Aurora's Sunrise (Inna Sahakyan, Armenia, 2022) + Short film (Warmth)

UK Premiere; Armenia’s official submission to the Academy Awards; Best Animated Film at Asia Pacific Screen Awards; Runner-Up in Audience Voting at IDFA 2022

Based on true events, Aurora's Sunrise tells the story of Aurora Mardiganian, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide who escaped to the US aged 14 and starred in a 1919 Hollywood adaptation of her autobiography called Ravished Armenia. Starring as herself, Aurora became a media sensation and the face of one of the largest charity campaigns in American history. Aurora's Sunrise brings Aurora’s story back into the limelight through vivid animation, mixed with recently rediscovered fragments of Ravished Armenia and documentary footage of Aurora’s later life.


Short: Warmth (Klaudia Fortuniak, Poland, 2023)

A mother and a daughter are going to a funeral. The mother is taking away the coal furnace for scrap that day, and the daughter is wearing brown tights. The furnace turns out to be too heavy, and the tights inadequate for the ceremony. How can the two women live through their bereavement?

Samizdat is supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, and funded by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

Accessibility

English subtitles, partial SDH captions (only for Warmth)

Financial support to attend the festival is available to eligible applicants via Samizdat's Access Fund.

Aurora's Sunrise:

Content notes: discussions and depictions of genocide and state violence; some dehumanising language and slurs aimed at ethnic and religious groups.

Access notes: a mix of animation and archival footage (colour and black-and-white), some loud sounds (music, clanking of boots, weapons).

Short film (Warmth):

Content notes: depictions of grief, discussions of death.