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AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.agbu.org
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, June 6, 2013
AGBU YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AND ANC HOST SCREENING OF `ORPHANS OF THE
GENOCIDE' FOR NY/NJ COMMUNITY
By AGBU YPGNY and ANC-NY Contributors
New York, NY - The AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York (AGBU
YPGNY) and the Armenian National Committee of New York (ANC-NY)
cosponsored a screening of `Orphans of the Genocide' on Thursday, May
16, 2013. The film, created by Florida-based, four-time regional Emmy
award winning filmmaker Bared Maronian, was shown at the AGBU Central
Office in New York City.
`The ANC of New York is pleased to work with Mr. Maronian to spread
awareness of this significant film,' said ANC-NY co-chair Arousiag
Markarian. `The documentary tells an important story in the history of
the Armenian people, and we are happy to showcase the work of
Mr. Maronian, a longtime active community member in Florida.'
Nominated for a regional Emmy award, `Orphans' is a groundbreaking
90-minute documentary that takes the viewer through never-before-seen
archival footage and discovered memoirs of orphans who lived through
the 20th century's first fully documented genocide. It profiles
orphans while unveiling many orphanages where Armenians were housed in
the Middle East. The film also explores the humanitarian efforts of
the American Near East Relief in saving, feeding and sheltering more
than 150,000 documented Armenian Genocide orphans between 1919 and
1926.
`We are so proud that photos and documents from the AGBU archives and
Noubarian Library in Paris helped with the production, especially
since YPGNY was instrumental in acquiring the archival photos,' said
AGBU YPGNY vice chair Lindsey Hagopian. Responding to a call from a
concerned Armenian American who had stumbled upon the relics, several
YPGNY committee members and their friends took the initiative to
purchase the collection of photos from a military antiques shop in Los
Angeles more than a decade ago. It was discovered that the photos had
belonged to Ellen Mary Gerard, a Near East Relief nurse who had
volunteered in Syria and Lebanon for three years, serving over 1,000
Armenian orphans during her tenure. The AGBU YPGNY Gerard Archive can
be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/agbu/sets.
Maronian has also made use of archival photos and documents from the
Rockefeller Archive Center, Das Bundesarchiv (German National
Archives), Statens Arkiver (Danish National Archives), the Library of
Congress, U.S. National Archives, the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute, Houshamadyan, the Armenian Relief Society and other
private archival collections.
Founded in 2006, Maronian's Armenoid Productions has produced numerous
award-winning Armenian-themed documentaries, among them `Komitas
Hayrig' and `The Wall of the Genocide.' `Orphans' took a little more
than three years to complete. His next project is under the working
title of `Women of 1915,' dealing with the plight of the Armenian
women during the genocide, and paying tribute to all of the
non-Armenian women who came to the rescue of their sisters. Maronian
was interviewed by Voice of Armenians TV New York, and the segment is
set to be broadcast in the coming weeks.
Local AGBU and ANCA chapters and committees are encouraged to reach
out to their local PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) stations to urge
them to air `Orphans.' The film has already been broadcast by a number
of PBS stations, including ValleyPBS, Station KPVT 18 in Fresno,
California, and WMHT in Troy, New York. Readers interested in
screening `Orphans of the Genocide' for their community may send an
email to [email protected].
Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
visit www.agbu.org.
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.agbu.org
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, June 6, 2013
AGBU YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AND ANC HOST SCREENING OF `ORPHANS OF THE
GENOCIDE' FOR NY/NJ COMMUNITY
By AGBU YPGNY and ANC-NY Contributors
New York, NY - The AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York (AGBU
YPGNY) and the Armenian National Committee of New York (ANC-NY)
cosponsored a screening of `Orphans of the Genocide' on Thursday, May
16, 2013. The film, created by Florida-based, four-time regional Emmy
award winning filmmaker Bared Maronian, was shown at the AGBU Central
Office in New York City.
`The ANC of New York is pleased to work with Mr. Maronian to spread
awareness of this significant film,' said ANC-NY co-chair Arousiag
Markarian. `The documentary tells an important story in the history of
the Armenian people, and we are happy to showcase the work of
Mr. Maronian, a longtime active community member in Florida.'
Nominated for a regional Emmy award, `Orphans' is a groundbreaking
90-minute documentary that takes the viewer through never-before-seen
archival footage and discovered memoirs of orphans who lived through
the 20th century's first fully documented genocide. It profiles
orphans while unveiling many orphanages where Armenians were housed in
the Middle East. The film also explores the humanitarian efforts of
the American Near East Relief in saving, feeding and sheltering more
than 150,000 documented Armenian Genocide orphans between 1919 and
1926.
`We are so proud that photos and documents from the AGBU archives and
Noubarian Library in Paris helped with the production, especially
since YPGNY was instrumental in acquiring the archival photos,' said
AGBU YPGNY vice chair Lindsey Hagopian. Responding to a call from a
concerned Armenian American who had stumbled upon the relics, several
YPGNY committee members and their friends took the initiative to
purchase the collection of photos from a military antiques shop in Los
Angeles more than a decade ago. It was discovered that the photos had
belonged to Ellen Mary Gerard, a Near East Relief nurse who had
volunteered in Syria and Lebanon for three years, serving over 1,000
Armenian orphans during her tenure. The AGBU YPGNY Gerard Archive can
be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/agbu/sets.
Maronian has also made use of archival photos and documents from the
Rockefeller Archive Center, Das Bundesarchiv (German National
Archives), Statens Arkiver (Danish National Archives), the Library of
Congress, U.S. National Archives, the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute, Houshamadyan, the Armenian Relief Society and other
private archival collections.
Founded in 2006, Maronian's Armenoid Productions has produced numerous
award-winning Armenian-themed documentaries, among them `Komitas
Hayrig' and `The Wall of the Genocide.' `Orphans' took a little more
than three years to complete. His next project is under the working
title of `Women of 1915,' dealing with the plight of the Armenian
women during the genocide, and paying tribute to all of the
non-Armenian women who came to the rescue of their sisters. Maronian
was interviewed by Voice of Armenians TV New York, and the segment is
set to be broadcast in the coming weeks.
Local AGBU and ANCA chapters and committees are encouraged to reach
out to their local PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) stations to urge
them to air `Orphans.' The film has already been broadcast by a number
of PBS stations, including ValleyPBS, Station KPVT 18 in Fresno,
California, and WMHT in Troy, New York. Readers interested in
screening `Orphans of the Genocide' for their community may send an
email to [email protected].
Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
visit www.agbu.org.