Jivan Avetisyan’s ‘Gate to Heaven’ wins top prize at Pomegranate Film Festival

Filmmaker Jivan Avetisyan’s drama “Gate to Heaven” won the Best Feature Film award at the Pomegranate Film Festival held in Toronto on November 7-13, the National Cinema Center of Armenia reports.

“Gate to Heaven” is a state-supported international war drama starring Richard Sammel, Tatiana Spivakova, Sos Janibekyan, Leo Pobedonoscevas and Naira Zakarian.

The film tells the story of Robert Sternvall, a German journalist haunted by his past who returns to Artsakh after a 22-year absence to cover the resurgence of war. In the course of his reporting, Robert meets Sophia Marti, a young opera singer and daughter of missing photojournalist Edgar Martirosyan, who Robert abandoned to be taken captive during the fall of the village of Talish in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1992. As their romance develops, Robert cannot escape from his guilty conscience and must face the truth of his past actions. Meanwhile, the editor-in-chief of the Berlin Post is preparing a grand exhibition to showcase Robert’s talent and celebrate his accomplishments. Sophia is eager to attend the prestigious event, not knowing what awaits her.