In San Marino, a presentation of the Italian translation of the novel of French film director and playwright Henri Verneuil (born Ashot Malakian) “Mayrig” (“Mother”) was held recently. Verneuil shot the film “Mayrig” based on his novel as well.
As the Radio and Television of San Marino reports, the event was held under the auspices of the Secretariat of Culture and the Embassy of Armenia. The Italian translation had already been presented in 2015 at the International Book Fair in Turin.
The event material states:
“In 1915, the world shaken by WWI stood before another terrible tragedy that took the lives of about 2 million Armenians. The tragedy lasted for several years, and at the end, its scale turned out to be truly blood-chilling.
There is still a lot of controversy around these events. The last words of the Pope on the eve of the Armenian Genocide’s centennial once again put the Armenian question at the center of the world’s attention. Of course, after all, millions of people died, entire villages were wiped off of the face of the earth, and thousands of those who miraculously survived sought refuge throughout the earth.
The Secretariat of Culture continues to work hard to spread the historical facts about San Marino as a land of hospitality and freedom. This land received Garibaldi who had fled from Rome. In years of WWII, it received refugees named “One Hundred Thousand Brothers”.
They were settled and accepted despite the acute shortage of funds. It is necessary to work with the same energy in order to awaken in young people the desire to know the history and memory of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
The screenplay of the film “Mayrig” written by director Henri Verneuil is subtle poetry, an intimate story. Behind the lives of people stand memories of the tragedy of the people, the goals to destroy history, and traditions of an entire nation. The film shows the horror and hopes of a family that managed to go through their new life full of humiliation with a smile and dignity, full of the power of love.”
