In April we turn to Armenia, with a special double bill screening of two short films: Garo Berberian’s ‘Taniel’ and Naré Mkrtchyan’s ‘The Other Side of Home’ followed by a panel discussion considering the Role of the Armenian Genocide in Modern Armenian Identities.
The event also commemorates the 104th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which is marked annually on 24 April.
Taniel (dir. Garo Berberian) – April 24th 1915: while under cover of the darkness of war the British are preparing their landings at nearby Gallipoli, mass arrests of Armenians are taking place across Constantinople. Poet Taniel Varoujan’s home is broken, his poetry scattered, name checked and ticked on ordered list of intellectuals – never to be seen again.
Film Noir images, prophetic verse, and narration by Sean Bean tell the story of Taniel Varoujan, one of the most majestic poets of the 20th century. At the age of 31, he was lost under the vast shadow of the murder of a race, in what became known as the Armenian Genocide.
Film website: Tanielfilm.com
The Other Side of Home (dir. Naré Mkrtchyan) – In 1915, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Turks in what historians call the first genocide of the 20th century. In 2015, a Turkish woman named Maya discovers that her great grandmother was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. As Maya wrestles with this new reality, she comes to embody the conflict that remains unresolved between the two nations. She has two conflicting identities: one that suffers and the other that denies. The documentary follows Maya as she goes to Armenia to take part in the 100th commemoration of the genocide and to come to terms with her conflicted identity. The Other Side of Home is a universal story of identity, denial, and how the experience of genocide creates a ripple effect for future generations on both sides.
Film website: www.othersideofhome.com
“Wednesday Canvass” series is supported by the University of Warwick and The Leverhulme Trust.
**Please note that the discussion will be audio recorded for research purposes – please speak to the organisers if you have any questions or if you’d prefer not to be recorded.**