"Pure State of the Soul" film tells the struggles of crypto-Armenians’ return to identity

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. “Pure State of the Soul”, a film depicting the story of Dersim Armenian Harutyun Ires or Yeritsyan, who adopted Christianity and returned to his Armenian identity at the age of 70, will be screened at Yerevan State University on March 3.

The writer of the film is Ughur Egemen Ires, grandson of Harutyun Ires, who tried to convey through the film experiences of every crypto-Armenian family, which reflects the public’s perception around the issue. “Armenpress” reports the grandfather and grandson told their story of their return to identity at a press conference in Yerevan.

According to Harutyun Ires, he was born in Dersim, but in 1938, when he was a child, his family was exiled to Kütahya and only years later returned to Dersim.

“Our elders told us that while being exiled, Armenians were pushed into cars and taken away to an unknown place and brutally killed. Some survived, including my family. We were children, they hid us and we survived, " Harutyun Ires said.He still has the vivid memory of his childhood, when his parents were secretly praying.But when they asked about it, their parents did not explain, urging them not to interfere in these issues. "Then, when we went to school, people were saying "These are Armenians".We asked our parents what is an Armenian, but we were told that it doesn’t concern us.

According to various estimates, there are more than 1 million crypto-Armenians living in Turkey, but in the overall atmosphere of fear, they are reluctant to speak about it.

The film will be screened at the Cultural Center of Yerevan State University on March 3, at 14: 30.

Meğer / Pure State of the soul from Ugur Egemen Ires on Vimeo.