Nominated for Best Documentary Feature
Q&A with Vardan Hovhannisyan
The true story of a teenage refugee turned Hollywood star. At 14-years-old, Aurora lost everything during the horror of the Armenian Genocide but with extraordinary courage she escaped to New York, where she became a media sensation and the face of the largest charity campaign in American History.
A poignant docuanimation directed by Inna Sahakyan, Aurora’s Sunrise follows the historic true story of Armenian genocide survivor-turned film star, Arshaluys Mardiganian. From a tortured prisoner to a Hollywood actress conversing with Charlie Chaplin at glamorous dinner parties – Aurora’s story is both unbelievable and yet immediately touching; it is universally harrowing in its display of breathtaking resilience and the determination to survive.
Drawing on the creative forces of composer Christine Aufderhaar and lead illustrator Gediminas Skyrius, Aurora’s story is told in part through paper cutout CG animation, wrought with colour work, music and metaphor symbolic of Armenia, which is interwoven with interview excerpts with Aurora herself, recorded before her death in 1994. To further accompany the documentary’s rich diversity of narrative are recovered fragments – surfaced after Aurora’s death – of Auction of Souls; the 1919 American silent film about Aurora’s tale of survival, in which she herself starred as the protagonist and which remains only in incomplete form.
Standing as Armenia’s official submission for Best International Feature Film in the 2023 Academy Awards, Aurora’s Sunrise is a remarkable odyssey fragmented by and consisting of tragedy and endurance, through which hope is ultimately found.
Bryony Chellew
This film is Triple F Rated.
Supported by the Armenia Institute.
