Bonded Parallels

Norway, World War II. Hanna, whose husband Henrik participates in the resistance movement, gives temporary asylum to a prisoner of war, Arakel, by hiding him in her house in northern Norway. The presence of this stranger changes Hanna's life, and she starts writing about her mixed feelings in her diary. Soviet Union, Armenia, 1988. Laura, 42, a single and fiercely independent math teacher, lives a quiet and isolated life in Yerevan. It seems that nothing can change her rigidly ordered daily routine until she receives the diary of her mother, who died while giving birth to her. As Laura learns about her parents' story for the first time - a love story of desperation, loss and primal passion - she begins to experience a parallel story of forbidden love in her own life. ==Cast==

• Siri Helene Müller as Hanga • Laurence Ritter as Laura • Sos Janibekyan as Narek • Serge Avedikian as Arakel ==Production==

The project was developed by the AVANTI Training program for South Caucasus Filmmakers between 2003 and 2004, implemented by FOCAL and funded by the SDC-Swiss Development Agency. In 2004 a co-production agreement was reached with Hayfilm, the Armenian State studio. The shooting of the Armenian part of the film began in July 2005, until October. 2006 saw a contribution from the Norwegian Film Fund for commencement of shootings in Norway, and a co-production agreement was reached with ORIGINAL FILM AS in July 2006, with the Norwegian part of the shooting beginning the same month. Further contributions towards the production were received from the Hubert Bals Fund (October 2006), the SDC-Swiss Development Agency (May 2008), the Armenian Ministry of Culture (March 2009), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (May 2009), and Russian distribution company Paradise (May 2009). Production was completed in June 2009. ==Awards and honours==