Aurora’s Sunrise Discussion Guide

At 14, Aurora Madriganian survived the Armenian Genocide and escaped to New York, where her story became a media sensation. Her newfound fame led to her starring in Auction of Souls, one of Hollywood's earliest blockbusters. Blending storybook animation, video testimony, and rediscovered footage from her lost silent epic, Aurora's Sunrise revives her forgotten story.

This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection and designed for people who want to use Aurora’s Sunrise to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and communities. In contrast to initiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions conversations undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively.

The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.

For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit https://communitynetwork.amdoc.org/.

About the Author, Leshu Torchin:

Leshu Torchin is senior lecturer (associate professor) of film studies at the University of St Andrews. She has researched and published widely on the representation of genocide in film and the use of media in activism. She is the author of Creating the Witness: Documenting Genocide in Film, Video, and the Internet and co-editor of and contributor to Film Festival Yearbook 4: Film Festivals and Activism. Her articles on The Missing Picture, filmmaker Rithy Panh’s chronicle of his experience during the Cambodian genocide, and The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer’s followup to The Act of Killing, have appeared in Film Quarterly. She has also published in journals, including American Anthropologist and Film & History, and collections, including The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Politics and Anne Frank Unbound: Media, Imagination, Memory. 

 

Discussion Guide Producer: 

Courtney B. Cook, Phd | Education Manager, POV
C. Rees | Education Editor, POV

 

Thanks to all who reviewed this guide: 

Natalie Danford, Copyeditor