Courtesy of

Courtesy of

One point five million people dead, thousands of children orphaned. Three-fourths of an entire population murdered in the span of two years, and a guilty government in complete denial. Such was the state of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, “the forgotten massacre.” It was the inspiration for the Holocaust, the first Great War crime of the 20th century and the topic of the new documentary, “Screamers.”

The film is the product of the Grammy-winning band System of a Down, and from the start, one might think that it is simply a profile of the group. It begins at a System concert in the U.S., where rabid fans flock the stadium, and the members prepare to perform. The emphasis quickly changes, however, to the political activity going on at the event.

Tents and stands dot the area, distributing literature about genocide and circling petitions. Activists push their social agendas freely with the blessing of the group, who announce their intentions right off the bat saying, “This band just started to make you ask questions.”

The concert, which took place in 2005, was held on the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. The band members, all of Armenian descent, feel strongly about the event, which is largely unknown and denied openly by many of the world’s governments.

The documentary mixes interviews of band members, survivors of war crimes and experts. It is also laced with live performances by SOAD, in which the sometimes incomprehensible lyrics are layered over the instrumentals, revealing their highly political nature often lost on casual System listeners.

Though the film chronicles genocide in general, much focus is given to the near-extermination of the Armenians. Following the introduction of band member Serj Tankian’s 96 year-old grandfather Stepan Haytayan, a survivor, the film starts in on a heart-wrenching depiction of Turkey circa World War I.

Unbeknownst to most Americans, during the turn of the century the Christian Albanian population of Turkey was being persecuted by the Muslim majority. When war broke out, Turkish leader Mehmet Resat used the confusion to carry out the mass execution of the Albanian people.

The narration is supplemented by poignant accounts of the terrible incident from survivors and was made even more effective by black-and-white images of the carnage and death.

After Turkey is discussed, the focus of the film is widened to genocide in general throughout the twentieth century. As one expert says, “Genocide is about using the cover of an overall conflict to deal with ethnic