TURIN, Italy—“Endless Escape, Eternal Return” by Armenian filmmaker Harutiun Khachatrian won Best International Documentary at the 33rd Turin Film Festival. The movie was also awarded a 5,000 euro prize. 10 other movies had been introduced in the same nomination from the United States, France, Germany, UK, Brazil, Belgium, Syria and others. Khachatrian said that issues of great concern for the Armenian people have been introduced in the movie.
Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, three history-making events shook Armenia: independence from the Soviet Union, which redrew the geography of an entire portion of the world; the war with Azerbaijan for control of Nagorno-Karabakh; and a devastating earthquake. These episodes forced many Armenians to leave their homeland. Including a man who today lives in Moscow and retraces for us his journey as an exile, which has lasted over twenty years.
Khachatrian was born in Javakhk, Georgia. He graduated in 1981 from the Film Division of the Department of Culture of the Armenian State Pedagogical University. Between 1981 to 1986, he worked as an assistant to director and film director at the Armenian Documentary Studio and between 1987 to 2005 he worked at Hayfilm (a.k.a. Armenfilm Studio) as director and producer. His films have been awarded prizes at various international film festivals. In 2003, he received an Armenian government award and obtained recognition as Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia. Director of Golden Apricot International Film Festival, he is also co-founder and General Director of Yerevan International Film Festival since 2004.