Post-Exilic Armenian "Homecoming" Films: Working-through the Traumatic Postmemory of 1915

The Armenian Genocide and its multigenerational effects have long been a topic of cinematic representation. Given the scarcity of archival images and the contested history of the events of 1915, filmmakers have historically been preoccupied with proving the genocide and recalling its trauma. Here, I draw attention to a group of recent documentaries by post-exilic Armenians depicting their emotionally difficult return journeys to Turkey against the background of continuing denial; and I propose that these independent and personal “homecoming” films help us better understand the Armenian filmmakers’ multigenerational diasporic rupture and relationship with their ancestral homeland. Through close examination of three of these documentaries, I argue that the post-exilic Armenian “homecoming” films are cautious yet promising cinematic memory work towards the working-through of the trauma of 1915 seeking the possibilities of restoring an unwelcoming space back into a homeland.