Official Trailer

International Awards

Aurora’s Sunrise

directed by INNA SAHAKYAN
PRODUCERS: Vardan Hovhannisyan, Christian Beetz, Inna Sahakyan,
Juste Michailinaite, Kestutis Drazdauskas, Eric Esrailian

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”

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.

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): CAT&DOCS

PRESS KID
IMDB
Rotten Tomatoes

Quotes

“

…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.

— RogerEbert.com

“

A cinematographic work that aims to prevent the Armenian genocide from being forgotten.

— FIFDH Geneva

“

…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.

— Orwa Nyrabia, Artistic Director of IDFA

“

…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.

— MiradasDoc

“

Aurora’s Sunrise is a beautifully made film which captures the spirit and extraordinary
scale of an unimaginable journey.”

— Atom Egoyan, Arsinée Khanjian

“

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.

— The New York Times

“

Mardiganian was outspoken about the atrocities her people faced and her story shouldn’t be forgotten.

— Los Angeles Times

“

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.

— Europa Film Festival

“

… poetic and deeply moving documentary that recreates Mardiganian’s harrowing tale in ways that Hollywood could never imagine.

— POV Magazine

“

An epic reconstruction of the story of Aurora Mardiganian and the Armenian genocide.

— Movies That Matter

“

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.

— The Film Verdict

“

The remarkable life of Armenian genocide survivor Aurora Mardiganian is turned into a gripping animation.

— Screendaily

Watch Aurora’s Sunrise Online

ON STREAMING

PAST SCREENINGS

  • New York City, New York | Village East | Aug. 11, 2023

  • Queens, New York | Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) | Aug. 12 & Aug. 13, 2023

  • New York City, New York | New Plaza Cinema | Aug. 11, 2023

  • San Diego, California | Digital Gym | Aug. 25, 2023

  • Portland, Oregon | Cinema 21 | Aug 25, 2023

  • Boston, MA | Capitol Theatre | Sep 8, 2023

  • Rhinebeck, NY | Upstate Films Starr Cinema | Sep 8, 2023

  • Wilmette, IL | Wilmette Theatre | Aug 25, 2023

  • Seattle, WA | Grand Illusion Cinema | Aug 26, 2023

  • Waterville, ME | Maine Film Center | Sep 8, 2023

  • Montreal, QC, Canada | Cinémathèque Québécoise | Sep 1, 2023

  • Toronto, ON, Canada | Hot Docs Ted Rogers | Sep 1, 2023

  • Seattle, WA | Gateway Film Center | Sep 8 to 10, 2023

  • Seattle, WA | Grand Illusion Cinema | Aug 26, 2023

  • Bryn Mawr, PA | Bryn Mawr Film Institute | Sep 27, 2023 (one-off)

  • Beverly Hills, CA | Luminere Cinema at the Music Hall | Aug 25, 2023

  • Washington, DC | Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art | Sep 17, 2023 (one-off)

  • Los Angeles, CA | Laemmle Theaters Glendale | Aug 18, 2023

  • Nashville, TN | Belcourt Theater | Sep 22, 2023

  • Ann Arbor, MI | The State Theater | Sep 29, 2023

  • Montgomery, AL | Capri Theatre | Sep 29, 2023

  • San Luis Obispo, CA | Palm Theatre | Sep 15, 2023

  • Pleasantville, NY | Jacob Burns Film Center | Oct 8, 2023 (one off)

  • Winston-Salem, NC | a/perture cinema | Oct 18, 2023 (one off)

  • Ann Arbor, MI | The State Theater | Oct 20, 2023

  • Sudbury, ON, Canada | Sudbury Indie Cinema | Oct 19, 2023

  • Cleveland, OH | Cleveland Cinematheque | Dec 3, 2023 (one off)

  • Yerevan, Armenia | AGBU Armenia | March 19 2024, 19h

  • Antwerp, Netherlands | De Cinema | April 9 2024, 20h15

  • Los Angeles, CA | USC School of Cinematic Arts Theater | April 17, 2024

  • Los Angeles, CA | Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum | May 10, 2024

  • Ithaca, NY | Willard Straight Theater | April 22, 2024

  • Tampa, FL | Ferman Center for the Arts I University of Tampa | April 21, 2024

  • Rome, Italy | Cinema Intrastevere Hall 2 | June 1, 2024

PAST festival SCREENINGS

  • Annecy International Animation Film Festival, 2022, France

  • Asia Pacific Screen Awards, 2022, Australia

  • Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, 2022, Estonia

  • Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival, 2022, Armenia

  • Animation is Film Festival, 2022, USA

  • Asian World Film Festival, 2022, USA

  • IDFA, 2022, Netherlands

  • Hamburg Film Festival, 2022, Germany

  • Doclisboa, 2022, Portugal

  • European Film Forum Scanorama, 2022, Lithuania

  • Tbilisi International Film Festival, 2022, Georgia

  • Cinéma Vérité – Iran International Film Festival, 2022, Iran

  • Trieste Film Festival, 2023, Italy

  • MiradasDoc, 2023, Spain

  • Europa! Europa Film Festival, 2023, Australia

  • Göteborg Film Festival, 2023, Sweden

  • DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival, 2023, Finland

  • Anima Brussels International Animation Film Festival, 2023, Belgium

  • 21st International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, 2023, Switzerland

  • Movies that Matter Festival, 2023, Netherlands

  • Cartagena film festival, 2023, Columbia

  • Thessaloniki Documentary Film, 2023, Greece

  • Hong Kong International Film Festival, 2023

  • Human International Documentary Film Festival, 2023, Norway

  • It’s All True International Documentary Film Festival, 2023, Brazil

  • Go East Film Festival, 2023, Germany

  • Sommets du cinéma d’animation, 2023, Canada

  • Boston Independent Film Festival, 2023, USA

  • Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, 2023, Poland

  • Fidadoc, Le Festival international du film documentaire d’Agadir, 2023, Morocco

  • Europe on Screen, 2023, Indonesia

  • Ambulante Documentary Film Festival, México, 2023

  • Festival of Cinema NYC, 2023, USA

  • Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest, Spain, 2023

  • Royal Starr Film Festival, US, 2023

  • Armenian Film Fest Australia, 2023, Melbourne

  • Mystic Film Festival, 2023, USA

  • Atlantida Mallorca Film Festival, 2023, SPAIN

  • Festival of Cinema NYC, 2023, USA

  • Golden Gate Armenian Film Festival, 2023, USA

  • Ambulante Documentary Film Festival, 2023, Mexico

  • Royal Starr Film Festival, 2023, USA

  • Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival, UK, 2023

  • Irish Film Institute Documentary Film Festival, Ireland, 2023

  • Armenian Film Festival Australia, Australia, 2023

  • Viborg Animation Festival, Denmark, 2023

  • 15th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, South Korea, 2023

  • ANIMASYROS Film Festival, Greece, 2023

  • Mystic Film Festival, US, 2023

  • Screening Rights Film Festival, UK, 2023

  • Raindance Film Festival, UK, 2023

  • Centre Film festival, US, 2023

  • One World Film Festival, Slovakia, 2023

  • Movies On War Film Festival, Norway, 2023

  • All About Us Film Festival, Hong Kong, 2023

  • BIDF – Budapest International Documentary Festival, Hungary, 2024

  • CINEMA CITY, Hungary, 2024

  • 17TH FESTIVAL OF TOLERANCE, Croatia, 2024

  • ANIMELA Film Festival, India, 2024

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