Screamers (2006 film)

Screamers
Poster for the film Screamers
Directed by	Carla Garapedian
Produced by	Nick De Grunwald
Starring	Serj Tankian Daron Malakian Shavo Odadjian John Dolmayan
Music by	Jeff Atmajian System of a Down
Cinematography	Charles Rose
Editing by	William Yarhaus
Distributed by	Maya Releasing
Release date(s)	December 8, 2006
Running time	89 min.
Language	English Armenian

Screamers is a 2006 documentary by director Carla Garapedian. The film explores why genocides have recurred into the modern day, and involves the band System of a Down, Serj Tankian's grandfather (who is an Armenian Genocide survivor), the human-rights activist, journalist, and Professor Samantha Power, and various people involved with genocides in Rwanda and Darfur. Screamers also examines genocide denial in current-day Turkey, and the trend of neutrality that the United States generally holds towards genocide.

Contributors

(in order of appearance)

• Samantha Power, Professor, Harvard University, Pulitzer prize-winning author, "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide"
• Serj Tankian, Vocalist, System of a Down
• John Dolmayan, Drummer, System of a Down
• Daron Malakian, Guitarist, System of a Down
• Shavo Odadjian, Bassist, System of a Down
• Aram Hamparian, Armenian National Committee
• Stepan Haytayan, Grandfather of Serj Tankian, 96-year-old survivor of Armenian genocide
• Maritza Ohanesian, 100-year old survivor of Armenian genocide
• Michael Hagopian, Filmmaker, "Voices from the Lake", "Germany and the Secret Genocide", "The Forgotten Genocide"
• Verjin Mempreian, 96-year old survivor of Armenian genocide
• Greg Topalian, Freeman College, UK
• Henry Morgenthau III, Grandson of Henry Morgenthau, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
• Lord Shannon, House of Lords
• Lord Avebury, House of Lords
• Baroness Cox, Deputy Speaker, House of Lords
• Charles Tannock, MEP, Conservative, European Parliament
• Tom Tsvann, Professor, Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Amsterdam
• Peter Galbraith, Former U.S. Senate Staff
• Vartkes Yeghiayan, "The Case of Soghomon Tehlirian" Author
• Sibel Edmonds, Former FBI translator
• Taner Akcam, Turkish historian and dissident
• Hrant Dink, Agos Newspaper, Istanbul
• Appo Jabarian, Editor, USA Armenian Life Speaking at UCLA conference
• Ara Sarafian, Gomidas Institute
• Adam Schiff, U.S. Congressman
• Salih Booker, Africa Action

Response

Critical reaction

• Screamers generally received good to average reviews from critics. Metacritic assign it a score of 55 / 100 based on a weighted average of more than 10 newspaper reviews.
• Ken Hachikian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, described the documentary as a "powerful contribution to the anti-genocide movement."
• The UN Secretary General requested to remove a sentence referring to a million Armenians being murdered during the Ottoman Empire from the Aegis Trust exhibition “Lessons from Rwanda,” and the exhibition’s subsequent cancellation
• Since the film's making, journalist Hrant Dink, who was interviewed for the documentary was assassinated.
• Screamers is now shown in Armenian Youth organizations to explain and clarify the Armenian Genocide, and raise awareness. Also, it is used to educate the Armenians who do not know about the genocide or non-Armenians.

Awards

• In 2006, Screamers won the AFI Audience Award for Best Documentary.

External links

• Official website
• Screamers on YouTube
• Screamers at the Internet Movie Database
• Screamers at Rotten Tomatoes
• Screamers at Metacritic