Alone Under Fire

Seda Khachatryan, Rima Avagyan and Alvine Chobanyan are three Armenian septuagenarians whose lives are strung between memories of the past and challenges of the present. Gunfire occurs regularly in their village of Nerkin Karmiraghbyur, a stone's throw away from Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan, but there is no one to help these elderly women face it. They live all alone.  

Since the ceasefire more than 23 years ago that ended active warfare between the two countries over Nagorno Karabakh, this village of a thousand-some residents has emptied slowly, but steadily. Residents fled, seeking a safer daily life. Those who remain endure gunfire while farming in their fields or cooking in their homes.

TV is these women’s best friend; their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren live somewhere else. Their only dream is that peace would allow their families to return to the village.