The Center for Youth Employment in Druskininkai hosted the awarding ceremony for the filmmakers of the documentary “Endless Corridor” with the highest award of the International Eurasia Press Fund “Karabakh” and the first film screening in the South of Lithuania.
Eurasia Diary reports that a producer and film director Alexander Brokas,main character of the film Richardas Lapaitis, the organizers of the event, invited guests, journalists, and students, in general, about 100 people took part in the event.
The event was organized by the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), the Druskininkai Police Commissariat and The Center for Youth Employment in Druskininkai.
Related: Filmmakers of "Endless Corridor" given IEPF HIGHEST AWARD "KARABAKH"
While making speech in the event, main producer of the film Alexandras Brokas noted that the documentray is about the ethnic cleasning of Armenians against innocent Azerbaijanis.
With your permission, I want to speak about how I met with Richardas. When the shooting started, I knew nothing about him, neither what he was doing, nor where he lived. I got a chance to know with an Azerbaijani. He told me what happened to their country and hinted that someone from the Lithuanian journalists at the beginning of the nineties wrote about the war, about Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh in Lithuania. So, step by step, it is revealed that it was Richardas. Then we recognized his name and began to search for his address.
I am grateful to him for believing me and allowing him to look in his diaries. He opened for us, for film directors, the real treasure of his experiences. I want to state that he agreed not immediately. In general, initially, no one wanted to star in this film because of heavy emotional wounds. Richardas conquered us with his prostate and his patriotic approach to the pain of others.
When in 2016 I was invited to Indonesia and the King of Bali presented me with an honorary award for peacekeeping work, it was clear that the audience from Indonesia to the USA understood the idea of this film. This film has already seen billions of viewers of our planet.
"I am glad that today there is an opportunity to show “Endless Corridor" in Druskininkai city. Thanks again to Richardas for his tremendous contribution in the film making process.”
The documentary is based on the memories of surviving witnesses of the Khojaly events, prisoners of war, journalists and interviews with persons directly involved in organizing the massacre of the Armenian side, which were recorded during meetings with them by Lithuanian journalist Richard Lapaitis - a witness to the horrors of the tragic history of the small town of Khojaly in Nagorny Karabakh (Azerbaijan). The on-screen work reflects the reality that allows us to understand and answer the main question, how could it happen that 613 civilians were brutally killed overnight.
The film was screened firstly on July 1, 2015, at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). "Endless Corridor" won the "Humanitarian Award" for the nomination of "Outstanding Achievement" at the "Global Film Awards 2015". The Global Film Awards is presented by the influential American publication Accolade Global Film Competition. The film was recognized as the best documentary and best work of the director of the year at the international film festivals in Madrid and Tenerife.
The presentation of "Endless Corridor" documentary was held by the Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva, within the framework of the promotional campaign "Justice for Khojaly!" in Istanbul, Ankara, Rome, Vilnius, London, Paris, Dublin, Berlin, Bern and Luxembourg.
Video of the speech in Lithuanian is available
