“Aurora’s sunrise”
A survivor’s journey from bloodshed to the red carpet
An award-winning audience favorite at film festivals around the world
& Armenia’s official entry to the 95th academy awards
For “Best international feature film”
OFFICIAL TRAILER
SYNOPSIS
At only 14 years old, Aurora lost everything during the horror of the Armenian Genocide. Four years later, through luck and extraordinary courage, she escaped to New York, where her story became a media sensation. Starring as herself in Auction of Souls, an early Hollywood blockbuster, Aurora became the face of one of the largest and most successful charity campaigns in American history.
With a blend of vivid animation, interviews with Aurora herself, and 18 minutes of surviving re-discovered footage from her lost silent epic, Aurora’s Sunrise revives a forgotten story of survival, hope, and the endurance of the human spirit.
“A cinematographic work that aims to prevent the Armenian genocide from being forgotten.”
“An epic reconstruction of the story of Aurora Mardiganian and the Armenian genocide. ”
“...to make even the most painful [story] full of inspiration and hope. Memory, truth, together with imagination. I think that’s what this film is.
”
“...a convincing story elegantly told, through archives, animation, and fiction, about a little-known genocide that sheds light and awareness on today’s political tensions and challenges.”
“The remarkable life of Armenian genocide survivor Aurora Mardiganian is turned into a gripping animation.”
DIRECTOR
PRODUCERS
Vardan Hovhannisyan
Christian Beetz
Inna Sahakyan
Juste Michailinaite
Kestutis Drazdauskas
Eric Esrailian
FILM DETAILS
Country: Armenia, Germany, Lithuania
Year: 2022
Language: Armenian (Western), Turkish, English, German, Kurdish
Duration: 94 mins
Genre: Documentary, Animation, Drama
Screening format: DCP 4K
International sales (excl. USA):
“...the excellent Aurora’s Sunrise, [is] a film that both chronicles a horrendously dark chapter in the world but also speaks to the value of filmmaking in the first place. ”
“Aurora’s Sunrise is a beautifully made film which captures the spirit and extraordinary
scale of an unimaginable journey. ”
“...poetic and deeply moving documentary that recreates Mardiganian’s harrowing tale in ways that Hollywood could never imagine.”
“This standout documentary combines archival footage and animated re-enactments to share one survivor’s memories... A reconstructed, yet still personal record of a long-unrecognized genocide.”
“Mardiganian was outspoken about the atrocities her people faced and her story shouldn’t be
forgotten.”
“A powerful, accessible blend of animation and archive that bears witness to the Armenian
genocide through the eyes of survivor and Hollywood silent star Aurora Mardiganian.”
“Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Incredibly powerful and insightful story and also visually stunning - the blend of animation, recovered footage and new interview was so unique.”
