There Was, There Was Not

Emily Mkrtichian

THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT follows four women in the Republic of Artsakh, an unrecognized country facing the aftermath of one war and the threat of another. As they build lives of hope and resilience, war disrupts their world once again, forcing them to take up arms or flee as refugees. Their journeys reflect a homeland lost and the enduring power of storytelling to preserve it.

Emily Mkrtichian is a filmmaker and multimedia artist. Her documentary There Was, There Was Not won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Golden Apricot. She also directed Transmission and Motherland. Her work has been exhibited globally and supported by Sundance, IDA, and Locarno. She divides her time between the U.S. and Armenia.

– True / False 2024 – Official Selection / World Premiere (USA)
– Golden Apricot Film Festival 2024 – Official Selection / National Premiere, FIPRESCI Prize (Armenia)
– Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2024 – International Competition / International Premiere, Audience Award, First Honorable Mention (Argentina)
– DOC NYC 2024 – American Perspectives Selection (USA)
– New Orleans Film Festival 2024 – Documentary Feature Selection (USA)
– Tacoma Film Festival 2024 – Documentary Feature Films Selection / Best Documentary Feature Award (USA)
– Heartland International Film Festival 2024 – Documentary Competition (USA)
– Santa Fe International Film Festival 2024 – Documentary Competition (USA)
– San Francisco Arab Film Festival 2024 – Documentary Competition (USA)
– Los Angeles Armenian Film Festival 2024 – Documentary Competition (USA)
– Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2024 – Documentary Competition (USA)

Original title There Was, There Was Not
Director Emily Mkrtichian
Duration 94
Production year 2024
Theme Women
Aspect 16:9
Format 4K
Category Feature Film
Subcategory Documentary
Genre Politics, Human Rights
Nationality Armenia, United states
Producer Boxcar Films
Dialogue language Armenian, English
Subtitle language English, Spanish