DEARBORN, Michigan – During the First World War a genocide took place in the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian People were driven out of their homeland into the deserts of Syria and Iraq. 1.5 million were killed. Thousands of young women were abducted to become the concubines of Turks, Kurds, and Arabs. The story of these young women was never told… until now.
The Armenian Research Center, University of Michigan-Dearborn, in cooperation with the AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School, the Armenian National Committee of Michigan, the Cultural Society of Armenians from Istanbul, and the Knights of Vartan Nareg-Shavarshan Lodge, will hold a viewing of “Grandma’s Tattoos,” a documentary by Suzanne Khardalian.
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Grandma Khanoum, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, bore blue tattoos on her face and hands that were a forbidden family topic. Khardalian makes a journey into her own family history to investigate the story behind Grandma Khanoum’s odd tattoos, and reveals part of the little-discussed fate of Armenian women and girls during the Armenian Genocide.
This is her third film on aspects of the Armenian Genocide, joining Return to Ararat (1988) and I Hate Dogs (2005). All three films were produced in collaboration with her husband, the Swedish filmmaker PeA Holmquist. Khardalian will be present at the viewing to answer questions from the audience.
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. Anyone requiring accommodations under the provisions of the ADA should contact Gerald Ottenbreit (313-593-5181, [email protected]) prior to Dec. 5. The viewing begins at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7) at 1030 CASL Building, on the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus.
For more information on the film, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKNJUWsglwA.
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