After watching David Lee George’s documentary, The Architects of Denial, I was moved to tears by the gruesome story of genocide. Released on October 4th, 2017, the documentary addresses denial of Armenian Genocide through riveting narration, intense imagery, stories of survivors, and commentary from experts on the matter. The documentary takes a long look at past aggressions and also discusses recent acts of genocide perpetrated against Armenians. The consequences of genocide denial, some obvious and some not, are articulated in the duration of the film. After recounting the history of the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to the present as Armenians conflicts with Azerbaijan, the video ends with footage of US Senators refusing to comment on the Armenian genocide, fully illustrating the reach of genocide denial.
This documentary does an incredible job of bringing together a diverse group of individuals to speak on the issue of genocide. There are multiple accounts of survival and struggle made by Armenian Genocide survivors that bring an emotional element to the documentary. Interviews with a 108-year-old Armenian woman, a proud Armenian American, a prominent Armenian musician, and many more share heartbreaking and often gruesome stories on family history and survival from the genocide. Included with these personal accounts are commentary and insight from political officials. Whistleblower Julian Assange, Congressman Adam Schiff, former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, and former US ambassador to Armenia John Evans all weigh in with their knowledge of genocide corruption with tales of bribery and gag orders. A third perspective on the controversy in the documentary is that of the academic community. Notable genocide scholars such as president of Genocide Watch Dr. Gregory Stanton, human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, and Turkish Scholar Dr. Ugur Ungor are some of the few notable people interviewed. Both emotional and logical perspectives of the documentary are easy to follow and allow for both members and nonmembers of the Armenian community to understand and connect to the subject matter. An admirable feature of this documentary is that it offers a refutation of claims made against the Armenian Genocide by commenting on statements made by the few scholars who do deny the Armenian Genocide like that of Justin McCarthy. The inclusion of opposing viewpoints illustrates the diverse and wholesome representation of Armenian history portrayed in the documentary.
In addition to honoring genocide history, the documentary brilliantly illustrates the ease at which a genocide is denied and therefore continued. It was shocking to see how often genocide is denied by its perpetrators and disturbing to see the United States act as an unmoved bystander in the case of the Armenians. Several US officials were shown throughout the documentary avoiding inquires on the Armenian Genocide. Further evidence of these officials being bribed by the Turkish Government to not take a stand shown made me take time to reflect on something I had previously thought was not something I needed to worry about as a part of my government.
This documentary does an outstanding job of putting the Armenian Genocide in a modern context. An explanation is given as to why the conflict starting in the 1980’s between Armenians and Azerbaijanis is indeed a genocide. The recent release date of this documentary indicates the long road ahead to get the people The recentness of these events acts as a sort of exigency to pay attention to what is going on for the people suffering in Nagorno-Karabakh.
As an Armenian American, I found this documentary to be extremely enlightening. The Armenian community prides themselves on being aware of their history, yet I was impressed with The Architects of Denial for opening my eyes to issues that I was not aware of. I knew of the ongoing conflict of Armenian’s in Azerbaijan, I knew of the history of my ancestors, yet I was unaware of the amount of corruption within the United States that has kept our nation from acknowledging this history for what it was: a genocide. It was disappointing to see the world leaders I have relied on to dismiss the Armenian Genocide due to relations with Turkey or some form of corruption. As for recent events of violence shown in the documentary, the only emotion I felt was shock. It is one thing to read about tragic events of the past but there is an additional sting to learn of Armenian persecution from just a few months ago. For those who are not members of the Armenian community, this documentary offers excellent historical information through facts as well as detailed accounts of what began in 1915 to the present. The diverse group of individuals interviewed in this documentary creates a wholesome look into the story of the 1.5 million silenced by an event some still claim didn’t happen.
Something that I did not expect of this documentary and something that was hard for me to endure was how graphic the film was. Stories of rape and slaughter are hard enough to digest, but the images that were shown along with these stories made me have to turn my head at times. Decapitated heads, mass graves, and dead bodies are just some of the of what is shown. The documentary did not hold back at all. While I understand the importance of showing these images in order to share the reality of genocide, I would advise those who watch to be prepared for what they will see.
This documentary is bold, brave, and honest. It addresses an issue that has the potential to start a war, an issue that has caused so much pain, and an issue that has not gone away. I recommend this documentary for anyone interested in learning not only about the Armenian Genocide but as to why it is continuously denied. As the documentary states, to deny a genocide is to continue a genocide. Knowledge gained is a step to ending denial.
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