Voicing Their Outrage

"I did that purposefully because that's who they are," Garapedian says of the scene. "For me, it's important to show humor and joy because we are celebrating the fact that we've survived."

Ironically, there was one thing about the band Garapedian couldn't abide: their screaming.

"I grew up with the Beatles and Elton John," she explains. "I thought, 'Oh my God, what am I going to do?' I have this mega-popular rock band and they're all grandchildren of survivors, just like me. I have a way to tell the story . . . and now I'm listening to the music and I can't listen to it."

But after recognizing the political bent of some of the band's lyrics, Garapedian realized that she had found the perfect score for her film.

"How could I use Coldplay or something that was easier on the ear when you're talking about genocide? You need the rage and the anger."

Much like the band's music, the film makes some manic jumps -- heartbreaking testimony from Tankian's grandfather cuts to blaring concert footage, to carnage in Rwanda, to a House International Relations Committee debate in Congress.

In one scene, Tankian and System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan confront then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert in the Capitol's rotunda regarding a bill that would force the United States to recognize the Armenian genocide. (The bill may come to the House in the coming weeks, and while current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office says she endorses the bill, there's no word on whether she'll introduce it.)

"Of course I was nervous," Tankian recalls in the e-mail. "Here was the 3rd most powerful person in the country who can call the shots about my government officially recognizing this historical tragedy once and for all. . . In my heart I knew Dennis wouldn't do the right thing, but I wanted to inspire him to do so anyway. I may have failed, but hope that the story will inspire Nancy Pelosi, or other leaders in Congress not to take the same route."

Garapedian hopes this film has an influence on Congress, but she's also aiming to win the hearts of American youth. She describes her audience as "younger people, but not exclusively. . . . You're sending a message to Washington: The kids in America are going to see a film about genocide."