Tweet
MY MOTHER'S VOICE - A GENOCIDE SURVIVAL STORY IN BOOK AND FILM
10:35, March 29, 2013
Glendale, California, March 2013 - My Mother's Voice, an updated book
(2013 Edition) and new documentary, tells the moving story of Flora
Munushian's teenage years. The book and film are the work of her
daughter Kay Mouradian.
>From 1914-1919, Flora travelled from Hadjin, Turkey to Aleppo, Syria
then ultimately to the United States, a survivor of the Armenian
Genocide.
"I am my mother's voice," Kay Mouradian declares in the new edition
of her book and her moving documentary. "She told me in no uncertain
terms that I was going to write a book about her."
This hadn't been Mouradian's goal or even a thought until her mother's
last years. Luckily, she did take up the challenge, presenting the
story of her mother's harrowing teenage years from 1915-1919.
Flora Munushian was a 14-year-old Armenian girl attending an American
school in Hadjin, Turkey when a deportation order forced her community
on a death march to Der Zor. Her father managed to stow his daughters
in Aleppo, where she and her sister hid for the duration of WWI. Flora
never saw her parents or her brothers again. At the age of 18, she
sailed to the U.S. to marry an Armenian man she'd never met.
Mouradian's narrative is well-paced and action-packed, with the right
amount of carefully researched details. Told from her mother's point
of view, the story highlights Flora's drive to get an education,
her youthful idealism and her inner strength.
The book is a great read for both young readers and adults, with a
positive message and story arc.
The film based on the book takes a more historical look at the
genocide's impact on Flora and her family. Among its visuals: a copy
and translation of the deportation order posted in Hadjin; a photograph
of Rev. Hovhanness Eskijian, who rescued Flora, her sister and hundreds
of Armenian orphans in Aleppo; and a photograph of Flora's family -
most of whom perished during the march or in Der Zor.
A neighbor introduced Mouradian to award-winning filmmaker Mark
Friedman, who worked diligently with her to produce the documentary.
"He was so far-sighted, and very resourceful," Mouradian said.
Together they searched out original film footage and were able to
use portions of the 1919 silent film Ravished Armenia that appears
on Zareh Tjeknavorian's DVD Credo.
Tjeknavorian wrote to Mouradian, "Congratulations to you and Mark for
so beautifully and affectingly bringing the message of your mother's
life to the world. Her voice speaks so eloquently through your own.
This film, and the vast history it artfully distils into such a
poignant and positive personal story is as much a testimony to the
resiliency of family and culture across generations as it is to the
evil that sought to destroy them. I am sure it will go a long way to
honoring the memory of Flora and the millions she speaks for."
The South Pasadena audience at a preview of the documentary last
September was strongly affected by the film. "The film is tastefully,
artfully done, the music is beautiful, and your narration hit all the
right notes," one viewer wrote later. "It's a shock (and a shame)
that this subject is not taught in high school history classes. I
sure didn't know much about it until I moved to Glendale and started
talking with Armenian friends."
My Mother's Voice premiered at Toronto's Pomegranate Film Festival
in October 2012, and was also featured at Los Angeles' ARPA Film
Festival in December 2012.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/24932/my-mothers-voice---a-genocide-survival-story-i
n-book-and-film.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
10:35, March 29, 2013
Glendale, California, March 2013 - My Mother's Voice, an updated book
(2013 Edition) and new documentary, tells the moving story of Flora
Munushian's teenage years. The book and film are the work of her
daughter Kay Mouradian.
>From 1914-1919, Flora travelled from Hadjin, Turkey to Aleppo, Syria
then ultimately to the United States, a survivor of the Armenian
Genocide.
"I am my mother's voice," Kay Mouradian declares in the new edition
of her book and her moving documentary. "She told me in no uncertain
terms that I was going to write a book about her."
This hadn't been Mouradian's goal or even a thought until her mother's
last years. Luckily, she did take up the challenge, presenting the
story of her mother's harrowing teenage years from 1915-1919.
Flora Munushian was a 14-year-old Armenian girl attending an American
school in Hadjin, Turkey when a deportation order forced her community
on a death march to Der Zor. Her father managed to stow his daughters
in Aleppo, where she and her sister hid for the duration of WWI. Flora
never saw her parents or her brothers again. At the age of 18, she
sailed to the U.S. to marry an Armenian man she'd never met.
Mouradian's narrative is well-paced and action-packed, with the right
amount of carefully researched details. Told from her mother's point
of view, the story highlights Flora's drive to get an education,
her youthful idealism and her inner strength.
The book is a great read for both young readers and adults, with a
positive message and story arc.
The film based on the book takes a more historical look at the
genocide's impact on Flora and her family. Among its visuals: a copy
and translation of the deportation order posted in Hadjin; a photograph
of Rev. Hovhanness Eskijian, who rescued Flora, her sister and hundreds
of Armenian orphans in Aleppo; and a photograph of Flora's family -
most of whom perished during the march or in Der Zor.
A neighbor introduced Mouradian to award-winning filmmaker Mark
Friedman, who worked diligently with her to produce the documentary.
"He was so far-sighted, and very resourceful," Mouradian said.
Together they searched out original film footage and were able to
use portions of the 1919 silent film Ravished Armenia that appears
on Zareh Tjeknavorian's DVD Credo.
Tjeknavorian wrote to Mouradian, "Congratulations to you and Mark for
so beautifully and affectingly bringing the message of your mother's
life to the world. Her voice speaks so eloquently through your own.
This film, and the vast history it artfully distils into such a
poignant and positive personal story is as much a testimony to the
resiliency of family and culture across generations as it is to the
evil that sought to destroy them. I am sure it will go a long way to
honoring the memory of Flora and the millions she speaks for."
The South Pasadena audience at a preview of the documentary last
September was strongly affected by the film. "The film is tastefully,
artfully done, the music is beautiful, and your narration hit all the
right notes," one viewer wrote later. "It's a shock (and a shame)
that this subject is not taught in high school history classes. I
sure didn't know much about it until I moved to Glendale and started
talking with Armenian friends."
My Mother's Voice premiered at Toronto's Pomegranate Film Festival
in October 2012, and was also featured at Los Angeles' ARPA Film
Festival in December 2012.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/24932/my-mothers-voice---a-genocide-survival-story-i
n-book-and-film.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress