‘Aurora’s Sunrise’ wins top prize at Geneva human rights film festival

“Aurora’s Sunrise”, a state-financed animated documentary by Inna Sahakyan, was awarded Grand Prix at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) held in Geneva on March 10-19, the National Cinema Center of Armenia said.

According to filmmaker Inna Sahakyan, this award, gained at a festival dedicated to cinema and human rights, is particularly special for them. Aurora was fighting for keeping alive humanity by relieving her pain on the screen, and this means that her mission is still on and will never be forgotten.

A co-production of Armenia, Lithuania and Germany, “Aurora’s Sunrise” tells the extraordinary story of Aurora Mardiganian, who survived the Armenian Genocide as a teenager, and later came to Hollywood where she starred in a 1919 silent film based on her account of the massacre.

The film was made possible with the academic contribution of the Zoryan Institute and is based on its Oral History Archive.