Two years of dedicated work have culminated in a powerful and heart-wrenching documentary installation by Swiss-Armenian director, screenwriter, and producer Varsy Buchmann. Titled “They Say We Have to Leave,” the project confronts the harrowing events of September 2023, which saw the forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh following an attack by Azerbaijan.

The installation centers on the stories of 120 women from Artsakh, creating an unforgettable historical record of their trauma, resilience, and memory.

The project was born from a place of deep conviction. For Buchmann, the mission is clear: “We must remember our history ourselves, we must not let our history be forgotten.” She emphasizes that the project is designed to be accessible to a global audience, stating, “I want to make it understandable for them that the loss of Artsakh is not only the loss of Armenians. The loss of Artsakh is the loss of the entire Christian world. We left a huge Christian heritage there.”

The installation is a multi-part, immersive experience. The first section brings visitors face-to-face with the video portraits of 120 women and girls who survived the ordeal. In a haunting testimonial, one woman recounts the agonizing choices she had to make: “With my own hands, I burned my mother’s certificates of honor, her medals, her military uniform… all military memories. You could say, her entire life.” These personal stories of loss are the foundation of the exhibition. The process of gathering these testimonies was emotionally taxing for everyone involved. “I had to start from zero every day and find the strength within me to listen,” Buchmann recalls, noting that many of the women were not ready to speak about their experiences.

The second part of the installation serves as a powerful political statement. It features a flow of oil, beneath which justice is “drowned,” alongside the names of churches and monasteries left behind—a stark commentary on the world’s priorities. The final section is a deeply personal look into the lives of the people of Artsakh before the displacement. It showcases family archives—videos of weddings, birthdays, and everyday moments, creating a vivid picture of the happy lives that were uprooted.

“They Say We Have to Leave” is a profound act of remembrance and a call for global attention. Following the limited event in Yerevan, the exhibition will travel to Basel on October 31st. As Buchmann states, “The idea of the project is to travel the world and make the voice of Artsakh heard.” It is a crucial step in ensuring that the stories of the 120,000 displaced people are not lost to history. The installation ends with a message of hope and defiance from one of the women: “We are that tree, and we will grow again.”