Two films about Karabakh vying for Oscars nomination

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its list of 285 eligible films for the 2025 Academy Awards in the animated, documentary, and international feature categories. The list of films include two documentaries that center on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh): Shoghakat Vardanyan’s documentary “1489” and Sareen Hairabedian’s documentary “My Sweet Land”, the Armenian Film Society reports.

Shoghakat Vardanyan carves a cinematic and raw portrait of her family during the months spent in limbo after her younger brother disappears during the 2020 Artsakh War. 1489 won the 2023 IDFA Award for Best Film as well as the FIPRESCI Prize.

“My Sweet Land” follows 11-year-old Vrej, who dreams of becoming a dentist in his village in Artsakh, which has been at the heart of a violent dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the 1980s. The film was dropped as Jordan’s Oscar century for the Best International Feature Film category due to political pressure from Azerbaijan. “My Sweet Land”is now eligible for the Best Documentary Feature Film category, and will receive a theatrical release on November 29 with Laemmle Theatres.

Edgar Baghdasaryan’s “Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev” will be competing in the Best International Feature Film category as Armenia’s official submission.

There are 169 eligible films in the documentary category. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will announce their shortlist of 15 films on December 17, followed by nominations on January 17. The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre.