Mediamax presents 100 Seconds project devoted to Armenian Genocide Centennial. The project is based on testimonies of Genocide survivors published by the National Archive of Armenia.

Richard Pena is the former program director of the New York Film Festival, Professor of Professional Practice at the School of Arts at Columbia University.

For 100 seconds project he reads an extract from Armenian Genocide survivor Galust Galustian's testimony.

National Archives of Armenia

Collection of Documents

Testimony of survivor Galust Galustian on deportation and massacres of the Armenian population of the town of Arabkir

June 21, 1917

Baberd, School of Orphans

On that day we walked for 3 hours and reached the foothills of a desolate mountain. There was neither bread there, nor water. Actually, there was water but the gendarmes wouldn’t give it to us - they drank it themselves and demanded money to let us drink.

We passed that terrible night too. It was the morning of the last - the 11th day of the deportation. We started off walking up the road. We climbed a hill and then a huge mountain and a valley opened in front of us.

There were villages and green gardens at the bottom of the mountains. In the village and below it thousands of people swarmed like ants.

We were taken to them. We passed villages and gorges. It was soon and after 11 days of unbearable life, the caravan for the last time stopped at the villages that we had seen from far away. It was terribly hot and our bodies were bathing in blood and sweat, our faces had lost their forms because of dust. We were like creatures out of graves.

Producer: Ara Tadevosyan

Filming: Lena Gevorgyan, Mariam Loretsyan

Post Production: Tumo LLC

The source of Galust Galustian's testimony: National Archives of Armenia, Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey, 1915, Testimony of survivors, Collection of documents, Yerevan-2013.

VivaCell-MTS is the general partner of 100 seconds project.