Experiencing Interruptions?

1489

My younger brother Soghomon, 21, a musician, was close to completing his mandatory military service when the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) War broke out on September 27, 2020. Soghomon disappeared in the war zone without a trace on the 7th day. I had never studied filmmaking but the emotions overwhelming my family made me grab my phone and document our daily ordeal. We were just waiting for my brother, I had not planned to make a film. Hope and despair alternated over the 44 days of the War. I filmed my family for another 2 years, as we searched for my lost brother, waited and wavered. In 2021, there was a DNA match with bones found on the battlefield after the war, and in 2022 we finally received the official notice of his death. Soghomon’s remains were coded 1489 – “Body of individual missing in action.” Although bitter, this number provided closure, which many families still lack.

  • Shoghakat Vardanyan
    Director
  • Shoghakat Vardanyan
    Writer
  • Shoghakat Vardanyan
    Producer
  • Tigran Baghinyan
    Editors
  • Armen Papyan
    Editors
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 16 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Armenia
  • Country of Filming:
    Armenia
  • Language:
    Armenian
  • Shooting Format:
    Iphone Pro 11
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1- Flat
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    November 13, 2023
    World Premiere
    Best Film Award
  • International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    November 13, 2023
    World Premiere
    FIPRESCI Award
  • Trieste Film Festival
    Trieste
    Italy
    January 26, 2024
    Italian Premiere
    Best Documentary Film Award
  • Sofia Film Fest
    Sofia
    Bulgaria
    March 20, 2024
    Bulgarian Premiere
    Special Mention
  • Full Frame Fest
    Durham, North Carolina
    United States
    April 5, 2024
    North Carolina
    Grand Jury Special Jury Award
  • True False Fest
    Coumbia, Missouri
    United States
    March 1, 2024
    United States
  • First Look
    New York
    United States
    March 16, 2024
    New York
  • International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights
    Geneva
    Switzerland
    March 16, 2024
    Switzerland
    Creative Documentaries Competition Selection
  • Göteborg Film Festival
    Göteborg
    Sweden
    January 31, 2024
    Nordic
    Voyage Selection
Director Biography - Shoghakat Vardanyan

Shoghakat Vardanyan was born in 1993 into a family of artists in Yerevan, Armenia. By the time she was six decided to study music and become a pianist. She completed her studies at Music School, continued her education at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor's degree in Piano.

Shoghakat has performed classical, academic, contemporary, and experimental collaborative work as a soloist, a part of chamber ensembles, and an accompanist in Armenia, the US, Canada, and Europe. Since 2017 she has been playing free improvisations and became a part of the Contemporary Sound Orchestra of Yerevan (Pots and Drums).

In September 2020, the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war erupted. When her family stopped hearing from her younger brother who was fighting on the front lines, she picked up her phone camera and started filming. This led to her debut film, "1489"․

Shoghakat never studied filmmaking.

For "1489" she was awarded the Armenian Prime Minister's Award (which she refused because she believes the film should not have any political connections) in 2021; as well as the Work in Progress Grand Prix during the Golden Apricot Film Festival in 2022.

The debut documentary, "1489" won the Best Film Award and FIPRESCI Award at IDFA 2023 in an International Competition.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I am a sister. I was searching for my brother from a place where we were getting only stories about the war and the bodies of the wounded and the dead. After 10 days of ceaseless inquiring all around - I still couldn't manage to find my brother's trace. So I started filming. My younger brother Soghomon, a musician, went to do his compulsory military service on July 18, 2019. He was moved to the hottest spots of the fight when the Nagorno-Karabakh war started on September 27, 2020. On the 7th day of the war, he made a few-second call to my mom, which was the last time she heard Soghomon's voice. Afterward, we didn't have any news from my brother.

I am a musician, but since September 2020 I’ve been taking journalism courses. After my brother went missing, I couldn’t focus on my classes anymore. My Mobile Journalism instructor handed me the iPhone and suggested that every day I film myself telling to the phone camera how and where I am searching to my brother, and I knew that it was an attempt to help me stay busy. I started filming for the first time ever. While filming I was learning how to film. Day by day, I realized what I need to film.

Nobody would imagine that this footage could become a film - we were just waiting for my brother. But time was passing, and the volume of my footage was growing. I thought that the footage I made could help other people who were going through the same war. I wanted to share my pain with people. I wanted to share my very personal story with everybody who went through any war and show them they are not alone because I was feeling alone. And finally, I wanted people to watch my story and stop wars in the world. I know it sounds utopic and naive. Yet these thoughts were helping me to get up from bed and continue my work.