Artistic director of the “Golden Apricot” film festival, Susanna Harutyunyan (in the photo), in the conversation with Aravot.am, referring to the “Golden Apricot” projects in the framework of the Istanbul International Film Festival, stated that there are a series of films shot in Turkey that address the Armenian Genocide. Speaking particularly of the festival’s “100-years of pain” section, Ms. Harutyunyan noted that the Turks actually faced with this pain. She said that under the working meetings in Istanbul, 10 projects: 5 Turkish and 5 Armenian, including the Diaspora have been selected, all of which addressed the subject of genocide.
To the point, to shoot a documentary film, a Turkish national Serdar Önal’s “Derdo Mama” project won 10,000 dollars. Susanna Harutyunyan told that Derdo is an Armenian woman living in Turkey, a descendant of those who survived, who unlike her other relatives, has remained a Christian and Armenian. She is married to an Armenian, raised children in Van, where the 100-years burden pain still existed. In the 70’s, her husband was killed in Van for he was a very successful and rich man, and being afraid of this, Dedro moved her family to Istanbul. She was back and forth to the court for 8 years and won the case, returning the land belonging to their family. “This is a new phenomenon. A very pro-Armenian work has been done. In other words, the more are such films to be included in the Istanbul festival and to other festivals, the better,” said our interlocutor with confidence. Interestingly, this is told by a Turk.
Gohar HAKOBYAN
Photo from www.irates.am
