"Bad Dream" is a film directed by Arnold Ghazaryan, a young Armenian filmmaker from the village of Khachmach, Artsakh. After serving in the 44 Day Artsakh War and being injured Arnold returned to his village only to continue to struggle with the aftermath of the war and its long reaching effects, both physical and mental. Arnold was born and raised there with his younger brothers. After returning to his village, he struggled with the aftermath of the war and his injury, not only physically but mentally.
Through his film ‘Bad Dream’, Arnold tackles the subjects of loss and mental health, while sharing with us not only the collective Armenian struggle, but his personal struggle and journey in understanding and coming to terms with his own experiences in the Artsakh war.
Filming wasn't easy for Arnold, as parts of the region were in the process of being handed over to Azerbaijan. Drones lingered overhead and threatened Arnold and everyone in his village during production.
Towards the end of the filming, Arnold brought in children from his village into the film as a way to provide a distraction from the realities of the war.
Through this 'Bad Dream', Arnold has been able to beautifully capture and articulate all of our Armenian feelings into a poignant and personal film. The film is a collaboration between the Artsakh based film collective The Future's Calling and diasporan based entertainment group MIASEEN Inc.