Ravished Armenia - 1919 film screening and presentation‏

Dear Friends ,

On the occasion of the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, please join the Bay Area ANC for a unique film screening and presentation:

"Ravished Armenia"
The first Hollywood Film on the Armenian Genocide

Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 6:00 PM sharp
San Francisco Public Library, Koret Auditorium
100 Larkin St. (at Grove), San Francisco, CA 94102-4733

Film historian Anthony Slide will present and discuss the 1919 Hollywood film "Ravished Armenia," based on the memoirs of Armenian Genocide survivor Aurora (Arshaluys) Mardiganian. The film's only surviving 21-minute segment will be played, as well as clips from Slide's audiotape interview of Mardiganian, who also starred in the film. Slide will discuss his research about Mardiganian and the movie, considered one of Hollywood's most sought-after "lost" films. An original poster and photos of the production will also be on display.

“Ravished Armenia” was the personal account by Aurora Mardiganian of the brutal rape and murder of the Armenian people by the Turkish Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1918. During this first genocide of the 20th century, half of the entire Armenian population living on its historic homeland in what is now Turkey was annihilated through forced death marches into the desert, extreme abuse, and murder. Mardiganian's memoir "Ravished Armenia," also known as "Auction of Souls," was first published in 1918, shortly after her arrival in the United States. The film version was produced in 1919, and both the book and movie created a considerable stir throughout the Western world.

The full-length motion picture is believed to be lost, but a 21-minute segment from the full length motion picture "Ravished Armenia" by then well-known film director Oscar Apfel has been recovered. The segment graphically relates the narrative account of a young Armenian girl who survived the 1915 Armenian Genocide, lived to tell about it, and serves as the lead actress in the film.

ANTHONY SLIDE:
Alongside the presentation of the movie's remaining segment, film historian Anthony Slide will discuss Aurora Mardiganian and the production of the film. Slide is editor of the book, "Ravished Armenia and the story of Aurora Mardiganian," (Scarecrow Press, 1997), which reprints Mardiganian's original memoir in its entirety, as well as original documentation on the film.

“I came across the 'Ravished Armenia' book about 30 years ago, and at first, I couldn't believe that there was actually someone who experienced all of those events. I thought the stories might have been an accumulation of experiences of several Armenian women," Slide recently told Bay Area ANC Chairwoman Roxanne Makasdjian. "But, I confirmed that Aurora indeed existed, and I found her in Los Angeles." After several attempts to meet her, Slide eventually succeeded in interviewing Mardiganian, and he will present clips from that audiotape interview.

Slide has authored or edited more than fifty books on the history of popular entertainment. The Los Angeles Times called Slide "a one-man publishing phenomenon." He has served as associate archivist of the American Film Institute, resident film historian of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has produced a number of documentary films on silent screen personalities, and has lectured widely on film history.
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