Real to Reel: Documentary Films
THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT
Thursday, March 5th
at 7:30 PM
$18 Public | $11 Members
Featuring a post-film Zoom discussion with director Emily Mkrtichian, in conversation with Gabriella Kirikian
In the aftermath of one war and on the precipice of another, four women
build a life with the hope of making their home a better place. They
live in the Republic of Artsakh, an unrecognized country that is home to
ethnic Armenians yet violently contested by Azerbaijan. Initially a
meditative portrait of postwar womanhood, Emily Mkrtichian’s film
shifts as conflict erupts again, transforming into an urgent account of
lives upended. From taking up arms on the front lines to fleeing
their homes as refugees, each woman’s life changes irrevocably. (Armenia, USA, 2025, 94 mins, Armenian,
English | Dir. Emily Mkrtichian)
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Emily Mkrtichian is a filmmaker and interdisciplinary collaborator whose
artistic practice reflects her upbringing in a displaced diasporic family, and
explores radically personal, alternative archives of places and people,
especially from the SWANA region, and a deep commitment to the healing power of
relational, ethical, collaborative storytelling.
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER:
Gabriella Kirikian is a Cinema Arts Centre employee who is passionate about
preserving material culture from historically persecuted communities. She earned
her B.A. in Art History and Archaeology at the University of Southern
California. She worked at the USC archaeology lab on campus gaining experience creating
digital photogrammetric models of artifacts that can be used as a form of
cultural heritage preservation.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:
“I never meant to make a film that documented war, displacement, and ethnic
cleansing. I meant to make a film about how women create a sense of home and a
better future for their communities, after the rupture of war, displacement,
and ethnic cleansing. But history repeats itself.” – Emily Mkrtichian
