|
Ground-Breaking Film
Spotlights the International Impact of Turkey’s Genocide Denial
 WASHINGTON–
U.S. House Armenian Genocide Resolution author Adam Schiff
(D-CA) will be hosting the Capitol Hill premiere of “AGHET: A
GENOCIDE” – a powerful documentary by German filmmaker Eric
Friedler, documenting the annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians
from 1915 to 1923 and calling attention to the current day
Turkish Government’s international campaign of Genocide denial,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The
90-minute documentary, dubbed in English, will be shown on
Wednesday, July 21st from 6:00pm to 9:00pm in Room 2325 of the
Rayburn House Office Building Room, adjacent to the U.S.
Capitol.
“I am
honored to host the screening of ‘AGHET’ in order to help
educate my colleagues and their staffs about the first genocide
of the twentieth century,” explained Rep. Schiff. “In the fight
for recognition, we are armed only with the truth; but in the
end, the truth will be victorious.”
A
pre-screening reception and the actual screening will be
followed by a panel discussion, sponsored by the Armenian
National Committee of America, featuring AGHET Director Eric
Friedler, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans,
SCREAMERS Director Carla Garapedian, and Vartkes Yeghiayan,
Director of the Center for Armenian Remembrance. The discussion
will be moderated by ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
“The
Capitol Hill premiere of ‘AGHET’ and the panel discussion on
this powerful film will provide an opportunity to explore the
contemporary consequences of both Turkey’s campaign to cover up
the Armenian Genocide, and also the complicity of other nations
– the United States, sadly, included – in the denial of this
crime,” said Hamparian. “Evans, Friedler, Garapedian and
Yeghiayan, each in their own compelling way, are at the cutting
edge of the fight against denial and are leaders in the struggle
to end the cycle of genocide. We are tremendously pleased that
they will join with Congressman Schiff at this first-time
Washington, DC screening and eagerly look forward to the
information, insights and inspiration they will offer.”
AGHET:
A GENOCIDE is a powerful documentary which debuted on German
public television (NDR) in April, 2010, depicting the
annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923 and the
effects of the Turkish Government’s international campaign of
genocide denial on international policy. Award-winning director
Eric Friedler assembles an impeccable cast, who bring to life
the original texts of German and U.S. diplomatic dispatches and
eyewitness accounts, interspersed with never-before-seen footage
of the Genocide and its political aftermath. The film,
applauded by Nobel Prize laureate Gunter Grass, has sparked
debate throughout Europe. It is now being showcased around the
world on television, and in major film festivals.
For
more information about the film, read an extensive review by Der
Spiegel Magazine at:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,687449,00.html
To
RSVP for the July 21st screening and panel discussion, please
contact Elizabeth Chouldjian at
(202) 775-1918 or email:
Elizabeth@anca.org.
|
