Short Documentary on Atrocities Against Armenians in Baku Wins Oscar

This year, the Oscar for "Best Short Documentary" was awarded to "The Last Shop Renovated," which features a segment about Armenians who lived in Baku. The film premiered on September 1, 2023, at the 50th Telluride Film Festival.

In November 2023, "The Last Shop Renovated" was recognized as the best short documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards held in New York.

The film is set in Los Angeles and tells the story of Steve Baghamyan, the manager of a student musical instrument repair workshop. He was born and raised in Baku, but after 1987-88, repression and violence against the local Armenian population began in Azerbaijan.

"Every day it became more dangerous, and people were afraid to live there. My father was an optimist; he said, 'I won't go anywhere, I haven't done anything wrong to be harmed.' He was murdered at his workplace," recounts the film's protagonist, unable to hide his emotion.

The directors of the film are Ben Pradfuth and Chris Bowers. On February 16, 2024, the film was screened over 700 times across the United States and Canada.