UNITED NATIONS SCREENS CONTROVERSIAL "SCREAMERS" FILM IN TOKYO
Business Wire
July 2, 2008 Wednesday 12:37 AM GMT
LOS ANGELES
"Screamers," the critically-acclaimed documentary about genocide in the
last century, with music by the Grammy award-winning rock band ‘System
of a Down,’ was featured last week at the United Nations Refugee Film
Festival 2008 in Tokyo, sponsored by UNHCR and Japan for UNHCR.
UNHCR called the festival a "vital component of UNHCR’s year round
action plan to raise awareness of the plight and triumph of the world’s
33 million refugees and internally displaced persons. A select array
of films from across the globe gives voice to seldom-heard stories
of hope, despair, and resilience. In line with World Refugee Day’s
theme for this year, the festival draws attention to the human side
of refugees."
"We included ‘Screamers’ in the festival this year because it looks
at the history of genocide and what is happening in Darfur–through
the eyes of history," says Festival Director Kirill Konin.
"Film is an important medium to introduce the many aspects of the
lives and circumstances of refugees across the world, and through this
entertainment vehicle, create better awareness and understanding,"
said Angelina Jolie, UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador.
"Screamers" examines the repeating pattern of genocide, from the
Armenian genocide, to the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, up
to Darfur today. After its theatrical release in the US and Canada,
the documentary was screened in the U.S. Congress, British Parliament
and European Parliament to raise awareness about Darfur and genocide
education. Sony BMG has recently launched "Screamers" DVD.
Director Carla Garapedian, who has made documentaries about Afghanistan
and Chechnya, led discussion sessions at the UNHCR Festival for
"Screamers" as well as "Letter to Anna," about the murder of Russian
journalist Anna Politkovskaya, directed by Eric Bergkraut, and "Kite
Runner," the uplifting story of truth and redemption in Afghanistan,
directed by Marc Foster. Director Steve Thomas was on-hand to discuss
his film "Hope" about the journey of an Iraqi refugee family to
Australia.
"We must remember history," said Garapedian. "After the Armenian
genocide, the U.S. opened its doors to thousands of refugee survivors
from Ottoman Turkey, including my family. If they hadn’t done that,
I wouldn’t be here."
The UNHCR screening of "Screamers" follows a dispute in April 2007
at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where the Turkish
delegation demanded reference to the Armenian genocide be omitted
from an exhibition entitled, "Lessons from Rwanda," sponsored by the
Aegis Trust. After a three-week delay, and criticisms from the media
and former UN Commander Romeo Daillaire, reference to the Armenian
genocide remained in the exhibition, but only after the word "murder"
was changed to "mass killings."
Turkey continues to deny that its successors committed genocide. Under
its penal code, it will prosecute anyone who raises the issue on
the grounds of "insulting Turkishness." Last week, publisher Ragip
Zaracolu was sentenced to five months in prison, commuted to a fine,
for publishing a book about the Armenian genocide. Hrant Dink, a
Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor and contributor to "Screamers",
was also being prosecuted under the code before he was assassinated
last year. Meanwhile, U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for the
new ambassador-elect to the Republic of Armenia, Marie Yovanovitch,
were postponed last week because the State Department has delayed
responding to Senators’ questions about the ambassador-elect’s
position on Armenian genocide recognition. The position has been
unfilled since Ambassador John Evans was recalled two years ago by the
Bush Administration for recognizing the Armenian genocide. Another
Ambassador-elect, Richard Hoagland, was withdrawn last year after a
Senate hold.