Armenia/Lebanon/Sweden/Syria/USA – 58 min. – directed by Suzanne Khardalian – Arabic, Armenian and English with English subtitles where necessary – North American Premiere
Director Suzanne Khardalian takes a brave look into the life of her grandmother Khantoum, described as an austere woman marked with tattoos. A web of dark secrets is unravelled, as Khardalian discovers that her grandmother, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, was likely forced into slavery by living as her abductor’s concubine, her body being marked with tattoos. This intimate portrait of Grandma Khantoum is the haunting and brutal reality of many of the children and women of 1915, seldom discussed and relatively unknown prior to the release of this film. The first Genocide documentary told from a female perspective, MY GRANDMA’S TATTOOS will be making its world premiere at the prestigious Amsterdam International Film Festival one week prior to its screening at the Pomegranate Film Festival. Suzanne Khardalian’s impressive directorial credits include HER ARMENIAN PRINCE, HERE LIES MY VICTORY and I HATE DOGS – winner of the Best Short Film at the 2007 Pomegranate Film Festival. Following the screening, the director will be available for a question and answer session with audience members moderated by Armenian Relief Society Toronto’s “Roupina” branch representative Nairy Shahinian. This movie is being presented in conjunction with the Armenian Relief Society.
