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'SCREAMING' FOR JUSTICE
By Carl Kozlowski
Pasadena Weekly, CA
Dec 14 2006
In a new documentary, Glendale's System of a Down turns up the volume
on the battle for recognition of the Armenian Genocide
Think of documentaries, and you might imagine films focused on
obscure topics and filled with serious facts, adding up to minimal
entertainment value. Think of rock concert films and you'll likely
picture a band full of airhead, perhaps mullet-wearing men banging
out tunes between lurid backstage scenes of groupies and drug parties.
What you'd likely never expect to see is a film like "Screamers" -
a powerful new documentary that details the raw inhumanity of the
1915 Armenian Genocide in Turkey while also providing its audience
with walloping doses of rock 'n' roll, thanks to the passionate
participation of Glendale native rockers System of a Down: Serj
Tankian, John Dolmayan, Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian. Following
the Grammy Award-winning band on tour as it educates its rabid fan
base through message-laden songs, the film also observes the band's
lead singer Tankian as he poignantly stirs the memories of his
genocide-survivor grandfather.
Together, the film makes the urgent case that official recognition of
the genocide - which several major countries, including the United
States, have been reluctant to do - is key not only to remembering
the past but also to preventing current and future genocides.
"I'm Armenian myself, and a descendent of genocide survivors,
but didn't see what I could bring to a film about genocide until I
heard about System of a Down," says Carla Garapedian, the director of
"Screamers," which had its world premiere Nov. 2 at the Los Angeles
Film Festival. "A colleague said, 'Maybe you should do something with
these guys.' I went to a 2004 Greek Theatre concert with them that
had a lot of organizations with information tables about genocide,
and fans were coming over and knew all about the Armenian and other
genocides. I was amazed. These were 15-year-olds into their 30s, so
I thought this must be a really different band, able to make the kids
ask questions about this very difficult subject at such a young age."
Garapedian has built a career upon the fearless creation of
documentaries that shine a light on the darkest aspects of humanity.
While she's a native of North Hollywood, she moved to England to
attend college in 1979 and has rarely looked back while establishing
herself as a prime director of human-rights documentaries for the
BBC and the British independent-TV network Channel 4.
Traveling across such harsh and dangerous regions as Afghanistan
and Chechnya, Garapedian has seen firsthand the dangers of ignoring
history. She also points out that Adolf Hitler once reportedly scoffed
"Who remembers the Armenians?" in 1939 when his Nazi officers asked
him how he thought he could get away with murdering Jews.
The Armenian Genocide itself occurred as the result of a forced mass
evacuation of more than 1 million Armenian Christians from their
homes during the rule of the so-called Young Turks from 1915 to 1917
in the Ottoman Empire, as its Muslim leadership tried to "cleanse"
the nation of non-Muslims. While this foreshadowed not only Hitler's
Holocaust but also the Bosnian-Serbian atrocities of the 1990s and
the horrific events currently taking place in Darfur, Sudan, Turkish
officials have never admitted the deaths amount to a genocide - in
fact, they loudly protest whenever someone uses the word. Nations
such as the United States have never forced such an admission because
Turkey is a vital ally in the West's Middle Eastern affairs.
Additionally, Turkey potentially has a lot to lose if it officially
recognizes its tragic past, because genocide survivors and descendents
could either demand their land back or bankrupt the country through
reparations.
"A lot of this is in the history books, despite the fact that
US leaders tried to fight such mentions, but we also had a lot
of survivors and their grandchildren in the LA area, so it was a
matter of choosing survivor stories that would illuminate it the
best," explains Garapedian. "Serj's granddad still being alive was
a gift for me, as it was a personal way to tell the story within the
circle of the band, who were a big key in making the film viable to
audiences. When I checked with the BBC about using System of a Down,
they said 'Go for it' because they're a phenomenon. And it was a good
way and great time to explore the issues, because Turkey was pushing
to join the European Union and the genocide was becoming a political
football in Europe as a result."
For Garapedian, the decision to use System of a Down was a matter of
making a gruesome subject more intriguing to a broader audience and
thereby helping spread awareness. Since the band had long made genocide
awareness a focal point of its mission, they were an obvious choice,
but she still had to overcome their qualms that the resulting film
might just be a shallow look at backstage life and others' fears that
splitting focus with a rock band might cheapen the cause.
"It was a question of how do you tell the story without being crass
or a music video, and yet respectful," says Garapedian. "For me at
least, the music is so powerful that you get used to it by the end.
You may not like the music, but it's very powerful and that lends
itself to the subject matter."
Ultimately, according to System drummer Dolmayan, the band came aboard
because it saw the film as an opportunity to spread the word beyond
the fan base that buys their CDs.
"Carla took a lot of chances with her personal safety to make this
film, and I didn't have any idea how good this would be, but this is
very well-done and very factually correct," says Dolmayan. "There's
a lot of things that even I learned when making this film, and it's
hard to get super-widespread views in theaters for any documentary,
so if we can help it get out there further, I'm glad we're a part."
What System's members and Garapedian are hoping for aren't reparations,
but merely for Turkey to admit the truth. It is then, they believe,
that Turkey can follow the difficult path already navigated by South
Africa and the former Soviet Union in achieving reconciliation among
all its citizens.
Ultimately, such a big step will likely come only after the United
States makes a big step of its own: a vote by Congress to recognize
the dark events of 1915 as genocide. While our leaders have shamefully
looked away for more than 90 years, Garapedian finally sees hope
emerging from hopelessness.
"Some congressmen changed their votes the last time this came up
because Turkey blocked us from using their bases recently in the
Iraq war, and they realized we're helping Turkey for nothing," says
Garapedian. "They are allowed to get away with what they've done,
and the problems and resentments remain. The effects of the genocide
keep going until you admit to it."
"Screamers" is playing at the Mann Glendale Exchange, 128 N. Maryland
Ave., Glendale. Call (818) 549-0045, or visit www.manntheatres.com
http://www.pasadenaweekly.co m/article.php?id=4117&IssueNum=50
By Carl Kozlowski
Pasadena Weekly, CA
Dec 14 2006
In a new documentary, Glendale's System of a Down turns up the volume
on the battle for recognition of the Armenian Genocide
Think of documentaries, and you might imagine films focused on
obscure topics and filled with serious facts, adding up to minimal
entertainment value. Think of rock concert films and you'll likely
picture a band full of airhead, perhaps mullet-wearing men banging
out tunes between lurid backstage scenes of groupies and drug parties.
What you'd likely never expect to see is a film like "Screamers" -
a powerful new documentary that details the raw inhumanity of the
1915 Armenian Genocide in Turkey while also providing its audience
with walloping doses of rock 'n' roll, thanks to the passionate
participation of Glendale native rockers System of a Down: Serj
Tankian, John Dolmayan, Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian. Following
the Grammy Award-winning band on tour as it educates its rabid fan
base through message-laden songs, the film also observes the band's
lead singer Tankian as he poignantly stirs the memories of his
genocide-survivor grandfather.
Together, the film makes the urgent case that official recognition of
the genocide - which several major countries, including the United
States, have been reluctant to do - is key not only to remembering
the past but also to preventing current and future genocides.
"I'm Armenian myself, and a descendent of genocide survivors,
but didn't see what I could bring to a film about genocide until I
heard about System of a Down," says Carla Garapedian, the director of
"Screamers," which had its world premiere Nov. 2 at the Los Angeles
Film Festival. "A colleague said, 'Maybe you should do something with
these guys.' I went to a 2004 Greek Theatre concert with them that
had a lot of organizations with information tables about genocide,
and fans were coming over and knew all about the Armenian and other
genocides. I was amazed. These were 15-year-olds into their 30s, so
I thought this must be a really different band, able to make the kids
ask questions about this very difficult subject at such a young age."
Garapedian has built a career upon the fearless creation of
documentaries that shine a light on the darkest aspects of humanity.
While she's a native of North Hollywood, she moved to England to
attend college in 1979 and has rarely looked back while establishing
herself as a prime director of human-rights documentaries for the
BBC and the British independent-TV network Channel 4.
Traveling across such harsh and dangerous regions as Afghanistan
and Chechnya, Garapedian has seen firsthand the dangers of ignoring
history. She also points out that Adolf Hitler once reportedly scoffed
"Who remembers the Armenians?" in 1939 when his Nazi officers asked
him how he thought he could get away with murdering Jews.
The Armenian Genocide itself occurred as the result of a forced mass
evacuation of more than 1 million Armenian Christians from their
homes during the rule of the so-called Young Turks from 1915 to 1917
in the Ottoman Empire, as its Muslim leadership tried to "cleanse"
the nation of non-Muslims. While this foreshadowed not only Hitler's
Holocaust but also the Bosnian-Serbian atrocities of the 1990s and
the horrific events currently taking place in Darfur, Sudan, Turkish
officials have never admitted the deaths amount to a genocide - in
fact, they loudly protest whenever someone uses the word. Nations
such as the United States have never forced such an admission because
Turkey is a vital ally in the West's Middle Eastern affairs.
Additionally, Turkey potentially has a lot to lose if it officially
recognizes its tragic past, because genocide survivors and descendents
could either demand their land back or bankrupt the country through
reparations.
"A lot of this is in the history books, despite the fact that
US leaders tried to fight such mentions, but we also had a lot
of survivors and their grandchildren in the LA area, so it was a
matter of choosing survivor stories that would illuminate it the
best," explains Garapedian. "Serj's granddad still being alive was
a gift for me, as it was a personal way to tell the story within the
circle of the band, who were a big key in making the film viable to
audiences. When I checked with the BBC about using System of a Down,
they said 'Go for it' because they're a phenomenon. And it was a good
way and great time to explore the issues, because Turkey was pushing
to join the European Union and the genocide was becoming a political
football in Europe as a result."
For Garapedian, the decision to use System of a Down was a matter of
making a gruesome subject more intriguing to a broader audience and
thereby helping spread awareness. Since the band had long made genocide
awareness a focal point of its mission, they were an obvious choice,
but she still had to overcome their qualms that the resulting film
might just be a shallow look at backstage life and others' fears that
splitting focus with a rock band might cheapen the cause.
"It was a question of how do you tell the story without being crass
or a music video, and yet respectful," says Garapedian. "For me at
least, the music is so powerful that you get used to it by the end.
You may not like the music, but it's very powerful and that lends
itself to the subject matter."
Ultimately, according to System drummer Dolmayan, the band came aboard
because it saw the film as an opportunity to spread the word beyond
the fan base that buys their CDs.
"Carla took a lot of chances with her personal safety to make this
film, and I didn't have any idea how good this would be, but this is
very well-done and very factually correct," says Dolmayan. "There's
a lot of things that even I learned when making this film, and it's
hard to get super-widespread views in theaters for any documentary,
so if we can help it get out there further, I'm glad we're a part."
What System's members and Garapedian are hoping for aren't reparations,
but merely for Turkey to admit the truth. It is then, they believe,
that Turkey can follow the difficult path already navigated by South
Africa and the former Soviet Union in achieving reconciliation among
all its citizens.
Ultimately, such a big step will likely come only after the United
States makes a big step of its own: a vote by Congress to recognize
the dark events of 1915 as genocide. While our leaders have shamefully
looked away for more than 90 years, Garapedian finally sees hope
emerging from hopelessness.
"Some congressmen changed their votes the last time this came up
because Turkey blocked us from using their bases recently in the
Iraq war, and they realized we're helping Turkey for nothing," says
Garapedian. "They are allowed to get away with what they've done,
and the problems and resentments remain. The effects of the genocide
keep going until you admit to it."
"Screamers" is playing at the Mann Glendale Exchange, 128 N. Maryland
Ave., Glendale. Call (818) 549-0045, or visit www.manntheatres.com
http://www.pasadenaweekly.co m/article.php?id=4117&IssueNum=50