By Levon A. Saryan
RACINE, Wis. – The Wisconsin Armenian community came out in force for a screening of “Orphans of the Genocide” on March 19. The film, written and produced by Bared Maronian, drew a standing-room only crowd at the beautiful and elegant Golden Rondelle Theatre on the headquarters campus of the S. C. Johnson Company.
“Orphans of the Genocide” is an emotional tour de force, utilizing previously unknown archival footage and memoirs to document the story of Armenian orphans in the aftermath of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. More than 100,000 orphans from the deportations and massacres were saved as a result of humanitarian efforts by the Near East Relief and other charitable organizations.
The film presentation was coordinated by the Wisconsin Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee, composed of clergy and lay representatives from all four Wisconsin Armenian churches. The committee was fortunate to procure support from the S. C. Johnson Company, a leading local employer and manufacturer of numerous well-known household cleaning products, and the Racine Public Library, which co-sponsored the program.
Producer Maronian was on hand for the presentation and provided a brief question and answer session from the enthusiastic audience. At the end of the program, Maronian received a standing ovation from the 292 attendees in the audience.
Guest Contributor
Will the film be shown anywhere else?