In both Armenian and Azerbaijani, Karabakh means "the black garden", 4 400 square kilometres of resplendent mountains to which both sides lay claim as their historic heartland. Caught between Christian Armenia to the West and Muslim Azerbaijan to the East, Karabakh soon fell victim to the upsurge in Armenian and Azeri nationalism. First handed over to Azerbaijan by Stalin in 1921, the mountains of Upper Karabakh, 80% of whose population is made up of Armenian peasants, unilaterally chose to become part of Armenia in 1988. This "provocation" was immediately followed by a massacre against Armenian civilians living in Azerbaijan lasting three days. It was the beginning of a war for position, which has lasted for six years under the watchful and versatile control of first the Soviet Union, and then Russia. The film gradually draws out the real causes of the conflict. In order to transport Azerbaijan's oil to the Turkish terminals, the major Western oil companies must impose their “peace”.
Festivals and Awards:
Best Report (over 40 min.), FIGRA France, 1993)
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