Artanian’s motive for the making of this film was to assert her Armenian-ness in an increasingly assimilating world. The film found it’s genesis in Artanian’s father’s concern that she might marry an "odar" (Armenian for "other"), and in doing so, dilute the Armenian cultural identity that he has worked so hard to retain. In one way therefore, The Genocide in Me is Artanian’s way of assuaging her father’s fear and a reassertion of who she is.

The film is beautifully shot and includes some fascinating footage of both Araz’s Canadian/Armenian upbringing alongside that of her father’s. The family currently reside in Montreal by way of Egypt and it is fascinating hearing Araz Artanian’s description of that journey, whilst all the time discovering how different the Armenian and Western ways of life are.

Given the title, the shared, but differing memories of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 are never far from the main narrative. In this film, as in the lives of most Armenians, the genocide is a haunting presence. As the looming presence of Mount Ararat reminds Armenians today of all that they lost in that murderous crime, so the film’s beautiful narratives and images fail to mask the ominous overture of the Genocide, to the point where they inevitably come to the fore.
When they do so, it is through a combination of witness testimony, (which is given further attention on Araz Artanian’s excellent website at
www.twentyvoices.com.) and footage of protest rallies aimed at persuading governments of the world to recognise the horrific events of 1915.

This alone would make for a captivating documentary, but then Artanian completes her work, and perhaps confirms her identity, when she visits Western Armenia in what is now Turkey. This is possibly the climatic scene in the documentary, beginning with her family’s reluctance to go themselves for fears for their safety, and ending with Araz and on occasions her fellow Western travellers, challenging their Turkish tour guide’s ridiculous interpretations of the area’s history. These incidents are interspersed with Araz’s discovery of a dilapidated Armenian Church, a Turkish man whose grandmother was Armenian, and who obviously felt perplexed by his own history, and, an aborted love story between Araz and a Turkish man. That the love fell down on the issue of the genocide is symbolic of the failure of Armenia and modern Turkey to forge ties, due to the latter’s unwillingness to recognise the genocide.

The Genocide in Me is therefore a multi-layered film. The documentary builds upon the work of two notable film-makers. Suzanne Khardalian, who was in London recently, having been invited by the Gomidas Institute (UK) and the AGBU to show her to answer questions about her excellent films Back to Ararat and I Hate Dogs, and Atom Egoyan who places the search for identity as a central theme of his film Ararat, would both appear to have been influential. Araz Artanian has produced a documentary that can be mentioned in the same breath.

For anyone with an interest in Armenian issues, history, and identity,
this film is a must see.

STOP PRESS

Araz Artanian has been invited to London on BEHALF OF THE Gomidas Institute (UK) onthe 16th April to answer questions about The Genocide in Me. Focusing on the question of identity and the Armenian Genocide, the Q and A session will follow the showing of Ararat and The Genocide in Me in a unique double bill.

Anoush Mkrtchian