The Genocide in Me

Araz Artinian
CANADA / ARMENIA
2006
French/Armenian/English
53 minutes • Color
Production: Informaction Films
Screenwriter: Araz Artinian
Cinematography: Alex Margineanu, Araz Artinian, Vahagn Ter-Hakobyan

SHOWTIMES:
Mon Apr 30 3:15pm Indy Men’s Magazine Screening Room (Landmark)

Wed May 2 9:45pm WTTS Screening Room (Landmark)

Angry, tender and funny, The Genocide In Me deals with the impact of the 1915 Armenian Genocide on the life of young filmmaker Araz Artinian, who has carried this legacy all her life. In this personal journey, Artinian, torn between her father’s passionate commitment to the Armenians of the Diaspora and her own personal needs, confronts the reality of living in a multicultural melting pot, and wonders “Where do I belong?”

The documentary deftly weaves together 8mm film footage shot by Artinian’s grandfather from the 1940’s to the 80’s with riveting photographic archives of the Genocide, the filmmaker’s present-day video journals, and a deeply honest narration. Through moving interviews with the last survivors of this Genocide in the USA and through a risky trip to Turkey, Artinian goes back to the origin of her father’s obsession, an obsession born of the Turkish denial and the fear of losing the Armenian culture. n Ian Olivieri.