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There Was, There Was Not

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
There Was, There Was Not

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Movie Info

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