Armenian National Committee of America
Eastern Region
122 W. 27th St. Floor 12
New York, NY 10001
Tel. (917) 428-1918
Email [email protected] <[email protected]>
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
February 19, 2008
Contact: Karine Birazian
Tel: (917) 428-1918
ANCA & SONY BMG ENTERTAINMENT TO HOST "SCREAMERS" DVD RELEASE
LAUNCH PARTY
— System of A Down Lead Singer Serj Tankian; Director Carla
Garapedian Headline February 19th New York Reception
NEW YORK, NY – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
has teamed with Sony BMG Entertainment in hosting an inaugural
reception for the DVD release of "Screamers," an award-winning,
internationally produced documentary that details the history of
modern-day genocide beginning with the Armenian Genocide in 1915,
traveling through the Holocaust era, exploring what happened in
Rwanda and other countries and ends with the genocide currently
happening in Darfur.
The February 19th invitation-only media event will feature Grammy
award winning System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian, SCREAMERS
director Carla Garapedian along with a host of anti-genocide
advocates committed to ending the cycle of genocide.
"The ANCA is proud to be joining once again with Serj, Carla and
SONY BMG Entertainment for the SCREAMERS DVD launch event in New
York," stated ANCA Eastern Region Director Karine Birazian.
"Throughout its international tour, SCREAMERS has inspired human
rights activists worldwide to take action against genocide. Now,
with the DVD release, SCREAMERS will reach an even wider audience,
serving as a powerful educational tool in the ongoing campaign to
end the cycle of genocide."
"I think this is an important film," explained Tankian. "It’s not
just about System, it is about the denial of genocide, the common
denominator of all genocides, how they get away with it. It is
about the hypocrisy of denial."
In conjunction with the DVD release, the ANCA will be launching its
"Take SCREAMERS to School" program, encouraging Armenian Americans
and human rights advocates across the U.S. to donate the
documentary to schools, libraries and community groups, in addition
to adding it to their own DVD collections, in an effort to expand
anti-genocide awareness nationwide. Copies of the SCREAMERS DVD,
which include classroom appropriate versions of the film along with
a host of special features, are available at Amazon.com, Best Buy
and other major retailers. Genocide education curricula are
available on the SCREAMERS movie website – –
– which highlights online resources from the Genocide Education
Project and Facing History, among other groups.
‘SCREAMERS’ is a production of MG2 productions in association with
BBC Television and The Raffy Manoukian Charity. Award winning
director Carla Garapedian, a veteran reporter who has made a career
of covering the most difficult stories, from Chechnya to repression
in Afghanistan, follows the European tour of "System Of A Down" and
their ongoing efforts, through music and activism, to raise
awareness about denial of the Armenian Genocide and its legacy of a
century of atrocities culminating in the ongoing genocide in
Darfur. The film was distributed by Maya Entertainment, debuting at
the American Film Institute (AFI) Film Festival in November, 2006,
where it won the coveted AFI Audience Award.
"SCREAMERS busts wide-open the hypocrisy of politicians and
governments who have misleadingly vowed ‘never again.’ This film
reminds us that we, as individuals, can make a difference. We can,
as Serj says, all be screamers."
The ANCA teamed up with Save Darfur and the Raffy Manoukian Charity
in bringing SCREAMERS to a Congressional audience in January 2007
and once again in October 2008, with the participation of
Congressional Armenian Genocide Resolution lead sponsor Adam Schiff
(D-CA) and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-
NJ).