Filmmaker Shoghakat Vardanyan's documentary film “1489” about the Second Karabakh War has been recognized as the winner of the Rome International Documentary Film Festival, Vardanyan herself said on social media.

"It is an honor, especially since the chairman of the jury is Sergei Loznitsa. It is truly a great honor, and also a great responsibility," Vardanyan wrote.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently 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): Vardanyan’s documentary “1489” and Sareen Hairabedian’s documentary “My Sweet Land”, the Armenian Film Society reports.

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.