The Genocide in Me 2005
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 202-808-4980
Produced by InformAction and TwentyVoices
Directed by Araz Artinian
DVD, color, 53 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Multicultural Studies
Date Entered: 06/11/2008
Reviewed by Jessica Schomberg, Minnesota State University, MankatoSimilar to the previously-reviewed documentary My Son Shall be Armenian, this film explores the themes of Armenian identity and assimilation. However, the focus of this film is internal rather than external; it attempts to reconcile a compulsion to preserve the Armenian language and culture with life in a multicultural community in which Armenians are a minority. The director’s primary concern was to understand who she is and the responsibility she bears as an Armenian to preserve her heritage.
To understand her father’s obsession with maintaining the Armenian language and preserving Armenian culture—including forbidding her to speak with, much less marry non-Armenian boys—the director interviews members of her family, survivors of the 1915 deportations, and people she meets during her trip to Turkey. In addition to interviews, the director also provides film footage and still photographs.
The film and sound quality are good. The narration is in English; the interviews are primarily in Armenian with English subtitles.
Recommended for libraries collecting in areas of Armenian history or multicultural studies.