On February 27, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Bulgaria Yeghiazar Uzunyan, members of the Armenian community of Plovdiv and several guests attended the screening of the first act of the historical documentary film “The Memory of the 13 Chests”, which is produced with the support of the Armenian Center for Culture and Information.

“The film is about the Armenians who managed to stay alive after the Armenian Genocide, left their homes on the coast of Marmara Sea and settled in Bulgaria in 1922. From the city of Rodosto, they brought with them not only their personal items and riches, but also managed to save the sacred objects of the church from oblivion and elimination. They managed to store in 13 chests the most beautiful and the most precious sacred objects made by their ancestors and kept at the Holy King Church in Rodosto and transferred them to Plovdiv where they are kept in the museum of the local Saint George Church,” cultural affairs advisor to the Honorary Consul of Armenia in Plovdiv Aghavni Gevorgyan told Hayern Aysor, adding that the film is a story about the Armenians ancestors who settled in Bulgaria, the Armenian Genocide and the pain that has been stretching for over 100 years.

“The stars of the film gladly agreed to open their hearts and talk about events and incidents documenting a page of our history that we can transmit to our generations. The film also sends the message that the Armenians exist and will exist not only because they are wise and talented, but also because they have deep, centuries-old roots in the land that are intertwined and are pierced into the heart of the globe,” Aghavni Gevorgyan stated.

In his speech, the cultural affairs advisor to the Honorary Consul of Armenia in Plovdiv emphasized that the Armenian community of Plovdiv expresses its deep gratitude to the film’s director and screenwriter Tsvetan Simeonov, a Bulgarian who was able to see the pain and pride of the Armenians and talk about the Armenian Genocide, the sorrow and pride of the Armenian nation.

The film will be shown within the Armenian communities of various cities across Bulgaria.

“This is the third film produced by the Armenian community of Plovdiv. In the film shown on Bulgarian Public Television in May 2016, we presented the community’s actors, artists and musicians who we Armenians are proud of. The second film was devoted to Armenian national dishes. The film “The Memory of the 13 Chests” is dedicated to the 102^nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and we are dedicating it to our community and nation. The only thing left for us to do is to always remember our history,” Aghavni Gevorgyan stated.