NAASR PREMIERES FILM SUNDAY
Belmont Citizen-Herald
March 20 2009
MA
Watertown, Mass. – The National Association for Armenian Studies and
Research (NAASR) will present the East Coast premiere of award-winning
filmmaker J. Michael Hagopian’s documentary, "The River Ran Red," at
4 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, at the Mosesian Theater at the Watertown
Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St. in Watertown. This
special event is made possible through a generous contribution by
Peter and Minou Palandjian.
Culminating more than 40 years of interviews with more than four
hundred eyewitnesses to the Armenian Genocide of 1915, The River
Ran Red is the final film of documentarian Dr. J. Michael Hagopian’s
trilogy "The Witnesses."
The River Ran Red is about Hagopian’s epic search for survivors of
the Genocide who were sent to their fate along the Euphrates River
to the Syrian Desert and Der Zor. Footage from many interviews with
survivors carried out over several decades gives the film tremendous
power and immediacy.
J. Michael Hagopian is a pioneer in the effort to document the
Armenian Genocide through films such as "The Forgotten Genocide,"
"The Armenian Case," "Where Are My People," "Voices from the Lake,"
and "Germany and the Secret Genocide."
A post-screening panel discussion will include Dr. Hagopian joined
by Prof. Taner Akcam, Kaloosdian/Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide
Studies and Modern Armenian History at Clark University, Dr. Bedross
Der Matossian, Dept. of History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
and Marc A. Mamigonian, NAASR Director of Academic Affairs.
Acclaimed, pioneering filmmaker Born in Kharpert-Mezreh in Historic
Armenia, Hagopian has explored his roots and the history of his people
through the medium of film and won critical acclaim, including two
Emmys for the writing and production of The Forgotten Genocide, the
first full-length feature on the Armenian Genocide. In all, Hagopian’s
work encompasses nearly 400 "witness" interviews and twenty years
of research.
In 1979, Hagopian founded the non-profit Armenian Film Foundation
to document Armenian culture and instill pride in Armenian youth
worldwide. Since then, he has been leading the effort to raise funds
and create the "Witnesses" trilogy on the Armenian Genocide.
Hagopian holds a doctorate in international relations from Harvard
University and an undergraduate degree from University of California,
Berkeley. Having left Armenia as an infant, he grew up in Fresno,
California, before moving to Los Angeles as a teenager.
Admission to the event is $10 ($6 for students with valid IDs). Tickets
are available in advance at the NAASR Headquarters and will be on
sale at the Mosesian Theater on the day of the screening. Advance
purchase is recommended. Free parking is available in the adjacent
Arsenal on the Charles parking garage.
More information about the film showing is available by calling
617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing
to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.