Children of War hits the festival circuit
Creative Armenia’s innovative anthology showcases powerful visions by filmmakers Vahe Terteryan, Anna Maria Mouradian, Aram Shahbazyan, Asier Urbieta, and Andoni de Carlos.
December 11, 2017 | by Creative Armenia
Tbilisi, Georgia – Creative Armenia spent the week at the Tbilisi International Film Festival, where it unveiled the human rights anthology Children of War. Launching from a Human Rights Watch screening in Los Angeles, the film has been playing in Los Angeles, New York, Glasgow, Batumi, and other cities before closing out the year in Tbilisi.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, The Promise) had earlier led an international jury in evaluating human rights submissions from across the world. Ultimately the following works were invited to take part in the anthology.
Pim Pam Pum – a thriller by Asier Urbieta and Andoni de Carlos. The filmmakers from Spain have strong backgrounds in television and cinema, and their works have screened at more than 500 festivals. In one breathtaking master shot, this collaborative vision portrays a boy navigating the brutal chaos of the police state.
Human Rights – a drama set in Armenia by Vahe Terteryan, an Armenia-based documentary filmmaker. With a background in television, Terteryan sets his fable in an ordinary classroom. When gunshot blasts through window, a dramatic series of events lead one student to take decisive action.
Asier Urbieta & Andoni de Carlos, Anna Maria Mouradian, Vahe Terteryan, and Aram Shahbazyan are the directors of Children of War.
Pomegranate Tree – an animation by Anna Maria Mouradian. Born in Syria and living in Canada, Mouradian is the award-winning creator of the animated short films Seen Through the Eyes of Children and Pomegranate Tree. This 60-second animated vision culminates in a poignant metaphor of dispersion and rebirth.
Green & Black – a docudrama set in Syria by Aram Shahbazyan. One of Armenia’s most prolific filmmakers, and the winner of the FIPRESCI Prize among many international awards, Shahbazyan delivers an adventure that begins in Armenia but ends at a powerful baptismal ceremony in the ruins of Syria.
“Visceral and haunting,” George calls Children of War, which will continue on the festival circuit in 2018. “This collection is an extraordinary testament.”
Watch the trailer of Children of War.