Motherland is a 2022 independent documentary film directed and written by Armenian-American journal Vic Gerami. The film documents the buildup and aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, from the perspective of Armenians, especially from the Republic of Artsakh.[1][2][3]
Synopsis
Motherland is a documentary about the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War that started in September 2020. The movie attempts to document the attacks against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Armenians by Azerbaijan and Turkey during a 44-day war.
The documentary consists of interviews conducted by journalist and activist Vic Gerami in an effort to document various war crimes alleged against the state of Azerbaijan. The war crimes include violence against civilians, the use of chemical weapons, and mistreatment of POWs.
Throughout his interviews, Gerami gathers testimonies from Amenian-American and international political figures; as well as refugees and war veterans.
Additional information discussed in the movie include the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, also referred to as Artsakh. It discusses the Soviet era. During this era, border lines were drawn up, causing ethnic tensions between the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides, leading up to ethnic cleansing against the local Armenian population throughout the 20th century and now the 21st century. Parallels are drawn between Azerbaijan's 2020 attack on Nagorno-Karabakh and the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The documentary criticises the actions of the Azerbaijani government in the years leading up to the 2020 war.[4]
Cast
The cast features key figures from the Armenian American political and cultural world, as well as political figures from other Armenia and Europe.
Kristina Aznavour, CEO of the Aznavour Foundation
Nicolas Aznavour, cofounder of the Aznavour Foundation that provides humanitarian aid to Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh[5]
Alexander Lapshin, an Israeli-Ukrainian-Russian travel-blogger and journalist who was arrested and extradited to Baku because he had visited Nagorno-Karabakh
Several members of the US congress were invited to the film's screening, although it is unclear how many attended.[9][1][2]
Panos Kotzathanasis of Asian Movie Plus described the movie as "a well-researched, well-shot and edited documentary that manages to inform its audience".[3]
Awards
2022 Excellence Award for Docu-drama Feature at the Documentaries Without Borders Film Festival[10]
2022 Exceptional Merit for Direction at the Documentaries Without Borders Film Festival[10]
2022 Best Documentary Feature at the Cannes World Film Festival[11]
2022 August Award award for Best Documentary at the Pure Magic International Film Festival[12]
2022 September Best Indie Documentary Feature at the 8 And HalFilm Awards[13]
2022 September Award for Feature Documentary at the Florence Film Awards[14]
2022 October Honourable Mention at the Paris Film Awards[15]
