In a heartfelt interview on Armenia TV’s “Bari Luys” morning show, the creative team behind the powerful documentary installation “They Say We Have to Leave” discussed the project’s origins, its profound emotional depth, and its crucial international mission. Director, screenwriter, and producer Varsy Buchmann, joined by executive producer Gayane Manukyan, shed light on their response to the 2023 tragedy of Artsakh’s forced displacement and ethnic cleansing.

The project was born from a moment of crisis that demanded an artistic response. Buchmann pinpointed the exact moment the idea took shape: “The idea was created two years ago, on September 25th, when the [fuel depot] explosion happened… Something exploded inside me, too.” In the face of the unfolding tragedy, she immediately reached out to her collaborator. “I called Andreas Weber… and suggested we meet and talk about what we can do,” she recounted.

A central artistic choice was to focus the narrative on the experiences of women. When asked about this decision, Buchmann explained the meticulous selection process. “We chose the women for a very long time, starting last year in the spring,” she said. “The most important criteria for me was to have all age groups represented. We have participants from 17 to 85 years old, and for them to be from different spheres… from a high school student and young students to politicians and people who served in the defense army.” The goal was to paint a complete picture of “who the Artsakh woman is: how powerful, strong, and beautiful she is.”

Gayane Manukyan, the project’s executive producer, shared which parts of the three-section installation she found most impactful. “For me, it’s the second and third rooms,” she stated. “The second room addresses a very important humanistic problem: how oil, money, and cash dictate the agenda today, and what spiritual values we have lost in that territory.” The final section, which features personal home videos, was equally moving for her. “Simply the life that existed,” she explained. “A child’s game on a swing, a wedding… the domestic life. There was life there.”

With the installation now beginning its international tour, Buchmann’s goal is to bridge the gap between the Armenian experience and the global community. “One of my most important goals is that I can make the pain we feel accessible and understandable to a foreigner,” she asserted. She aims to dissolve the line between “us and them” with a powerful message: “The loss of Artsakh is not only our loss… we left behind a huge Christian heritage there, which is the loss of the entire Christian world.”

Looking forward, the team is calling on the Armenian diaspora to help carry this mission forward. Manukyan acknowledged the difficulty of the task but highlighted the power of community. “I would like to appeal to all our Armenian communities in the diaspora… to help with resources, contacts, space, and volunteering,” she said, emphasizing that this is how the project can reach decision-makers and international platforms.