On April 1, the film “Lost Birds”, which is devoted to the Armenian Genocide, will go on the big screens in Turkey. The film by young directors Aren Perdeji and Ela Alyamac is about Armenian siblings, Mariam and Peto, who lost their family in 1915.

“Lost Birds” is the first full-length film about the events of 1915 produced in Turkey. The creators and actors talked about the film at the Sahakian-Nunian School of Istanbul. The actors unanimously stated that they saw the stories of their families and ancestors in the film.

The film was first screened at the ARPA International Film Festival in the United States and received three awards in November 2015. In an interview with Azatutyun, director of the film and one of the screenwriters, Aren Perdeji mentioned that the purpose of the film is to create a bridge between the sides that have been continuously debating over the events of 1915.

“The film “Lost Birds” is about the tragedy that happened in 1915, the sorrow and horror through the eyes of two children. The film reminds us about all that we lost. The purpose of the film is to consolidate people with opposite views on the issue from the political perspective. During the screening in the United States, we felt that we had accomplished our goal. There were nearly 800 people in the audience, and most of them had traveled from distant places. Everyone told us that anyone who watches this film, be it from the Armenian Diaspora, an American, a Turk or Armenian has gotten the message. Everyone was crying, hugging each other and were telling us that the film had gotten the message across. We were very happy,” Aren Perdeji says, reports azatutyun.am.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey has provided financial assistance for film production. According to the creators, they accepted the ministry’s support under the condition that the ministry wouldn’t interfere in writing the script. It took two years to produce the film, which doesn’t contain any political context and presents the sentimental, century-old story. The young directors hope Turks will also like the film. They also expect to receive an invitation from Armenia.

“If we receive an invitation from Armenia, we would love to share our film with the people,” Ela Alyamac says.