Bars Media Films will release its first-ever animated feature film Aurora’s Sunrise, which is also the first-ever animated documentary film made in Armenia, and Armenia’s Official Selection for 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Directed by Inna Sahakyan, Aurora’s Sunrise premiered in competition at Annecy IAFF2022 and then became a festival favorite winning more than 10 awards, including the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2022 for Best Animated Film, Movies that Matter 2023 Audience Award and Special Mention Winner, Audience Favorites at IDFA 2022, Audience Awards at Animation is Film 2022 and FIFDH Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights 2023 for Grand Prix, among others.
Release Date
Directed by Inna Sahakyan, Aurora’s Sunrise will have its North American theatrical release, opening August 11 in New York City at Village East by Angelika and New Plaza Cinema, August 18 in Los Angeles at Laemmle Glendale, September 1 in Toronto at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, with director Inna Sahakyan in-person for Q&As at all three. The film will also roll out in other cities across the U.S. and Canada throughout August and the Fall.
Synopsis
In 1915, as WWI raged on, the Ottoman Empire singled out its entire Armenian population for destruction. Only 14 years old at the time, Aurora Mardiganian’s story was tragically relatable. Forced onto a death march towards the Syrian desert, she lost her entire family before being kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery. Four years later, through luck and extraordinary courage, she escaped to New York, where her story became a media sensation. Starring as herself in the silent epic “Auction of Souls,” an early Hollywood blockbuster, Aurora became the face of one of the largest and most successful charity campaigns in American history, as one of the first women activists fighting against the injustices of war. 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.
In their review, POV Magazine wrote, “Sahakyan deftly combines animation with conventional aspects of history docs to honour Mardiganian’s tale. 100 years after Auction of Souls, Aurora’s Sunrise is an empathetic continuation of her story. While the original work raised significant sums for the relief effort and orphans of war, the snippets of Auction of Souls are sometimes unbearable to watch as Mardiganian reopens fresh wounds. Aurora’s Sunrise is resolutely her tale, but its storybook aesthetic evokes the loss of innocence. It makes the tragedy doubly piercing.”
Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for Aurora’s Sunrise:
Theater Listings
Aug. 11 in New York City at Village East by Angelika and New Plaza Cinema
Aug. 18 in Los Angeles at Laemmle Glendale
Sept. 1 in Toronto at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Director Inna Sahakyan In-Person for Q&As at all Three
Opening in More Cities Across the U.S. and Canada Throughout August and The Fall