The "Unfinished song" film is a good occasion for thinking over the need for mutual understanding between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, General Producer Ashot Poghosyan told journalists February 2. He said that the film is an attempt to understand the causes of the conflict by means of the cinema.

"Art is supposed to unite people, and we are trying to do so. Saber-rattling and unnecessary threats must become a thing of the past. Nagorno-Karabakh proclaimed independence as far back as 1988 and there is no way back. Azerbaijan must have the courage to admit the fact and maintain a constructive dialogue to normalize relations," Poghosyan said.

Responding to the Azeri journalist Gyulshan Babayev`s question about cooperation with Azerbaijani representatives, Poghosyan said: "The film crew repeatedly stated it was ready for cooperation with all the interested persons. Azerbaijani representatives have not yet made any proposal, while they spare no efforts to discredit the film."

Responding to the Azeri journalist Vugar Ismailov`s question concerning the claims that the film demonstrated the two people`s ethnic incompatibility, Poghosyan said: "It would be a sin against the truth to ignore the fact that a lot of people are of this opinion in our societies. However, openly speaking of stereotypes does not at all mean shooting a film about ethnic incompatibility. On the contrary, we will show that, after Nagorno-Karabakh proclaimed its independence, preconditions for normalization of relations between the two neighbor-nations can be created,"

The Armenian film crew regrets that Azerbaijan has launched an aggressive campaign in mass media. "The reason is clear: dislike for all that Armenians do. However, I think we have not exhausted the potential for an open dialogue. The film is supposed to tell the world the truth about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We call on the Azerbaijani side to be reasonable and join the project," Poghosyan said.

He reported the trailer will be shown late this month. Over 100,000 people, with 30,000 of them fro Azerbaijan, have visited the official website of the film (www.prervannaya-pesnya.ru) since it was launched a fortnight ago. On the other hand, the website has been attacked 26 times over the last two days. "We have concluded a contract with a Russian internet security company, and our side is protected now," Poghosyan said.

Young Armenians residing in Moscow, Russia, came up with the idea of the film. According to the plot, an Armenian and an Azerbaijani participating in the Nagorno-Karabakh war get into a pit and establish a dialogue.
The premiere is scheduled for late May. Then authors plan to screen the film in Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the U.S., Turkey, India and other states.

The authors themselves funded the project, its estimated budget being U.S. $1 million.