Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Staff Report
Award-winning journalist and director of the documentary film “Motherland,” Vic Gerami, was a guest of CineCulture and the Armenian Studies Program on Friday, April 14, 2023. Gerami interacted with a virtual audience of students and community members, who posed a variety of interesting questions regarding the movie. CineCulture Professor Mary Husain moderated the discussion, together with Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program.
Students and community members had the opportunity to watch “Motherland” in the week prior to participating in the Friday discussion. “Motherland” is a 120-minute documentary feature film focusing on the September 27, 2020 invasion of Artsakh. The film illustrates history repeating itself through Turkey and Azerbaijan’s aggression and attempts at ethnic cleansing in Artsakh.
Once the war began, Gerami, without hesitation, flew to the embattled motherland to personally interview officials, veterans, experts, and journalists. He interviewed nine congressmen for the film, in order to get the response of American politicians to recent attacks in Artsakh. He documented how Presidents Aliyev (Azerbaijan) and Erdogan (Turkey) are covering their crimes, and in the process, also seeking to divert the attention of the world. Gerami also wanted to underscore the lack of major media coverage of the war.
From the day the invasion started on September 27, 2020, the making of the documentary has weighed heavily on Gerami. He had more than 43 hours of footage from the 2020 invasion of Artsakh. The process of post-production took almost seven months and Gerami had to live every aspect of the war during that period. During the process he and his editor worked to bring together a fast-paced film.
Gerami wanted to make the most accurate film possible, documenting every fact and piece of information. He understood that the film would be scrutinized, so it was important that all of the facts be substantiated and correct. The film was “made for non-Armenians” stated Gerami. “The people who were watching the film may not even know where Armenia or Artsakh is on a map.”
“I was determined to make a documentary film aimed toward bringing the attention of the world to the Artsakh conflict,” stated Gerami. “Therefore, the film is in many ways dense and full of information.”
Through a journalist and activist’s lens, “Motherland” focuses the world’s attention on the atrocities, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by Azerbaijan and Turkey against Artsakh and Armenia.
“Motherland is an investigative film, and I wanted to show people the reality of what is going on,” said Gerami. “There is still a genocide taking place and I felt the need to show explicit footage of the atrocities committed against the Armenians. I wanted people to leave the theater a little disturbed.”
CineCulture and the Armenian Studies Program have collaborated for many years in bringing Armenian films to the campus and the community.