PRESS RELEASE
New York Armenian Students’ Association
333 Atlantic Avenue
Warwick, RI 02888
(401) 461-6114
Email: newyork_asa@yahoo.com
New York ASA and Columbia University Armenian Club Screen Genocide Documentary “I Hate Dogs”
On April 18, 2006, the New York ASA and Columbia University Armenian
Club screened the genocide documentary “I Hate Dogs.” Produced and
directed by husband and wife filmmakers PeA Holmquist and Suzanne
Khardalian of Sweden, “I Hate Dogs” chronicles the life of 99-year
old Garbis Hagopian, one of the last genocide survivors living in
France. In 1988, Holmquist and Khardalian produced “Back to Ararat,”
the first Armenian genocide documentary. Their inspiration for “I
Hate Dogs” stemmed from an article they read about the last genocide
survivor in Britain who passed away. They realized that few genocide
survivors remained and the resultant importance of documenting their
experiences.
The documentary starts off with Mr. Hagopian in the present day going
about his life. As he is walking through a park and sees a dog, he
mentions that he doesn’t like dogs, a seemingly odd utterance until
one discovers the underlying reason for his dislike. Mr. Hagopian
explained that his family was forced onto the death march, unable
to take their belongings with them, and described some of what he
witnessed, from mass slaughters to young girls being forced into
harems. Upon recalling how his mother embraced him for the last time
before she left him, Mr. Hagopian burst into tears, a 9 year-old
child once again lost in a sea of misery and grief. His father died
shortly thereafter and when he went back to see his father’s body the
following day, he saw dogs eating away at it. He tried to scare them
away to no avail, and that horrific image was seared in the mind of
young Garbis, hence his lifelong dislike of dogs.
Mr. Hagopian remained silent about his experience during the genocide
until his son turned 40. When his son realized the depth of his
father’s suffering, he became enraged against Turks due to the lack
of emotional closure from their denial of the genocide.
Throughout the documentary, one also sees clips of old home movies
that illustrate how Mr. Hagopian persevered, moving to France after
the genocide and becoming a successful businessman. He is also shown
surrounded by his family at joyful gatherings, from picking almonds
with his son from his vacation home, to dining with his granddaughter
who remembers how she would sneak into her grandparents’ bed and have
breakfast with them.
The juxtaposition of grief and happiness, anger and joy is true of
many Armenian families whose loved ones survived the genocide. The
furor of Mr. Hagopian’s son is similar to that of many children and
grandchildren of genocide survivors struggling to make sense of their
identity that is shaped in part by the inhumanity of the genocide. One
also sees that the childhood memories of genocide survivors are as
vivid as they were 91 years ago. They are easily transported back to
unspeakable horrors, yet somehow, they return to their present lives,
grateful always to have survived.
Following the film, Dr. Anie Kalayjian, renowned traumatologist,
Professor of Psychology at Fordham University, explained the myriad
of feelings experienced by genocide survivors and, in particular,
those of succeeding generations. She noted that healing comes from
non-violent communication through empathy and forgiveness and not
from waiting for the perpetrators to acknowledge their mistakes. Dr.
Kalayjian is the Founder and President of the Armenian American
Society for Studies on Stress & Genocide and spearheads a research
team on this particular topic. Her research findings indicate clear
generational transmission of trauma of the Genocide which include:
sadness, grief, anger, hatred, fear of the other (racism), despair,
helplessness, identity confusion, feeling abandoned and uprooted,
guilt, defensive functioning, and inability to engage in meaningful
relationships. Fortunately, it is possible to process these feelings
and transform the anger into empowerment, and the hatred into empathy
and compassion through post trauma healing workshops, or individual
therapy. A spirited question and answer session ensued.
ASA wishes to thank Dr. Kalayjian for her participation as well as
to Lisa Kebejian and the Columbia University Armenian Club for their
co-sponsorship and assistance. Most of all, thanks to PeA Holmquist
and Suzanne Khardalian for presenting Garbis Hagopian’s story to the
world. Sadly, Mr. Hagopian passed away a few months ago at the age
of 100, but his spirit will surely live on.
The Armenian Students’ Association of America is a nationwide
membership organization that promotes Armenian culture and education
by sustaining strong links with Armenia through various projects and
by providing Armenian communities with social, cultural, academic,
and educational events. All funds raised by the regional branches
contribute to the ASA scholarship fund for Armenian students studying
in the United States. In addition, ASA often co-sponsors events held
by local college clubs, working closely with and encouraging young
leaders in the Armenian student community.
For more information about the NY ASA, please visit
For more information about
the Columbia University Armenian Club, please visit
For more information about
Dr. Kalayjian’s research, please visit