The documentary film "Infinite Corridor" was produced as part of the "Justice for Khojaly" campaign, and the project was personally supported by Leyla Aliyeva, the Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Richard Lapaitis, the Lithuanian journalist and main character of the film, told Report's Eastern European bureau after the film screening in Kyiv.
"Filming such a movie was necessary. The project was implemented thanks to Leyla Aliyeva, who loves Karabakh with all her heart and soul. The filming lasted four years. The film crew even managed to talk to the organizers of the Khojaly genocide, which in itself was incredibly risky and practically impossible. Nevertheless, it was possible to capture their confessions," he said.
The events in the film are presented as personal memories of the surviving witnesses, recounted in interviews with Lapaitis. He emphasized that filming the movie was difficult for him, as the memories are traumatic for a person.
"Nevertheless, the film attracted enormous attention: it was shown in Kyiv, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam – there are practically no countries left where it hasn't been seen. In total, more than 500 million people watched the film," added Lapaytis.
The journalist also emphasized that there were many people eager to watch the film, and as a result, the hall was packed, with the audience watching it in complete silence. He thanked the film crew and everyone who contributed to bringing the film to light.
In turn, Ukrainian journalist Oleg Klemchuk reminded that in the late 1980s – early 1990s, an information vacuum formed around the situation in Karabakh.
"Back then, the central press, that is, Moscow, promoted an agenda beneficial to it, and no one spoke the truth. In reality, peaceful Azerbaijanis were subjected to violence and killed in Karabakh. In this sense, the film is an extremely valuable documentary material. It took me back 30 years. I relived those events again, but from the perspective of real facts. We hope that those responsible for these tragic events will be punished," he emphasized.
Kyiv has today hosted an event dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. As part of the event, the documentary film "Endless Corridor" was also screened.
The event was attended by deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, foreign diplomats, leaders of the Crimean Tatar community, historians, university professors and students, as well as local residents.