The film is mostly lost. In 2009 a 24-minute reconstruction was released, incorporating stills, title cards and the only reel of footage known to have survived.
This was the first film ever made on the subject of the Armenian Genocide (1915-23), which was still going on while this film was produced. The screenplay was taken from Aurora Mardiganian's first-hand account of her experiences in 1915. She was from Cemisgezek, Turkey, and as a 14-year-old girl witnessed horrible events, including the destruction of her people and the loss of her family and relatives one after another. She arrived in the US and recounted her story to the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian relief. Her account was then made into a film, and she starred as herself, reliving her experiences over and over again. She also made public appearances at each film screening across the US. The film was a blockbuster and broke box-office records. Unfortunately, only fragments of the film survive.
Model and actress Audrey Munson reported, for a syndicated newspaper column, on the filming of one of the most notorious scenes: several nude Armenian women being crucified by Turks. The scene was shot at the very end of a long, very cold day. Munson reported that one of the actresses, Corinne Gray, died of influenza as a result of exposure while filming this scene.
Thousands of Armenians from the Los Angeles area participated in the filming, according to press reports, including survivors of the ongoing massacre in Turkey who had just reached the United States.