Filmmaker Faces Charges in Turkey After Screening Film About Armenian Genocide Survivor Aurora Mardiganian

A criminal case has been opened in Turkey against filmmaker Rojhilat Aksoy after she organized a screening of the film “Aurora’s Sunrise,” which tells the story of Armenian Genocide survivor Aurora Mardiganian. Authorities accuse the filmmaker of insulting the Turkish nation, a charge that has been brought under the country’s controversial Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code.

The case was launched by the regional prosecutor’s office in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. According to information reported by the Turkish organization “Association for the Study of Media and Law,” the prosecution claims that the screening violated the law that prohibits “publicly insulting the Turkish nation and the state institutions of Turkey.”

The film screening that led to the investigation took place in December 2024. At the time, Aksoy was serving as vice president of the Association of Middle Eastern Cinema Academies. The screening was part of cultural activities organized during her tenure with the association.

In the indictment prepared by prosecutors, authorities argue that the film presents the “events of 1915” in a way they consider problematic. According to the prosecution, the film portrays those events as a justified struggle, which they claim is offensive under Turkish law.

Another “basis” cited in the case concerns the film’s depiction of historical experiences of Armenians in the region. Prosecutors pointed to scenes and narratives that describe the forced changing of names and religion of Armenians, as well as the inhumane treatment they endured during the period covered by the film.

The prosecution also objected to scenes showing soldiers of the Turkish army taking children away from Armenian women. Authorities described those scenes as false and used them as part of their argument for bringing charges against the filmmaker.

Aksoy has rejected the accusations. She stated that organizing the screening was an act protected by freedom of speech and artistic expression. According to her position, the public showing of the film was conducted within the legal framework of cultural and academic discussion.

The legal process is continuing. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled to take place in Diyarbakir on April 6.

The film “Aurora’s Sunrise” itself has received international attention since its release. The documentary animation was directed by Armenian filmmaker Inna Sahakyan and premiered in 2022. The film tells the story of Arshalouis (Aurora) Mardiganian, an Armenian woman who survived the events of the Armenian Genocide and later shared her experiences with the world.

The film combines animation, archival materials, and recorded testimony to recreate Mardiganian’s story. It follows her journey as a survivor and describes the hardships she endured during the violence that affected Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the early twentieth century.

Mardiganian’s story has historical importance beyond the modern documentary. In 1919, shortly after she reached the United States, her memories were used to create a screenplay for a silent film about her life. That film was produced and released during the early years of cinema. However, over time all copies of the silent film were lost.

Although the film itself disappeared, Mardiganian’s testimony survived in written form. Her memoirs were published and preserved in print, allowing later generations to study and learn about her experiences.

More than a century after the events she described, her story continues to appear in films, books, and research about the Armenian Genocide. The modern documentary “Aurora’s Sunrise” is one of the most recent attempts to present her testimony to international audiences.

The legal case against Rojhilat Aksoy has drawn attention because it involves the screening of a film that addresses sensitive historical issues. Article 301, the law cited in the indictment, has been used in previous cases involving writers, journalists, and scholars whose work touched on historical debates in Turkey.

The outcome of the upcoming court hearing in April will determine how the case proceeds and whether the charges against the filmmaker will move forward in the Turkish judicial system.

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