Film: Stories of resilience: Documentary focuses on Armenian genocide and the 100 years since

Albuquerque Journal
July 31 2020
Friday, July 31st, 2020 at 12:02am

Crew members Joseph Myers and Stephanie Ayanian film in Armenia with John Sweers. (Courtesy of Stephanie Ayanian)

As a filmmaker, Stephanie Ayanian never knows what to expect.

She can plan all she wants, yet it always takes a different course.

Take, for example, her film “What Will Become of Us.” When starting the project, she wanted to tell a history of the Armenian genocide, which began in 1915. During a short time, 1.5 million Armenians were killed or expelled by Ottoman Turks.

What she found along the way were stories of all kinds – though mostly of resilience.

“We wanted to have a broad geographic demonstration of stories,” she says. “We wanted there to be different age groups. They all have different stories. It was important to look at all the aspects of culture.”

Ayanian traveled to Armenia to document many of the stories, though most were conducted in the United States.

The film is getting a national PBS premiere on Thursday, Aug. 6.

Read more here: https://www.abqjournal.com/1480704/message-of-hope.html

It’s not often that an actor gets a huge gig right out of the gate. Brandon Gilpin is the exception. The Morehouse College student snagged a role on the Starz series “P-Valley.” Read more about Gilpin’s journey here: https://www.abqjournal.com/1480689/women-empowerment.html

As health orders continue to keep people at home, museums continue to churn out new material for online learning.

The New Mexico History Museum not only started a “Quarantine Diaries” writing series, but there is a New Mexico map curriculum ready for download. Read more here: https://www.abqjournal.com/1480736/virtual-growth-new-mexico-history-museum-has-vastly-expanded-online-offerings.html

Studios are also adjusting to change and releasing movies to streaming services.

The first of the reviews is “The Rental” starring Dan Stevens. Read a review here: https://www.abqjournal.com/1480730/stay-home.html

The second review is the Marie Curie story called “Radioactive,” from Amazon Pictures. The reviews is here: https://www.abqjournal.com/1480721/bold-biopic.html

Another week has passed, and I thank you for continuing to turn to Venue for what’s happening around the state.

Stay tuned for what we have in store in coming issues.

Respectfully,
Adrian Gomez
Venue editor