31 Oct Armenian Documentary “1489” at Orient Express Film Fest in Bern
Powerful Armenian Documentary “1489” About 2020 War is Screened at Orient Express Film Fest in Bern.
On October 31, 2024, the debut documentary from Armenian filmmaker Shoghakat Vardanyan, “1489” was shown in the Haus der Religionen as part of the official selection at The Orient Express Film Festival.
The Orient Express Film Festival celebrates diversity by showcasing films and themes that honor the rich tapestry of global stories and perspectives. Diversity is a cornerstone of human societies and manifests itself in culture, lifestyles, and identities. It enriches the social fabric through the exchange of different perspectives and experiences. It is a tradition in Switzerland, with four national languages and a multicultural population, to provide a home for all cultures, as well as artists from various art genres and backgrounds.
The feature-length film was recorded over two years, documenting Vardanyan’s search for her brother, who went missing from the warzone when the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) War broke out on September 27, 2020.
The powerful film of conflict and loss was honored with the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)’s top prize for best film this year. The IDFA jury said 1489 was “a film that acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence. Cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all, to look at the things we would rather not see. And ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The film screening was followed by a discussion about the film with Sarkis Shahinian, President of the Council of Armenian and Armenophile Associations in Switzerland (CAAS) and co-president of the Swiss-Armenian Society.