The Armenian Studies Program web page is sponsored by a grant from
The Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable
Foundation, Fresno.
Every year as April approaches, Armenians are
increasingly reminded of the Armenian Genocide, “the forgotten genocide,” which
commenced
on April 24, 1915 with the massacres of Armenian religious,
political, and intellectual leaders in
On the evening of Friday, March 6,
Written and directed by documentary filmmaker Andrew
Goldberg, The Armenian Genocide first
aired on PBS in 2006. The
sixty-minute film presents valuable information about the Genocide including
interviews with world-renowned
genocide scholars, as well as historical
accounts from survivors, perpetrators, and eyewitnesses. Experts in the field like
Samantha
Power, Taner Akçam, Peter Balakian, Vahakn Dadrian, Ara Sarafian, and
others appear in this film to explain the historical, political,
and social
aspects of the genocide. Celebrities also lend themselves to the production by
narrating the film and giving voice to the
many personal historical accounts
from people living at the time of the Genocide.
The documentary provides viewers with a history of
Armenians
in their homeland from the rise of the Ottoman Empire up to
present-day
As a follow-up to this film, Professor Barlow Der
Mugrdechian invited the viewers to respond to the film and opened the floor to
questions.
A thoughtful discussion ensued in which audience members inquired
about several issues including the religious aspects of the Genocide,
the
limited instances of Armenian resistance, and the modern Turkish government’s
continued denial of the Genocide.
After the film and
discussion had concluded,
CineCulture provided a questionnaire for viewers to complete to share their
responses to the film.