publications

Program for NOLI ME TANGERE 2026 by James Learoyd
“There are few films like the deeply impactful Fibers which uses food to recount warand aggression – specifically the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 and theattacks on Artsakh. While she carefully prepares zhengyalov bread, we sit andlisten to our subject candidly recall the terror of one particular bombing, and theharrowing activities of the Azerbaijani military – which, following this film’smaking, led to the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Artsakh in 2023. It’s a filmthat confronts us with issues of forced displacement; urges us to examine the veryrecent past and consider its present relevance. Though it’s also, artisticallyspeaking, concerned with montage, digital textures and the strange filmic flow oftime. Many audacious editing tricks and subconscious audio-visual connections areoffered up to the viewer. By presenting such an unusual fusion of content andimage, it leaves us pondering how easily lines can be drawn between the food andart we consume, and the cruelty omnipresent in our world. On a metatextual level,we can also question whether the filmmaker believes this is one way to get people tonot turn a blind eye towards mass dehumanization. To present alluring imagery ofconsumables – a gorgeous cinematic conceit; an act of appreciation for oneindividual’s craft and expression of their culture; and, perhaps, a subtle indictmentof the watching public.”