Vardan Hovhannisyan
2021Donkey Island
Vardan Hovhannisyan
Escape to Monkey Island, deep in the tropical forests of Sri Lanka, where troops of toque macaques, tufted grey langurs, and purple-faced leaf monkeys have made their home among the crumbling ruins of ancient temples. In this verdant jungle, abundant fruit provides ample feasts for these foragers, but even in primate paradise, trouble awaits. Follow these charismatic monkeys as they deal with unpredictable weather and struggle to raise their young in an environment where hidden forest dangers lurk around every corner.
Monkey Island
Mardkayin patmutyun paterazmi yev khaghaghutyan
Vardan Hovhannisyan
Starting in 1988, a fierce battle raged between the two neighbouring states of Armenia and Azerbaijan (until 1991 part of the Soviet Union) over Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1994, an armistice gave control of Karabakh and the Azeri territory in-between to Armenia. Director Vadan Hovhannisyan shows the footage he shot as an independent war reporter on the front 12 years ago. He runs across the battlefield with a shaky camera, under a fierce shower of bullets. Scrawny soldiers with sunken eyes spend their days smoking, waiting and taking cover in trenches. Fallen comrades are carried down forest paths. Then, Hovhannisyan revisits the soldiers now, bringing prints of stills and frontline footage on his laptop. Although they have put on some weight, many of them are "victims of the peace," as Hovhannisyan calls it in his voice-over.
A Story of People in War and Peace