Shadow of Ararat – Spanish Documentary About Armenia

On February 10, 2017, the documentary “Shadow of Ararat” by Spanish director Miguel Ángel Nieto was premiered in Madrid, Spain. This film shot with the support of a patron of Armenian descent tells the story of Armenia and its people.

“Only 30% of all the Armenians live in Armenia. The other 70% live beyond the borders of their historical homeland. There are lots of celebrities among the Armenians scattered around the world, the ancestry of whom is only known to few,” wrote Madridpress.

The main heroes of the documentary are public and political figures of Armenian descent from various countries. Among them are French singers Charles Aznavour and Rosy Armen, Spanish violinist Ara Malikian, American musician Arto Tunçboyacıyan, Russian test pilot Ruben Yesayan, astrophysicist Garik Israelian, director Robert Ketikian, entrepreneurs David Yang and Ruben Vardanyan, polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, historian Hayk Demoyan, mathematician and historian Claude Moutafian, chef Armen Petrossian, former President of Lebanon Émile Lahoud, and many others.

Although this documentary isn’t about such events as the Armenian Genocide specifically, it does touch upon the tragic events of the Armenian history. This documentary also isn’t about the natural beauty of Armenia or its cuisine. Instead, it represents Armenia through its renowned sons and daughters.

“Shadow of Ararat” tells the story of a nation on a small Christian island that withstood the passage of time along with the tragedies it brought. Armenia is the only country that has existed for the past 5 thousand years.

“We know many states that had existed back in the times with Armenia – for example, Mesopotamia – but none of them exist today unlike Armenia,” writes Madridpress.

The idea of the documentary occurred in the spring of 2015 in one of the hotels in Moscow. Here, the film’s director met a millionaire of Armenian descent who offered him to shoot a film about Armenia. The patron wished to stay anonymous, and that’s why the general public doesn’t know his name. The shooting began in the autumn of 2015 and was done in Armenia, Spain, Turkey, France, Lebanon, Russia, and Israel.

тень Арарата teaser, 2017