Bedo! Hey, Bedo!
Don't fall asleep, Bedo.
Don't sleep. I will tell you a story.
LOST BIRDS Once upon a time, in a faraway land,
there was a shining palace.
ln this palace Iived a princess, a knight and a bird.
The princess was called Maryam,
the knight was called Bedo,
and the bird was called Bachig.
Bachig was the most beautiful bird in all of the land.
Easter arrived preparations began for the festivities.
The whole palace was decorated with candles.
Good morning, Uncle Nubar! Good morning
Shall we tap eggs?
Come on then. Let's play
Come on tapl
You clumsy little devil!
Come here! You little bastard!
lf I catch you, I'II cut off your willy!
Oh Bedo! You little d
Welcome back, brave knight. What news did you bring me?
Easter preparations have begun in the faraway land today, my princess.
The eggs have been dyed What else?
Grandma Armine put the Easter cakes in the oven.
What else?
Uncle Nubar brought colorful candies from the top of the magic mountain.
ery nic
e pniest will condemn all who won't nurch tomorrow my princess
ery nicel ou deserve gold from杭 the royal treas
Why are you so sad, my princess?
No bird ever comes to our palace, brave knight.
l've been putting the seeds every day like you ordered, my princess.
yet I haven't heard a single chirp.
Please accept this gift have broughf for you, my princess
The famous baker Baron Ardas has baked it especially for you.
Very well prepared. Tell him to send some more tomorrow!
As you wish, my princess.
Maryam!
He's wounded. What shall we do?
Let's take him home. What about Mama?
Mama gets mad at everything, anyway.
Have you no mercy for me?
I cooked all day,
You are making your mama wait like this!
What do you have in there? What are you hiding again?
Nothing, Mama Open your bag! Come on, open itl
Jesus Christl Have mercy on us! Where did you find this cursed creature?
He's so cute isn't he, Mama?
Where did you find it? Please, Mama! Don'tl
I won't let this cursed thing enter the house!
It will bring death!
This bird can not enter my house!
What is this ruckus?
Papa Please say something!
Calm down my child, calm down!
Give me the bird
lts wing is wounded.
lt should stay in my room until it is well.
lt will bring a curse, Papa, please!
Have mercy, my child.
We will release it once it is better.
You are the best, Grandpa!
Come on everyone inside!
Just like every year,
let us make our wishes on the eve of Christ's Resurrection.
And may those wishes be granted by God.
Amen.
I pray for the war to be over soon,
and for Mihran to come back to us soon.
Let our family be together and healthy.
May diseases and disasters be away from us.
May we enjoy bounty.
Lord, don't separate me from my children.
May the fire in our stove never go out.
And don't separate me from Bedo.
And don't separate me from Maryam
That's my boy!
Lo our health!
To our health! Brother Yetvart! Christ has risen!
They are returning from church.
Come on.
ls he going to be okay, Grandpa?
He will rest for a few days and get stronger. Don't you worry.
Won't his parents come to get him?
They are probably far away now.
But once he can fly again, he will find them.
Take good care of him,
once he is well, it will be impossible to keep him in this cage.
So what if it goes out, Mama? We ill light tagain.
Of course vou can ght it again
But it is unlucky. You should Iearn this.
Come on, give me another log.
lt's unlucky. Did ou get it?
Come on. Come on.
"...and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.
ln the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit"
Amen.
Whenever you face hardship,
make the sign of the Cross and say your prayers.
lt will save you from the troubles you are facing.
So why did Uncle Stephan die, then?
Didn't he know how to pray?
Death is the will of God, my son.
One should not stop praying because one will die one day.
Come on. Go to sleep now.
May you have a good night, Bedo. May you have a good morning, Maryam.
Mama! Mama!
Did the bogeyman come again? lt was huge, Maryaml
With fangs!
O Christ, our God, The guardian and the hope of believers,
guard and safeguard in peace your servants
under the shadow of Your holy precious Cross.
ln the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
This is done.
Once the bogeyman smells this, he won't ever come back.
Let's do it under the bed.
Do a lot, Mama, do a lot So he won't come back again.
Do it in the kitchen Mama do it in the kitchen.
UJ
WJ You are playing games again.
W And on such a busy day.
UJ
Your bogeyman is not here
He passed through here and went into Grandpa's workshop.
Come on.
UJ
The bogeyman visited them again.
What bogeyman? I finished him off already
He is dead.
A real man does not fear the bogeyman.
I sat across from him and looked him straight in the eye
He was gigantic, disgusting and repugnant.
With drool spurting from his mouth!
"Look here, bogeyman" said. dontwant to see you around here anymore"
He made a move. Then I grabbed him, choked him.
and hammered a nail on his head.
Good!
He lies here now.
Well, since we buried the bogeyman
let us go to church and pray for him
Come on. Everyone get dressed
(Credo)
We are gathered here to celebrate Holy Easter.
May God accept our prayers.
Amen
There is an important issue I want to share with you.
As you all know, the Ottoman Army is fighting in the war.
I have received a telegram from the government
which confirms the gravity of the situation.
Now
all residency permits including those belonging to
young and old women and children,
will be collected at the village head's office and given to the gendarmerie in three days.
Why?
What are you saying, Father?
Let's say the men will go to the army,
will they take the women, children and the elderly to the army as well?
Nubar Efendi! Nubar Efendil
lt is a sin to talk like this in the house of the Lord
No way! We won't give our permits away! What's their excuse?
lt must be because of the rebels! They probably did something again.
We are innocent yet they will take it out on us!
When did the Fedayee become rebels, Nubar Efendi?
Did the government protect my field when my crop was burning?
Only God knows what will become of us!
They will exile us all!
If we give up our permits, we can't run away.
Where are you running off to, Garo Efendi? Where?
Calm down! Everyone cafm downl
There is no need for panic
Shall we leave our village and fall into the lap of war?
Our government has taken this precaution for our own safety
Haven't we been Loyal Subjects of: the Empire?
Haven't we lived together in harmony for years?
lsn't Mihran the carpenter
fighting on the war front for the fatherland?
We will not be harmed because of the rebels. Do not dismay
Christ is risen
Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.
I congratulate the name day of all named Harutyun
The mercy of God be upon us
Come on, everyonel Everybody smile for the picture!
Father, your glasses are causing a glare.
lt's not a postcard! Of course it is.
Nubar Efendi, I cannot see you.
Nobody movel
I will count to three and everybod will look here.
Smile! Everybody smile!
One.
Garnik the monkey butt!
I will show you, you little devil! Let me take the picture.
Come on. One, two, three
Christ is risen.
l win!
He has recovered, my princess!
Let's name him Bachig.
No Bedo! We can't name him without baptizing him.
Jesus Christ!
Father, we came to baptize our bird.
Forgive me Lordl Forgive mel
Baptize the bird?
Birds don't get baptized!
This is the Lord's house. It will be a sin.
You cannot play games in here! Go play your games with your friends!
Off with you!
We will bring them back.
What does this child want? Faith, hope and love
What will be the name of this child?
Ba
Bachi l baptze you
in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
ln the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen!
We should take them all back to the church early in the morning.
Bedros, come here. Hand me the salt.
Here you go, Mama.
Where did these come from?
Answer me!
Bedo stole them from the church.
Stole them from the church? ! He baptized the bird.
He baptized the bird? ! Jesus Christ, have mercy on us!
Did you descend from a pack of donkeys?
You are both grounded! Go to your room! No dinner tonightl
What is this? l
Bedo.
Hey, Bedo.
Forgive me for telling on you, Bedo.
I love you so much. How much?
More than new colored pencils.
What else? More than singing
What else? More than swinging on a swing
- What else? More than dolls
That's not enough. What else?
More than Grandma's walnut cookies
More than Grandpa's Jurkish delights?
Much more. Okay, then
Did we make up? Yes.
May you have a good night, Bedo. May you have a good morning, Maryam.
Hand me the cherry jam Maryam.
Mama's jam is delicious
Mama is coming
Father Mesrop has alerted the gendarme!
They've come for us!
I found it, sir! I found it!
That is a hunting rifle, commander! Every house has one.
Tell your tale at the station. Please, don't!
Be strong, my child.
I will sort this out. I am innocent.
l shall return soon. Don't you worry.
Papa, nol
Papa! Make dolma for dinner, my child.
will return hungry.
Come on! Come on!
Aren't you going to eat, Grandma?
Once your grandpa comes back.
Now, off to bed, my darlings.
I am worried, Mother.
He should have been back by now.
I'lI go down to the station and find out what's going on.
Be sensible, my child.
You can't go out in the middle of the night all by yourself.
Come, sit. Let us pray.
lt s too hot again, Grandma!
Almost done
My boy is as clean as snow
You sank my boat again Grandma!
Why didn't you let me know you were back?
What did they say down at the station?
AII the men were taken Mother!
No men are Ieft!
Bedros, Maryam, you are not alllowed to go outside anymore!
You will both be where I can see you at all times.
We don't have a man to protect us anymore.
We dont have amai to protect us anymore
Okay, Mama
But I am a man!
You won't even breathe without my knowledge, do you hear me?
We can go out when Grandpa comes back, right?
You have to listen to your mother, understood?
We're finished, Mama. Good job
Can we go out? No!
We wrote you a poem, Mama.
"Who is the prettiest mother of all
The sweetest kindest mother of all? "
Tell me, tell me. Who is she, who is she?
My mother, my mother.
Sweet mother, sweet mother.
That's very nice!
Can we go out? No!
How does it look, Mama?
Well done. lt is spotless
Can we go out? No!
Forgive me, Lord! What are you doing, child?
A letter came from our palace, my princess.
Bachig missed us very much.
Let's go to see him tomorrow, brave knight.
Go to sleep. Come on, close your eyes.
May you have a good night, Bedo. May you have a good morning, Maryam.
Mama!
Grandmal
We are sorry, Mama.
Father!
The roast Iamb is delicious, Mama. May your hands always be blessed.
Have some rice too.
So good! What did Mama make for dessert?
We have baklava with walnuts.
I love it!
To Mama. Thank you for this delicious meal.
May your hands always be blessed, Mama.
I am not sleepy.
Me neither. Should we have played some more?
May you have a good night, Bedo. May you have a good morning, Maryam.
Cook something What shall I cook?
Mama cook We Didn't you Iearn anything?
Why didn't you learn, silly?
Forgive me, Lord.
Mama was saving these for Christmas
Maybe we can have one each
I will have one too.
Let s just have one more and then close the lid,
or there won't be any Ieft for
Yes. Just one more piece.
To our health!
Wine is yucky!
Mama will be so mad when she returns and sees this mess.
l'd rather have Mama be here and be mad at us.
May you have a good night, Bedo.
May you have a good morning, Maryam.
Maryam, are you scared? No, you are with me.
Me, neither, because you are with me.
Maryam, did you see that? Quick, make a wish!
What did you wish for? lf Itell you, it won't come true.
I won't tell you either, then.
Good morning Bachig Are you hungry?
Heyl What are you doing there? What is your name?
Bedo. am Mihran the carpenter's son.
Look here. This child is an Armenian runaway.
What shall we do with him?
Let's take him to Huseyin Agha's farm.
1δδJ ORPHANAGE 广。
- What is your name? Maryam.
Which village are you from? The village across from the creek.
Whose daughter are you?
Mihran the carpenter's.
Where are your parents?
My father is in the army
Why were you wandering on the road?
Bedo and I were searching for our mother.
My mother is gone. Everyone in our village is gone.
We were left all alone.
Who is Bedo?
My brother.
Where is Bedo, Maryam?
I don't know.
We can not shelter a girl, Mahmut Efendi.
Find her somewhere else to stay.
She is so little, she should stay here.
lt's not possible Mahmut Efendi We can't accept a girl
Just this once, Headmaster. lt's wartime.
Sarkis Efendi, Mahmut Efendi has a point.
We have to keep this child under our roof.
This is a matter of conscience.
This is the very reason this institution was founded.
So, which story would you like me to tell you tonight?
Donkey Boy"l
AII right then"Donkey Boy
Once upon a ume in a faraway land
when camels were shopkeepers,
and fleas were barbers.
there was a boy who was very cruel to animals.
The animals would always run away from him
This boy would yank on the rooster's comb
kick the dogs
and tie stones to cats'tails
One day, a genie came and turned this boy into a donkey.
Then nighttime came.
The donkey boy went into the barn.
AII the animals he harmed followed him into the barn.
The donkey boy was so scared.
He was scared that the animals would get their revenge on him
and he started to cry
The animals started to circle around him
Then the barn door opened and. a very sweet child walked in
This sweet child told the donkey boy
"lf you promise that you won't be cruel to animals anymore,
you will be turned back into a boy again"
promise, "said the donkey boy.
And the genie turned him back into a boy.
Now tell me.
Do you know who that sweet child was?
Who?
Maryam!
Now, let's all welcome Maryam.
Welcome!
That's all for tonight
We will finish the story tomorrow night
Now lwillcount to three and you will all be in bed and asleep.
Come on nowl
One
two.
three.
Good night.
Mama! Mama! Mama!
Be quiet, Onnik!
Maryam?
Where are you going, Maryam?
To Bedo.
Let us eat this meal in peace,
which the Lord has given us as a gift.
Blessed is the Lord for all His gifts. Amen.
Bon appetit.
May you have a good night, Bedo.
Very nice.
Good job.
I will hang the best ones on the wall
Ma an this is a very nide picture.
Who are they?
This is me.
This is Bedo, and this is Bachig.
And what is this place?
That is our palace.
Your palace? Yes. We have a very beautiful palace.
Very big and beautiful
And where is this palace?
You leave the village walk
And come to the magic arc.
口 Magic arc? Yes. The magic arc.
When you pass the magic arc there is a road lined with trees.
When you pass through the trees you reach our palace.
But it's our secret place. Don't tell about it to anyone.
Don't worry, lwon't
Oh, my Lord, my benevolent Lord.
May you have a good night, Bedo.
May you have a good morning, Maryam.
Kevork! Kevork! Come on!
Maryam, come help me
Come on Let s go
So, which story would you like me to tell you tonight?
"Donkey boy"l
Grandma Hermine "Grandma Hermine.
Once upon a time
there Iived a very poor boy
This poor boy's parents had died when he was very young
and he was left alone in this big old world.
AII alone.
But he had a neighbor- -
a nice old lady named Grandma Hermine
She took this boy in, and took care of him
and she raised him.
Grandma Hermine cooked such delicious meals
that every day became a feast for the boy
Dolmas. rice pilaf
anoush abours
Years passed by
Autumn turned to winter, and spring turned to summer.
The poor boy grew up and became a young man.
He found out thal orphan children just like him, lived in a faraway land.
His heart was beating fast to help these children.
But on the other hand, he was thinking about Grandma Hermine.
How could he tell her he had to leave her?
Then he boarded the train, and went to that faraway land.
That was the last time he ever saw Grandma Hermine.
Finally, he arrived to the land of the unfortunate children.
And
he dedicated.
his whole life to them.
Uncle Mahmut?
What happened to Grandma Hermine?
He always carried her right here.
Maryam, they named me Ali.
Did they baptize you again? No. They circumcised me.
What's that? I can't tell you. I will tell Mama.
Tell me too.
Did it hurt a Iot?
Yes, but I didn't cry at all.
We will always be together, won't we, Bedo?
l promise. We won't ever be separated.
Why didn't you come to save me earlier, brave knight?
Forgive me, my princess.
Maryam. Maryam, I love you so much.
How much?
More than baklava with walnuts.
ls that all?
More than cherry juice, choeregs and Turkish delights.
What else? More than sledding.
Not enough. More than the moon and the stars,
and rainbows and presents.
More than all of them, okay? Okay.
I miss Mama so much. So do I.
Do you think she will be back for Christmas?
October November December...January.
She will definitely be back by then. She won't miss it.
Do you think she will bring us gifts?
Yes, a sled for you and a doll for me.
May you have a good night, Bedo May you have a good morning, Maryam.
Sister, two days till Christmas.
There will be dolmas, boeregs and choeregs.
Keshkeks, halvas, rice pilaf and roasted meat.
Mama made anoush abour, l bet. Of course. She makes the best.
And Grandpa must have brought the biggest pine tree.
And the smell of pine fills the whole house.
And Mama must have placed the presents under the tree.
Colorful boxes all wrapped with ribbons and bows
And Grandpa is eating dessert by now
And Grandma has started to sing songs.
And Grandpa is cutting wood so Mama can throw it in the stove.
Do you think Papa is also back Maryam?
Of course he is.
What do you think Mama will do when she sees us?
We couldn't buy a present for her this year.
lt's okay. We are going instead.
Mahmut Efendi?
I couldn't find them.
I couldn't find them!
Mahmut Efendi
a letter arrived at noon with a messenger.
Bedros and Maryam's mother is alive!
Did you search everywhere, Mahmut Efendi?
l did.
I looked everywhere.
Bedo! Bedo!
Don't fall asleep, Bedo! I didn't tell the end of the story yet!
Bedo?
Maryam!
u am the mother of the children, Bedros and Maryam,
seen in this photograph.
I was in the convoy that arrived to Aleppo safely.
I am sending you this letter in care of Father Mesrop.
I tried to reach other orphanages before this one
You are my last hope
lf my children are with you,
please bring them, with the money I am sending you,
to the secret pass at Babaian on Christmas Day.
Smugglers will be waiting for you there.
They will bring my children to Aleppo.
Entrust Bedros and Maryam to their care, along with the money.
My prayers are with you.
May God be with you.
Kinar.
Markar the pilgrim's Filor.
Kirkor the butcher's Aram.
Sarkis the tailor's lskuhi.
Pehlivanian's Araksi and Peruz.
Derunian's Hayganoush.
Crazy Garabed's Garo.
Hovsep the spice seller's Anoush
Mihran the carpenter's Bedros and Maryam.
God protect and save you all
from seen and unseen troubles.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Send the list to Sister Anna.
Uncle Mahmut!
Stop! Don't come any closerl
Wait!
Don't shoot! Look! Their mother is also in Aleppol
Wait! Wait!
Okayl They can come
Goodbye.
I will miss you so much.
Uncle Mahmut.
Father.
take good care of my children.
ls Grandma here? Are Papa and Grandpa here, Mama?
Just like every year
let us make our wishes on the eve of Christ's Resurrection.
And may those wishes be granted by God.
Amen.
I pray for the war to be over soon,
and for Mihran to come back to us soon.
Let our family be together and healthy.
May diseases and disasters be away from us
May we enjoy bounty.
Lord, don't separate me from my children.
May the fire in our stove never go out.
And don't separate me from Bedo.
And don't separate me from Maryam.
To our health!
Christ has risen!
They are returning from church.
Come on.
One, two, three