Featuring a never-seen-before satellite image of the Djulfa cemetery before its final destruction, “The New Tears of Araxes” is an independent film (December 2006) that documents the vital loss of Azerbaijan’s indigenous Armenian cultural heritage.
The title of the film is a reference to a famous Armenian poem by Raphael Patkanian, “The Tears of Araxes,” in which the River Araxes laments the disappearance of Armenians from its banks:
Still, while my sons are exiled,
Shall I be sad, as now.
This is my heart’s deep utterance,
My true and holy vow.
Written by Sarah Pickman. Narrated and Produced by Simon Maghakyan. Music by Djivan Gasparian (Gladiator, The Passion of the Christ, Munich, Syriana). Digital sound track production by Transtar Entertainment Group. Photographs by Research on Armenian Architecture, Hrair “Hawk” Khacherian, and Argam Ayvazian. Footage of 2005 destruction by Armenian Prelacy of Tabriz, Iran. Satellite image by Digital Globe. Map courtesy of The Times, London. © Simon Maghakyan, 2006.