This April, public television stations across the country will premiere THEY SHALL NOT PERISH: The Story of Near East Relief. The documentary is produced by Shant Mardirossian and award-winning writer/director George Billard. They Shall Not Perish details the unprecedented humanitarian efforts of thousands of Americans who saved a generation of orphans and refugees after the collapse of the Ottoman EMPIRE during and after World War I.
The one-hour documentary film features the stories of American diplomats, missionaries and relief workers who, as witnesses to the Armenian Genocide, responded to a call to action and mobilized the largest non-governmental international humanitarian movement undertaken by American citizens. Motivated by nothing but a moral sense of duty, these men and women - among them industrialists, ambassadors, teachers, nurses, advertisers and Presidents - helped bring care and comfort to millions of suffering refugees in extremely harrowing circumstances. Narrated by six-time Emmy award nominated actor Victor Garber, the film is set against a mix of historical footage, archival photographs and utilizes contemporary interviews from leading academic experts such as Taner Akçam, Peter Balakian and Keith David Watenpaugh. In addition, the letters of American officials, relief workers and orphans are brought to life through the voices of leading actors - Michael Aronov, Kathleen Chalfant, Dariush Kashani, Andrea Martin, Ron Rifkin, Tony Shalhoub and Kara Vedder - taking the audience on a journey from the depths of cruelty to the triumphs of survival.The official premiere and discussion with the filmmakers will take place on April 8, 2017 at the Times Center - 242 W 41st Street, New York, NY. For details on purchasing tickets please visit www.neareast.org/theyshallnotperish or contact Andrea Crowley at acrowley@neareast.org or (315) 428-8670.
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