There Was, There Was Not

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There Was, There Was Not

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1h 34m

Documentary

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15 Reviews

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THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT follows four women living in the Republic of Artsakh, an unrecognized country reckoning with the aftermath of one war while on the precipice of another. In the midst of this uncertainty, four women build a life with the hope of making their home a better place. When war breaks out again, what began as an observational meditation on women's roles after conflict becomes an urgent and intimate record of their lives interrupted once again by war. From taking up arms on the front lines to fleeing their homes as refugees, we watch each woman's life change irrevocably. The war ends in the unimaginable: the complete erasure of their homeland. Amid these women's struggle for survival in a new reality, this film becomes the myth of a home lost forever, and the power of story to keep it alive.

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Susannah Gruder

IndieWire

The title of Armenian-American filmmaker Emily Mkrtichian’s documentary is drawn from the traditional opening line of Armenian fairy tales and fables, and the words become a fitting mantra throughout this poetically constructed film

Rated: A

Dec 12, 2024

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Scott Tobias

The Reveal

There Was, There Was Not becomes a wrenching memorial for a country that no longer exists, a fairy tale without a happily ever after.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 1, 2024

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Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

Though “There Was, There Was Not” is derived from the way Armenians open a fairytale, the title fully captures the waking nightmare of permanent displacement.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 10, 2024

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

A touching documentary about 4 women in an area of the world I do not know much about

Oct 17, 2025

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Genevieve Radosti

MovieJawn

In There Was, There Was Not, we witness dreams pivot, and sometimes fade, and homes become memories and we feel in our hearts that, along with Artsakh, something beautiful has been lost but never forgotten.

Oct 14, 2025

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

The film stands as a stark reminder that cultures all over this world are being erased and people are being ethnically cleansed from their homelands under the watch of global powers who do little to deter these tragedies.

Oct 11, 2025

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Emily Mkrtichian

Director

Siranush Sargsyan

Self

Svetlana Harutunyan

Self

Gayane Hambardzumyan

Self

Sosè Balasanyan

Self

Emily Mkrtichian

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Synopsis

THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT follows four women living in the Republic of Artsakh, an unrecognized country reckoning with the aftermath of one war while on the precipice of another. In the midst of this uncertainty, four women build a life with the hope of making their home a better place. When war breaks out again, what began as an observational meditation on women's roles after conflict becomes an urgent and intimate record of their lives interrupted once again by war. From taking up arms on the front lines to fleeing their homes as refugees, we watch each woman's life change irrevocably. The war ends in the unimaginable: the complete erasure of their homeland. Amid these women's struggle for survival in a new reality, this film becomes the myth of a home lost forever, and the power of story to keep it alive.

Director: Emily Mkrtichian
Producer: Mara Adina, Emily Mkrtichian, Brock Williams
Screenwriter: Emily Mkrtichian
Distributor: Watermelon Pictures
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Armenian
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 34m