‘Aurora's Sunrise - Inna Sahakyan’

At age 14, Aurora loses everything during the Armenian genocide. Four years later, she escapes to New York, where her story becomes a media sensation. Starring as herself in Auction of Souls, an early Hollywood blockbuster, Aurora becomes the face of one of America’s largest charity campaigns ever. With a blend of vivid animation, interviews with Aurora herself and 18 minutes of surviving footage from her lost silent epic, Aurora's Sunrise revives a forgotten survival story. 

Over the last fifteen years, Inna Sahakyan has directed and produced a variety of film projects. Following the release of her feature-length debut as codirector of the award-winning Armenia’s Last Tightrope Dancer in 2010, she directed and wrote Mel and Aurora’s Sunrise, completing both in 2022. Inna also provides guidance to young filmmakers in her native country.
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The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director and writer Inna Sahakyan moderated by Marie-Aude Baronian (Associate Professor in Visual Culture and Film at the University of Amsterdam).

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This film was made possible with the academic contribution of the Zoryan Institute and is based on its Oral History Archive.