SECTION: Close Up: Armenia

Armenia is fascinating - because of its location at the geographical crossroads of various cultures, because of its position between the Silk Road and Christianity, because of its centuries-old culture, because of its landscapes and traditions. And because of its films. We showcase a very diverse selection of current feature films, animations and documentaries - from melodrama from the Stalinist era to a transgender sports documentary, from a remarkable animated film about the traumatic events of the Armenian genocide in 1915/16 to explorations of devastated soulscapes after the many wars fought over Nagorno-Karabakh, and from the conflicts of an artist with himself and a young woman with tradition. Not always unfamiliar perspectives from a country that seems so far away and yet could be so close.

AMERIKATSI

AMERIKATSI

AMERIKATSI

Michael A. Goorjian
AM / 2022 / 116 min
The third man: Charlie ends up in prison straight after returning to the Soviet Union from the United States. From his cell window he observes a married couple across the street, sharing from afar in their joys, sadness and passion. A melodramatic ...
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AURORA'S SUNRISE

AURORA'S SUNRISE

AURORA'S SUNRISE

Inna Sahakyan
DE/AM / 2022 / 97 min
At the age of 14 Aurora Mardiganian was expelled from her homeland, her family fell victim to the Armenian genocide. Against all the odds, the teenager managed to escape to the USA. This harrowing, cinematically fascinating documentary tells her ...
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The Backstage

The Backstage

Backstage

Hovhannes Galstyan
AM, DE, LU / 2024 / 102 min
How far should one go in the pursuit of art? In the glossy world of the state-supported Yerevan Ballet two stubborn egos collide. Intrigue and sabotage behind the scenes of the State Ballet paint a bleak picture of the culture industry. Is it about ...
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LANDSHAFT

LANDSHAFT

LANDSHAFT

Daniel Kötter
DE/AM / 2023 / 96 min
A contemplative journey across eastern Armenia. Magnificent landscapes, devastated souls: the psychogeographical upheavals of several wars find expression in the tableau-like landscape shots, and yet no landscape is vast enough to absorb the ...
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THE SONG OF FLYING LEAVES

THE SONG OF FLYING LEAVES

THE SONG OF FLYING LEAVES

Armine Anda
AM / 2023 / 12 min
A dreamlike animated relationship between a 12-year-old and a 200-year-old – father-daughter, student-teacher, child-adult? A poetic metaphor about the symbiosis between old and young, as well as also about the transience thereof, inspired by ...
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FAR FROM MICHIGAN

FAR FROM MICHIGAN

FAR FROM MICHIGAN

Silva Khnkanosian
FR, AM / 2023 / 77 min
 Memories of a besieged city: snapshots from Stepanakert in Nagorno-Karabakh, until 2023 the administrative seat of the Armenian enclave. The city is almost deserted: young men are largely absent since they are at the front lines, the same goes ...
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MEL

MEL

MEL

Inna Sahakyan, Paul Cohen
AM, NL / 2023 / 76 min
 Once a successful female weightlifter, Mel is treated with hostility in Armenia after coming out as transgender and subsequently leaves the country. He starts a new life with his girlfriend in the Netherlands, where they are faced with new ...
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FIGHT

FIGHT

FIGHT

Lilit Movsisyan
AM, FR / 2024 / 74 min
 In rural Armenia, 16-year-old Karine treats the dogs of her father who have been injured in brutal dog fights. Her greatest wish is to become a vet. And yet her dream job doesn’t correspond to her family's ideas of tradition. A sensitively ...
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CROSSING THE BLUE

CROSSING THE BLUE

CROSSING THE BLUE

Victoria Aleksanyan
AM/NL / 2022 / 13 Min min
Anoush left her Armenian homeland years ago to flee from her abusive husband. Now she is facing deportation. A pressure-laden look at the past, uncertain glances into the future, between the coldness of the moment and the emotional ups and downs of ...
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THE WAR DIARY

THE WAR DIARY

THE WAR DIARY

Hakob Melkonyan
FR, AM / 2024 / 84 min
From war to war, only the places remain the same. His grandfather's war diary becomes the starting point of a journey for Hakob Melkonyan. Travelling across the former USSR, he follows the footsteps of the soldier who died in the Second World War, in ...
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LUMEN NATURAE

LUMEN NATURAE

LUMEN NATURAE

Arthur Sukiasyan
AM / 2024 / 20 min
Coming of age in Armenia: Vardan, Ani's older brother, died in 2020, in one of the Nagory-Karabakh wars. To overcome their grief, the parents have a new child. Ani, however, is desperate - she mourns her brother and feels abandoned by her parents. ...
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