The Ararat-Eskijian Museum, and the Organization of Istanbul Armenia’s will host a screening of The Morgenthau Story, a new documentary by Massachusetts-based filmmaker and artist Apo Torosyan on Sunday January 25, 2009, at 4:30 p.m., under the auspices of the Western Diocese Armenian Church of North America at 3525 Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank Ca 91504.
The Morgenthau Story tells the tale of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s commitment to helping humanity. From 1913 to 1916, he served as U.S. Ambassador in Constantinople, and with the beginning of the Armenian Genocide in the spring of 1915 he appealed without success to the Ottoman leaders to stop the killings. In 1923, during the aftermath of the genocide and expulsion of Armenia’s, Greeks, and Assyrians, he helped save thousands of lives by successfully leading the Refugee Relief Committee in Greece.
Torosyan interweaves the story of Henry Morgenthau with interviews with three of his descendants: gran’sons Henry Morgenthau III and Robert M. Morgenthau, and great-granddaughter Dr. Pamela Steiner.
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, to Armenian and Greek parents, Torosyan holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Istanbul’s Academy of Fine Arts. His previous films include Bread Series, Water, The Gates, Witnesses, Discovering My Father’s Village: Edincik, and Voices. He is an active member of the Boston Printmakers and the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
Since 1986, he has had many solo and group shows all over the U.S. and Europe, and his work has appeared in private and corporate collections in Turkey, Greece, Spain, France, Armenia, Canada, and the U.S. His art works are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art at Tonneins, Bordeaux, France; the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, MA; Ararat Eskijian Museum in Los Angeles, CA; Armenian Western Diocese in Burbank, CA; A.G.B.U. Manoogian Collection, Montreal, Canada; Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT; Flaten Art Museum in Northfield, MN and Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, FL.
All of Apo Torosyan’s DVDs will be available for purchase. For more information contact the Ararat’sEskijian Museum at (818) 838-4862 or Dr. Ohannes (Kulak) 818 800-1976 or e-mail mgoschin@mindspring.com
Admission is free and a reception will follow the program.
