*Lost Homeland* Takes Center Stage at One of New York’s Largest Documentary Film Festivals, DOC NYC, which will host the premiere of *There Was, There Was Not* by Emily Mkrtichian, IndieWire reports.

The loss of Artsakh makes Mkrtichian’s long-standing project particularly timely and emotionally resonant. She crafts an intimate portrait focused on four Armenian women who faced both the anticipation and aftermath of Azerbaijan’s sudden invasion of Artsakh.

«Initially, Emily Mkrtichian intended to film the everyday lives and hopes of women in Artsakh — an autonomous, disputed ethnically Armenian region between Azerbaijan and Armenia with a legacy of conflict. She followed a deminer, an aspiring politician, a women’s rights activist, and a judo champion, who all strove for a fragile peace while building their lives.

In 2020, as Azerbaijan launched a sudden assault and war erupted once again, Mkrtichian continued filming as shelling began around her, witnessing how her subjects’ worlds and dreams were immediately transformed. The documentary evolved from a meditative observation on resilience into an urgent portrayal of survival, capturing the personal and cultural impact of a homeland at risk of loss and the strength of a story that sustains it,» the film’s synopsis reads.

Filmmakers and festival-goers, including Canadian director Atom Egoyan, have highly praised *There Was, There Was Not*.

IndieWire highlighted the film as one of the top films at the True/False film festival earlier this year, with Susannah Gruder noting that the film «underscores courage and resilience in the face of war, serving as a time capsule of their lost, beloved homeland.»

The film is produced by Brock Williams and features Siranush Sargsyan, Svetlana Harutyunyan, Gayane Ambarzumyan, and Sose Balasanyan as its main subjects.