Watch: New doco sees Armenians and Azerbaijanis face painful truths together

May 19, 2020

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A new film from Conciliation Resources, called “Parts of a Circle: History of the Karabakh Conflict”, tells the story of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorny Karabakh by combining perspectives from filmmakers on both sides.

The documentary draws upon original interviews with eyewitnesses and participants in the events of 1988-94, from presidents to military field commanders, to ordinary people whose lives were turned upside down by the fighting.

The film is the fourth and final production in a documentary series produced by Conciliation Resources together with partners Media Initiatives Center, Stepanakert Press Club, Internews Azerbaijan Public Association and the Humanitarian Research Public Union since 2012.

Produced in English, “Parts of a Circle: History of the Karabakh Conflict” aims to condense the rich material contained in the original three films, which covered the lead up to the outbreak of war, the war, and the search for peace respectively, in order to bring its messages to a wider international audience.

The Parts of a Circle project weathered a period of dramatic decline in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and a major escalation of violence in 2016 which prevented broad release of the films. However, the films were screened on more than 100 occasions in closed settings to a wide range of Armenians and Azerbaijanis, including journalists, students, policymakers, people living close to the front lines and those displaced as a result of the conflict.

The English summary film was premiered at London’s Chatham House in February. Further plans for screenings across the South Caucasus region and global capitals have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, so Conciliation Resources and its partners have now decided to release the film online.

You can watch Parts of a Circle here.