Last week reporters from Karabakh and Azerbaijan met again in Tbilisi to exchange opinions about an unprecedented project between the two countries: joint documentaries by Karabakhi and Azeri journalists.

One film narrates about war captives and human rights activists from both sides, the second film is а composition of two films one of which will be shot in Karabakh, the second one in Azerbaijan.

The films are made within the framework of joint project “Dialogue through film”, carried out under the aegis of Reconciliation Resources British NGO and with support of Internews of both countries.

As a part of the project creative TV groups have been formed in Stepanakert and Baku called to prepare video stories about people’s lives in their countries. So far, 10 films have been made on each part. The 2007 presentation of movies took place in London. Recently a disc with 10 documentaries has been released.

The project is unprecedented by its format. It is common knowledge that there are no international organisations operating in Karabakh, and Diaspora is mostly involved in social and charity programs. Local organizations lack means to create films. As a result there is no opportunity to make documentaries in Karabakh.

“If during our first meeting arguments between the two parties were at times too heated and tense, the meetings that followed were shaped into a professional polemics on human values, peace and ethnic interests, Euro-integration and preservation of national identity, their own and others’ pain. And the films are just like that,” says a project participant Armine Martirosyan.

“I think it is very important to show the contemporary life of South Caucasus. During the last 15 years many walls have, unfortunately, been erected between people- in their hearts and thoughts. And that’s why it is important to show that everybody is happy or unhappy in the same ways, they have the same problems and try to reconsider today’s life. ”

Jonathan Cohen, Director of the Reconciliation Resources said that the meeting was a perfect opportunity for journalists to analyze the current situation.

“I liked it very much that all the documentaries were very balanced; they were not aimed at showing every aspect of the conflict. They were balanced because they did not want to convince anybody in anything, they were simply trying to show how people live. The journalists’ realization that what they presented in their works was something people on both sides felt was very important. When we met the first time, there were 10 Karabakhi and 10 Azerbaijani journalists. Now they are 20 professionals meeting each other. And I am very happy, that the young generation considers professional qualities to be highly important,” he says.

The project participants are thinking of presenting the films in Karabakh, but are not sure yet about doing the same in Azerbaijan.
“The conflict won’t be resolved in the nearest future, and it might possibly get even more complicated because new layers appear with time. It’s not the same conflict today as it was 20 years ago when it just started, it has transformed. It requires new approaches,” says Jonathan Cohen.

One of the Armenian documentaries tells about an Azeri, Fatali, who moved to Ukraine because of the events in Karabakh, but his sister and niece stayed. They live in Stepanakert until now and haven’t seen their relatives for many years. The project made it possible for Zina and her uncle Fatali to meet.

“Almost every other person in Stepanakert remembers Fatali who had played in the military band for 40 years.”

“He wasn’t a tall man. At first he played a pipe, then kept the band’s tempo. He was always leading it, with a bright smile and a dashing gait,” recalls a resident of Stepanakert with warmth.

“I left Stepanakert 15 years ago,” tells Fatali in the film “It’d be wrong to say that I was forced to leave. I left because my children had long been living in Kramatorsk (Ukraine), and I had to come to give them some support. At that time everything was in chaos, and I had no choice. Of course I’ve settled, got used to everything, but Stepanakert is something special. I am grateful to those people who allowed my sister and niece to stay there. They are very happy… ”

The project will continue, and 4 more documentaries will be made by the end of next year. The subjects are not defined yet, but as the project participants say, they can’t avoid touching upon the Karabakh conflict.

One of the documentaries- “Karabakhi Fairy Tale” tells about a Karabakhi village Vank located near the Gandzasar monastery. During the discussions of the script in London Azerbaijani participants of the film presentation were indignant at the fact that Karabakh is being revived by Diaspora’s support.

“My film is about a village, which was revived from ruins thanks to efforts of Russia-based businessman of Karabakh decent, U.S. citizen Levon Hayrapetyan. He did everything for this village: built a hotel, a school, a recreation area, rebuilt the road to Gandzasar. And people are very grateful to him. I did not expect at all, that this film could be the one causing such outrage on the part of Azeries,” said the author of the documentary Susanna Saiyan.