Press release
Cottbus, 1 November 2024
Armenia captivates - through its location at the geographical crossroads of different cultures, its position between the Silk Road and Christianity, its centuries-old culture, its landscapes and traditions. And not least through its films. As part of the 34th FilmFestival Cottbus, the “Close-Up Armenia” section offers a diverse selection of current feature, animated and documentary films: from a moving melodrama from Stalinism to an intimate portrait of a transgender athlete. The film series explores the deep psychological scars left by the country's history of genocide and the wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, and sheds light on the tensions between individuality and tradition in Armenian society.
A highlight of the section is the MasterTalk “Armenian Cinema between Past and Present” with the member of the International Festival Jury and director of the films MEL and AURORA'S SUNRISE, Inna Sahakyan, on November 6 at 3 pm in the Kammerbühne. Moderated by Bernd Buder, the talk offers participants the opportunity to delve deeper into the cultural and historical themes of Armenian cinema and explore developments in the Armenian film scene. The film series shows the following current productions: AMERIKATSI (Michael A. Goorjian, AM, 2022), a political tragicomedy full of longing and melancholy, in which a man unexpectedly ends up in prison after his return to the Soviet Union; AURORA'S SUNRISE (Inna Sahakyan, DE/AM, 2022), an impressive animated film about the survival story of a young woman who survived the Armenian genocide and eventually fled to the USA; The Backstage (Hovhannes Galstyan, AM, DE, LU, 2024), a dark drama about intrigue and power struggles in the state-sponsored ballet of Yerevan; LANDSHAFT (Daniel Kötter, DE/AM, 2023), a contemplative journey through the barren, war-torn landscape of eastern Armenia; FAR FROM MICHIGAN (Silva Khnkanosian, FR, AM, 2023), a poetic documentary about the almost deserted town of Stepanakert in the current conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh; MEL (Inna Sahakyan, Paul Cohen, AM, NL, 2023), the story of a former weightlifter who faces hostility as a transgender woman in Armenia and starts a new life in the Netherlands; FIGHT (Lilit Movsisyan, AM, FR, 2024), a sensitive portrait of a young woman in Armenia who fights against societal expectations to pursue her dream; LUMEN NATURAE (Arthur Sukiasyan, AM, 2024, 20 min), a touching coming-of-age story about grief, pain and loneliness in the war for Nagorno-Karabakh; and THE WAR DIARY (Hakob Melkonyan, FR, AM, 2024), a moving search for clues that transposes the filmmaker's grandfather's war diary into the present day and sheds light on the current reality of war.
With these impressive films and the MasterTalk, the FilmFestival Cottbus, supported by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, offers a platform that brings the past and present of Armenia to life in the mirror of its cinema.
The FilmFestival Cottbus is supported by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the State of Brandenburg and the City of Cottbus.