recall his favorite tune on the piano. Serezha harbors jealousy toward his brothers who experienced the war. He is getting ready to enlist in the army, as he will turn 18 this year. All three are brothers, and they are all Nina's children.

Aivazovsky's paintings on historical Armenian themes. His works were not only on marine subjects. In this short we can also see the church of St. Sarkis, where the artist was baptized. He was married within the walls of this ancient temple, and his funeral service was held there in 1900. Modern photos of Armenia and Western Armenia, where Aivazovsky's ancestors were from, harmoniously complement the film. And at last, the picturesque views of Feodosia, the city where the artist lived and worked for many years.

An elaborate ceremony marks the opening of the first Armenian church in England.

Ever since the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the still disputed territory is contaminated by landmines. This documentary follows five female de-miners on their risky job.

As a result of the second Karabakh war, a village should be ceded to Azerbaijan since a new highway is built through the Lachin corridor. The family of Narine, like many other Armenian families, needs to find a new place.

The documentary is about an old man from Yerevan who paints on garages, transforming rusty metal walls into vivid landscapes and leaving a subtle yet unforgettable mark on the city.

Experience spectacular aerial and ground views and cultural revelations of a country like no other in a virtual tour of Mount Ararat, Khor Virap, Yerevan, the Genocide memorial, and more. Narrated by Andrea Martin, the documentary features prominent voices from the Armenian diaspora including Eric Bogosian, Chris Bohjalian, Peter Balakian, Michael Aram, and others.

The Winning Generation is a documentary filmed over 12 years, following Shahen Harutyunyan from a 14-year-old activist to an emerging political leader. Carrying the legacy of his father and grandfather in Armenia's long struggle for independence, he transforms their tradition of resistance into a new democratic vision. As Armenia navigates political instability and strong Russian influence, Shahen seeks to forge his own path while redefining what a new generation's fight for freedom could look like.

The last collaboration of Artavazd Peleshian and cinematographer Mikhail Vartanov is a film-essay about Armenia's shepherds, about the contradiction and the harmony between man and nature, scored to Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Es geht um Alles

Turkey's history has been shaped by two major political figures: Mustafa Kemal (1881-1934), known as Atatürk, the Father of the Turks, founder of the modern state, and the current president Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan, who apparently wants Turkey to regain the political and military pre-eminence it had as an empire under the Ottoman dynasty.

Only women, children and old people live in this Armenian village, while the men work in Russia. A life with a rhythm of its own, an independent daily life marked nonetheless by exile.

The Falcons is an intimate, observational documentary that delves into the world of the Tshakhruk Ethnoband, a remarkable musical ensemble in the Armenian highlands. Comprised of special-needs children that reside at the state orphanage, these young musicians find solace, strength, and self-expression through the transformative power of music.

More than one million Armenians perished between 1915 and 1916 in massacres or brutal deportation programs. Turkey still denies it ever happened. Laurence Jourdan examines massacres of Armenians in the decades leading up to the mass murder, and the geopolitical situation both before and after the genocide. Contemporaneous reports and documents written by Western diplomats stationed in the Ottoman Empire describe the methods used and the deportation routes. These accounts are mixed with personal stories from the living survivors and archive footage from Ottoman authorities.

Humans transform the world. In a stone mine, huge majestic rocks are blasted into pieces and after passing through the stone processing line, they gradually transform into pebbles.

In a decaying Soviet-era retirement home, a vibrant group of elders cling to life by staging Shakespeare. Yet loneliness lingers beyond the theater’s doors, until drama begins to blur with reality.

This movie tells the story of the centuries of cross-stones and how firmly they stand on the face of the earth, but at the same time, people forget about them.

Journey into a small nation with big surprises. Thousand-year old churches, the world’s oldest shoe, and mouth-watering Jingyalov bread all in the same place. Travel through the ancient streets and towns of the world’s hidden gem, Armenia.