Shoghakat Vardanyan’s film “1489” about the 44-day war won two awards at IDFA.

At IDFA, the world’s most prestigious documentary film festival in Amsterdam, Shoghakat Vardanyan’s debut film “1489” received 2 “Best Film” and “FIPRESCI” awards at once. “1489” is the number given to the relics of his younger brother, Solomon, who died in the 44-day war.

“For me, for my parents, for his friends, for all of us, Solomon continues to be Solomon and continues to be a musician who would do many good things, but in the reality that happened in these three years, without self-deception, he is still the same number.” said Vardanyan.

Solomon went missing in October 2020. The search for his remains took months… and the family had to wait another 1.5 years for the DNA answer.

Shoghakat, who had never made a film, started following the search for his brother with just a phone camera, documenting the suffering of the family… he started with himself. cut off the beautiful bangs…says don’t look for art here.

“My fingers hurt so much from these experiences, I almost pulled out my hair, I decided to go and just cut it to get rid of the pain,” he said.

The father’s interaction with the stray sparrow in the house, sleepless nights… these are a few stingy shots… the film is still closed, it cannot tell many things, it has to travel to festivals.

At first, his parents did not understand why he was drawing, his father already told him to draw in the morgue.

“The film is a penetrating light that makes visible the vast inner world of hidden grief, creating a palpable presence from an unbearable absence. Cinema, as a tool of survival, allows us to see what we prefer not to see,” this was the assessment of the jury when awarding the main prize to the film about the 44-day war in Artsakh.

“It was unexpected,” says 30-year-old Shoghakat and remembers that while receiving the first film critics award, he suddenly went on stage and spoke about the victims of the war, the loss of Artsakh, and the prisoners.

Solomon was a pianist. The shine too. Father – painter, sculptor, mother – photographer. The successful film of a newly discovered director in a family of artists, however, is not perceived as a work of art… it is about the misfortune of a family, a people, an entire country. And about Solomon, says the older sister, you don’t need to tell, just listen.