In “The Black Garden,” Armenian French first time filmmaker Alexis Pazoumian manages to portray his ancestral homeland with such sensitivity you’d think incorrectly that he lived there most of his life. Using the framework of three years in the life of three generations of Armenian men, Pazoumian sensitively captures the political conflicts, the social milieu and the geographical terrain of a small village on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The village is Talish, located in the Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh and over the years its inhabitants have seen a lot of strife. Being on the border makes the village a target whenever Azerbaijan attacks Armenia, a conflict that has been going on since the early 1990s when the Soviet Union was dismantled. The people of Talish, young and old, have limited choices for survival. Either stay and live under occupation and face death, or leave and become displaced away from their homes.
The village is Talish, located in the Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh and over the years its inhabitants have seen a lot of strife. Being on the border makes the village a target whenever Azerbaijan attacks Armenia, a conflict that has been going on since the early 1990s when the Soviet Union was dismantled. The people of Talish, young and old, have limited choices for survival. Either stay and live under occupation and face death, or leave and become displaced away from their homes.
- 3/22/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety Film + TV
Toronto-based sales outfit Syndicado has boarded “The Black Garden,” which will have its world premiere in the main competition section at documentary festival Cph:dox. The film is directed by Alexis Pazoumian, a French-Armenian photographer-director based in Paris.
The film focuses on children Samvel and Avo, soldier Erik and lumberjack and veteran Karen, who live in the Armenian community of Talish, in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region plagued by a century-old conflict. Karabakh literally means “Black Garden,” referring to the large dark coniferous forest covering the territory.
In 2020, a large-scale attack by Azerbaijan once again tips the region into chaos. Samvel and Avo’s families find refuge in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Erik is wounded, with one leg amputated. Karen flees and wanders the streets of Stepanakert, the capital of Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh.
“In a world steeped in patriotism and military culture, I intended to portray these characters caught in the limbo of war.
The film focuses on children Samvel and Avo, soldier Erik and lumberjack and veteran Karen, who live in the Armenian community of Talish, in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region plagued by a century-old conflict. Karabakh literally means “Black Garden,” referring to the large dark coniferous forest covering the territory.
In 2020, a large-scale attack by Azerbaijan once again tips the region into chaos. Samvel and Avo’s families find refuge in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Erik is wounded, with one leg amputated. Karen flees and wanders the streets of Stepanakert, the capital of Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh.
“In a world steeped in patriotism and military culture, I intended to portray these characters caught in the limbo of war.
- 2/17/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
In “Alma Viva,” Portugal’s Oscar entry which is currently screening in main competition at the Marrakech Film Festival, it’s Summer, time for Salomé to visit her beloved grandma Avo in North East Portugal.
Ever since they moved to France with her mom, she comes back every year. Avo is revered in the village, but also feared. Some consider her a witch. Grandma’s connection with spirits and the dead fascinates Salomé. But the summer idyll is over when Avo, a diabetic who for years self-medicated with herbs and spells, suddenly dies.
While raging fires enclose the area, the family and neighbors struggle to find unity in mourning.
Sold by Kinology Films, “Alma Viva” marks the feature debut of experienced documentarian Cristèle Alves Meira, shot in the village of her mother and maternal grandmother.
“It is a region [left] deserted by the massive exodus of its population abroad or to cities.
Ever since they moved to France with her mom, she comes back every year. Avo is revered in the village, but also feared. Some consider her a witch. Grandma’s connection with spirits and the dead fascinates Salomé. But the summer idyll is over when Avo, a diabetic who for years self-medicated with herbs and spells, suddenly dies.
While raging fires enclose the area, the family and neighbors struggle to find unity in mourning.
Sold by Kinology Films, “Alma Viva” marks the feature debut of experienced documentarian Cristèle Alves Meira, shot in the village of her mother and maternal grandmother.
“It is a region [left] deserted by the massive exodus of its population abroad or to cities.
- 11/16/2022
- by Anna Tatarska
- Variety Film + TV
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