ARTSAKH Armenian Genocide Continues
By Bobby LePire
Film Threat
Throughout ARTSAKH Armenian Genocide Continues, writer-director-producer Vic Gerami guides audiences through the history of the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. While the Turkish government does not acknowledge this blight from its past, several countries, including the United States, do so. However, Gerami goes a step beyond those terrible events and exposes how the genocide continues and is even sanctioned by some in power to this very day.
In 2020, the Republic of Azerbaijan began killing Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. Then in 2023, Azerbaijan broke the ceasefire agreement and went after the state of Artsakh with the stated goal of “complete disarmament and unconditional surrender.” But the actual goal was to rid the region of the Armenians living there. With the help of the military industrial complex, which is more than happy to sell weapons to anyone with enough money, that terrible task is accomplished with ease.
“…exposes how the genocide continues and is even sanctioned by some in power to this very day.”
Gerami, who is of Armenian descent, interviews politicians such as Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee. They are trying their darnedest to get the U.S. government to help with the genocide and often speak out on behalf of Armenians when appropriate. He also speaks with political analyst Irina Ghaplanyan, who has firsthand experience with all of this, as she’s from Armenia. The host visits the country and talks to a few citizens there to gather their views on their treatment by others.
ARTSAKH Armenian Genocide Continues utilizes archival footage, newly shot sequences, interviews, and a global perspective on politics to plead its case. Gerami infuses everything that happens and is discussed with an immediacy from the get-go. See, he begins the documentary with a warning that some of the images shown are extremely graphic. And he’s not kidding. News reels and photos highlight the extreme wounds, including loss of limbs, to a disturbing effect. That this is happening now, today, and gets so little coverage is a crime against humanity; more specifically, against Armenians.
The documentary gains its power by presenting the facts in an efficient and engaging manner. There’s little doubt as to who wants Armenians out of the way and who is bankrolling Azerbaijan’s military. It is not only heartbreaking but also anger-inducing. I suppose that is the best compliment this documentary can receive.
ARTSAKH Armenian Genocide Continues is not an easy watch, and the queasy cinephiles should probably skip it. But there’s no denying the power and intensity of the images and talks on display. Gerami paints a target on his back with this film, but his bravery is nothing compared to what his country is going through. If movies can ever act as a rallying call, this is it.
