Artsakh war movie wins Rome International Documentary Festival

Shoghakat Vardanyan’s documentary film 1489, which follows the director’s family after her brother goes missing in action, has been named the winner of the Rome International Documentary Festival (RIDF).

“It is especially an honor as the jury president is Sergei Loznitsa. I am really honored and this is a big responsibility,” Vardanyan wrote on Facebook.

In 2023, the film picked up the best film prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

1489 revolves around the disappearance of the filmmaker’s 21-year-old brother, Soghomon Vardanyan, who went missing in the early days of the 44-day Artsakh war in 2020.