REFUSAL TO SHOW FILM ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ARISES SPLIT AMONG ORGANIZERS OF ISTANBUL FESTIVAL

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 4 2006

ISTANBUL, OCTOBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The administration
of the festival of documentary films organized in Istanbul refused at
the last moment to show the film entitled "I Hate Dogs" which tells
about the Armenian Genocide. It was accepted beforehand but at the
last moment the organizers informed film producer and author Suzanne
Khardalian that the participation application was refused.

As Marmara informs the decision on refusal arose split among members
of the festival organization body, in the consequence of what Necati
Sonmez, the deputy chairman of the board resigned his post, as a
token of complaint against the decision to refuse participation of
the film in the festival.

The festival board had to comment upon this fact on October 2 and
protect the viewpoint that at present we want imperatives of peace,
knowing each other and cleaning the surroundings from the feeling
of hate, so it would not be correct to show such a film in similar
conditions. We may meet face to face with our past just in such a
peace, the board speaker said.

Netaci Sonmez, however, stated that he considered an insult towards
both people and board and film producers at the last moment to take
out of the list a film accepted beforehand. "The Armenian cause
is not only the state’s taboo any longer, it became a monster of
self-censorship stamped in mind of each of us: what we may do if fear
started tormenting many people’s souls," Sonmez said.

To recap, the film entitled "I Hate Dogs" tells about 99- year old
Hakobian’s evidences about the 1915 Genocide. He saw how dogs wanted
to eat the dead body of his father killed before his eyes.

Film producer Suzanne Khardalian and her partner Pea Holmquist
officially protested against the festival organizers and demanded to
review this decision made against their film.