Movie on Armenia’s earthquake to be nominated for foreign Oscar

October 31, 2015 - 12:11 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Filming is underway in Moscow for “The Story of One Earthquake,” a movie about the devastating 1988 quake in Armenia, which claimed lives of thousands of people, Public Radio of Armenia reports citing TASS.

The shooting has started on the territory of an old Moscow factory, where a set of ruined Leninakan (now Gyumri) has been constructed.

Initially, the crew focused on the documentary materials, but things changed after the authors spent time talking to people affected by the tragedy. “Emotionally, this project is a very complex one,” Production Designer David Dadunashvili said.

Director Sarik Andreasyan was also impressed by the meeting with the residents of Gyumri. “The moment you talk to people, they start crying. I thought recreating the ruins, coffins, corpses around the city would be unforgivable; it would not be fair to the people of Gyumri,” the director said.

Andreasyan hopes the movie will reach out to every viewer. “Even those who know nothing about the earthquake in Armenia won’t be able stay indifferent to the tragedy.”

The film will hit big screens in Russia and Armenia in late 2016 and will probably be nominated for a Foreign Language Oscar.