LA Magazine LA Magazine , CA
April 26 2013
Documentary: Orphans of the Genocide
Filmmaker focuses on the youngest victims of the Armenian genocide
Posted on 4/26/2013 4:26:00 PM by Virginia Isaad
While Hollywood continues to offer dramatized history lessons about
tragedies throughout history, the Armenian genocide has yet to achieve
recognition in certain countries. Filmmaker Bared Maronian aims to
raise awareness of the event by focusing on its youngest victims.
Inspired by the work of software engineer and historian Maurice
Kelechian, he produced and directed Orphans of the Genocide, a
110-minute documentary part of which will be screened this Sunday at
the Ararat Eskijian Museum in Mission Hills.
During and after World War I, the Ottoman Empire exterminated nearly
1.5 million Armenian civilians. Warehoused in orphanages with
deplorable living conditions, countless children were were stripped of
their Armenian identity and systematically “Turkified.” Orphans of the
Genocide, which was nominated for a 2010 regional Emmy in the
historical documentary category, brings together the stories of the
orphans and sheds light on their rigid upbringing.
`Based on documents found at Antoura College [in Lebanon] where the
orphans were housed,’ Maronian says, `there was a concerted
governmental effort to Turkify parentless Armenian children by
changing their names and giving them Turkish names, enforcing Turkish
values, and forcibly converting them to Islam.’
A 2010 story by British journalist Robert Fisk about the discovery of
a mass grave for nearly 300 children on the grounds of Antoura laid
the foundation for the documentary. Both Fisk and Maronian included
Kelechian’s extensive research on the subject matter in their
respective works.
As recent events show, where there is turmoil there are also many
willing to help. In Orphans of the Genocide, Kelechian highlights the
efforts made by global welfare organization Near East Relief. Between
1915 and 1930 it administered $170,000,000 in aid to the Ghazir
Orphanage for girls in Lebanon and is credited with rescuing 132,556
orphans, according to Kelechian.
While the film weaves together the stories of victims and researchers
to focus on the effects of the Armenian genocide, Maronian hopes
viewers will have a better understanding of crimes against humanity.
“In many ways these stories are universal human experiences,” Maronian
says. “Orphans of the Rwandan genocide, the parentless children of the
Holocaust, and the hundreds of thousands of Armenian genocide orphans
went through the same deplorable conditions and indignities.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2013/04/28/film-documentary-orphans-of-the-genocide/
