Apo Torosyan presents his documentary film, Voices

The Watertown Free Public Library is hosting the first of several presentations from Filmmaker’s Collaborative on Thursday, May 22nd at 7 PM.

A gripping documentary film of four interviews with survivors of the Armenian and Greek genocide, Voices tells the stunning tale of a million and a half people who were tortured, starved, and murdered by the Turkish government from 1915 to 1923. The presentation will include a question and answer session with director Apo Torosyan. Sponsored by the Filmmakers Collaborative and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

In Voices, Apo interviewed three survivors of the Armenian Genocide and one survivor of the Greek Genocide. These mass murders of innocent civilians between 1915 and 1923 in Turkey claimed the lives of 1.5 million Armenian and 1 million Greek and Assyrian citizens. The Turkish government still has not officially recognized these crimes against humanity.

Invisible Children Screening

Invisible Children Documentary screening on March 19, 6:30 at the Watertown Free Public Library

The Invisible Children project began with three young filmmakers traveling to Africa. While they were there, they learned of a tragic situation in Uganda where children were being abducted from their homes and forced to fight a civil war. These young men documented the story of children who became “night commuters” in order to avoid abduction. When the filmmakers returned to America they began an ambitious program designed to improve the quality of life for children who have been affected by war.

Last year Watertown High school students including members of the Library’s Teen Advisory Board took on the project to help bring funding to schools in Uganda. At this screening Lydia Mutagubya, will be introduced, a young woman from Uganda who has been involved with the Invisible Children project and the Watertown Schools. Along with her will be Ssendagire Stephen, the principal of the Bright Future Child Ministries, who will be sharing his schools’ situation which involves many orphaned children.