Tweet
PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.naasr.org
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian
NAASR TO PRESENT EAST COAST PREMIERE
OF `GERMANY AND THE SECRET GENOCIDE'
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will
present the East Coast premiere of award-winning filmmaker J. Michael
Hagopian's documentary Germany and the Secret Genocide on Friday evening,
April 23, 2004, at 7:30 p.m., at Belmont (Mass.) High School, on Concord
Avenue in Belmont. This special event is in commemoration of the 89th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
The film, which chronicles the involvement of Germany with its ally the
Ottoman Empire in carrying out the Armenian Genocide, has been hailed by the
Los Angeles Times as a `revealing, notable, persuasive work ... a rigorously
researched and damning indictment.' Hagopian, a pioneer in the effort to
document the Armenian Genocide through films such as The Forgotten Genocide,
The Armenian Case, Where Are My People, and Voices from the Lake, will
attend the screening and take part in a panel discussion following the
showing.
Distinguished Panel to Discuss Film
In addition to Dr. Hagopian, the panel will include Prof. James R. Russell,
Mashtots Chair of Armenian Studies, Harvard University; Prof. Sharon Rivo,
Director, National Center for Jewish Film, Brandeis University; Dr. Suzanne
Moranian, historian and author; and John Shattuck, former Assistant
Secretary of State and current Chief Executive Officer, John F. Kennedy
Library Foundation.
Germany and the Secret Genocide follows the final footsteps of Armenians who
were led to their deaths in Turkey during the Armenian Genocide beginning in
April 1915. Hagopian weaves together filmed interviews and letters written
by American and European survivors of the Armenian Genocide with the
testimony of witnesses and experts in the field to examine Germany's
involvement in the mass killings of Armenians.
It is shown in the film that Germany had the power to stop the Armenian
Genocide but opted to do nothing and became complicit in what the Allied
governments proclaimed a `crime against humanity' by assisting in the
covering up of the Turkish government's actions. In addition, the
involvement of a number of Germans who were among the early members of the
Nazi party under Hitler is explored.
Hagopian demonstrates throughout the film that the Genocide was a
well-thought-out extermination of an entire culture - complete with a
pre-arranged train schedule for the transportation of Armenians out of their
ancestral homelands.
Acclaimed and Pioneering Filmmaker
Born in Kharpert-Mezreh in Historic Armenia, Hagopian has explored his roots
and the history of his people through the medium of film and won critical
acclaim, including two Emmys for the writing and production of The Forgotten
Genocide, the first full-length feature on the Armenian Genocide. In all,
Hagopian's work encompasses nearly 400 `witness' interviews and twenty years
of research.
In 1979, Hagopian founded the non-profit Armenian Film Foundation to
document Armenian culture and instill pride in Armenian youth worldwide.
Since then, he has been leading the effort to raise funds and create the
`Witnesses' trilogy on the Armenian Genocide. The first film, Voices From
the Lake, provided a case study of the Genocide's impact on one community,
Hagopian's birthplace of Kharpert-Mezreh.
Hagopian holds a doctorate in international relations from Harvard
University and an undergraduate degree from University of California,
Berkeley. Having left Armenia as an infant, he grew up in Fresno,
California, before moving to Los Angeles as a teenager.
Tickets are available in advance at the NAASR Headquarters and will be on
sale at Belmont High School on the night of the film showing. Advance
purchase is recommended. Ample parking is available at the Belmont High
School building and in adjacent areas on Concord Ave.
More information about the film showing is available by calling
617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to
NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
From: Baghdasarian
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.naasr.org
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian
NAASR TO PRESENT EAST COAST PREMIERE
OF `GERMANY AND THE SECRET GENOCIDE'
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will
present the East Coast premiere of award-winning filmmaker J. Michael
Hagopian's documentary Germany and the Secret Genocide on Friday evening,
April 23, 2004, at 7:30 p.m., at Belmont (Mass.) High School, on Concord
Avenue in Belmont. This special event is in commemoration of the 89th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
The film, which chronicles the involvement of Germany with its ally the
Ottoman Empire in carrying out the Armenian Genocide, has been hailed by the
Los Angeles Times as a `revealing, notable, persuasive work ... a rigorously
researched and damning indictment.' Hagopian, a pioneer in the effort to
document the Armenian Genocide through films such as The Forgotten Genocide,
The Armenian Case, Where Are My People, and Voices from the Lake, will
attend the screening and take part in a panel discussion following the
showing.
Distinguished Panel to Discuss Film
In addition to Dr. Hagopian, the panel will include Prof. James R. Russell,
Mashtots Chair of Armenian Studies, Harvard University; Prof. Sharon Rivo,
Director, National Center for Jewish Film, Brandeis University; Dr. Suzanne
Moranian, historian and author; and John Shattuck, former Assistant
Secretary of State and current Chief Executive Officer, John F. Kennedy
Library Foundation.
Germany and the Secret Genocide follows the final footsteps of Armenians who
were led to their deaths in Turkey during the Armenian Genocide beginning in
April 1915. Hagopian weaves together filmed interviews and letters written
by American and European survivors of the Armenian Genocide with the
testimony of witnesses and experts in the field to examine Germany's
involvement in the mass killings of Armenians.
It is shown in the film that Germany had the power to stop the Armenian
Genocide but opted to do nothing and became complicit in what the Allied
governments proclaimed a `crime against humanity' by assisting in the
covering up of the Turkish government's actions. In addition, the
involvement of a number of Germans who were among the early members of the
Nazi party under Hitler is explored.
Hagopian demonstrates throughout the film that the Genocide was a
well-thought-out extermination of an entire culture - complete with a
pre-arranged train schedule for the transportation of Armenians out of their
ancestral homelands.
Acclaimed and Pioneering Filmmaker
Born in Kharpert-Mezreh in Historic Armenia, Hagopian has explored his roots
and the history of his people through the medium of film and won critical
acclaim, including two Emmys for the writing and production of The Forgotten
Genocide, the first full-length feature on the Armenian Genocide. In all,
Hagopian's work encompasses nearly 400 `witness' interviews and twenty years
of research.
In 1979, Hagopian founded the non-profit Armenian Film Foundation to
document Armenian culture and instill pride in Armenian youth worldwide.
Since then, he has been leading the effort to raise funds and create the
`Witnesses' trilogy on the Armenian Genocide. The first film, Voices From
the Lake, provided a case study of the Genocide's impact on one community,
Hagopian's birthplace of Kharpert-Mezreh.
Hagopian holds a doctorate in international relations from Harvard
University and an undergraduate degree from University of California,
Berkeley. Having left Armenia as an infant, he grew up in Fresno,
California, before moving to Los Angeles as a teenager.
Tickets are available in advance at the NAASR Headquarters and will be on
sale at Belmont High School on the night of the film showing. Advance
purchase is recommended. Ample parking is available at the Belmont High
School building and in adjacent areas on Concord Ave.
More information about the film showing is available by calling
617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to
NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
From: Baghdasarian