Armenian Filmmaker Launches Global Reverse Casting Call before CPH:DOX to Reconnect with Anonymous Faces Filmed Over 15 Years
Luxembourg-based Armenian filmmaker Seg Kirakossian, as part of the Armenian delegation ArmDoc will be at CPH:DOX. Before the visit Kirakossian announces an unprecedented global initiative linked to his 15-year cross-continental documentary project Purification: a reverse casting call to reconnect with individuals filmed anonymously across more than twenty countries.
For fifteen years, Kirakossian filmed fragments of human presence across five continents – in streets, landscapes, rituals and moments of transition. The result is Purification, a 75-minute poetic documentary meditation on greed, humanity and our existence.
The faces of many individuals forming the visual memory of the film were never identified. Unlike traditional casting calls, this initiative moves backwards in time. Sixty-two still frames from the film have been released publicly. Individuals who recognize themselves or someone they know are invited to come forward. Those identified will be invited to attend premiere screenings near their cities whenever possible, symbolically reuniting the film with the people who unknowingly shaped it.
The film includes footage shot over 15 years in: Armenia, Australia, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States.
About the film
Purification was filmed gradually between 2009 and 2024 across diverse socio-political and cultural landscapes. The project evolved without a conventional production model, functioning instead as a long-duration cinematic inquiry into human desire, excess, and renewal.
The film proposes a non-linear, sensory historiography of humanity. Rather than documenting events, it assembles gestures, gazes, crowds, silences, ruins, celebrations, and rituals – constructing an allegorical portrait of civilization itself. Through visual juxtaposition and rhythmic montage, it suggests both critique and contemplation avoiding condemnation while exposing repetition.
Kirakossian’s methodology challenges traditional documentary authorship. Instead of central characters, the film operates as a collective mirror. Instead of interviews, it relies on visual accumulation. Instead of narrative exposition, it embraces poetic structure.
Armenia at CPH:DOX
Kirakossian attends CPH:DOX as part of the Armenian Documentary Association, presenting an Armenian-authored project developed across continents. The presence highlights the increasing internationalization of Armenian documentary cinema and its engagement with global philosophical themes.
Within the context of CPH:DOX – one of the world’s leading documentary platforms – the reverse casting call expands the festival moment beyond industry networking, activating a global public dialogue.
Seg Kirakossian is available for interviews during CPH:DOX 2026 in Copenhagen. For inquiries: press@purificationfilm.com