Tom Ohanian

Methods OF PRESENTING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DISCUSSED BY TOM OHANIAN AT NAASR

Methods of getting the story of the Armenian Genocide before the public eye were the subject of a talk by Thomas A. Ohanian at the Center and Headquarters of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research. The talk, entitled “Coming to Terms with Armenian Genocide: New Voices, New Methods,” was held on October 18, 2001.

Ohanian is the author of the recently published novel Lines in the Sand: Love, Tragedy, and the Armenian Genocide and an Oscar and Emmy Award recipient for his pioneering work in digital editing and filmmaking.

New and Old Methods of Expression

Survivor memoirs and novels dramatizing the events surrounding the Armenian Genocide have been appearing since the late days of the Genocide itself. In that respect Ohanian’s novel Lines in the Sand is part of an ongoing tradition. As the grandchild of Genocide survivors he is part of the increasingly large group of descendents of survivors who explore the Genocide and try to come to terms with it.

Ohanian stated that there are “different things that can be done to get these stories out there,” and his book, which is based on many months of careful research, “is one of a series of things” he wishes to do to help the effort. While making no bold claims for his book, he feels that it is his contribution to a growing body of work that will encourage the creation of even more Armenian-themed books, television programs, feature films, etc., in the not-distant future.

Reaching the Right Audience

He feels that it is important to reach two main groups of people: all the non-Armenians who know little or nothing of the Armenians’ story and “how it relates to what’s going on in the world right now” and the younger generation of Armenians who may not be aware of their own heritage and traditions – not just the story of the Genocide, but also the culture and folkways of their ancestors.

In crafting his novel, he sought to alternate between the personal love story of the two main characters, Sona and Hagop, who get caught up in the events of 1915, and the global-political elements that provide the context necessary to understand the whole story and thus make it compelling to the most readers possible. The latter aspect of the novel features actual historical figures such as Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Komidas, and General Antranig. Ohanian stated that he “learned a lot of things” during the nine months that he was doing historical research for the book.

Importance of Digital Technology

A graduate of Boston University in Broadcasting and Film, Ohanian is the producer of the documentary The Armenian Genocide: 1894-1896, 1915-1919. He has also authored the textbooks Digital Nonlinear Editing and Digital Filmmaking. In 1996 he received the Dr. Dikran H. Kabakjian Award for Achievement in Science and Technology from the Armenian Students Association of America.

As a pioneer in the field of digital editing, Ohanian is able to speak knowledgably about the importance of digitizing existing documents and audio-visual versions of Genocide survivor oral histories, most of which were recorded on tape in the 1970s and 1980s. As he explained, the technology involved is neither prohibitively expensive nor difficult to master; as he put it, most 10-year-olds have the ability to do the digital transfers.

Fortunately, Ohanian is not only talking about this important work; he is also doing it. In partnership with Apple Computers Ohanian is in the process of transferring to DVD a series of oral histories. Because of the storage capacity of DVDs, the oral history, subtitles, full transcriptions, and much more additional material can all be stored on the same disc.

Other High-Visibility Projects

Besides discussing his own diverse projects Ohanian also spoke about Canadian Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan’s film Ararat, currently in production and scheduled for release later in 2002. It will be the first mainstream film with a big-name director and well-known actors that deals with the Armenian Genocide.

Following his talk Ohanian answered numerous questions from members of the audience, who were particularly interested in his groundbreaking work in digital editing and its potential for preserving and documenting Armenian life and history. After the question-answer period the audience enjoyed refreshments, and Ohanian signed copies of Lines in the Sand.

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