There Was, There Was Not

There Was, There Was Not follows four women living in the Republic of Artsakh, an unrecognized country reckoning with the aftermath of one war and 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: A political activist runs for office to change the corrupt politics of her city; a martial artist strives to bring Olympic gold back to her homeland; a domestic violence activist helps women despite receiving death threats for her work, and a single mother disarms landmines from the last war.

When war breaks out again, what began as an observational meditation on women’s role after conflict becomes an urgent and intimate record of four women's 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. When the war finally ends, most of their homeland has been lost and the women must find a way to rebuild with the little that remains. In the midst of this struggle for survival in a new reality, each woman sits down to tell the myth of their homeland which may not exist much longer.

Supported by the Sundance Institute, HotDocs CrossCurrents Fund, and Chicken & Egg Pictures