Society 16:22 19/09/2016 Armenia

Oscar winning director of “The Promise”: We expected this film about Armenian Genocide to be subject to discussions

If there is a touchy subject in Turkish political discourse today — which is already rife with incrimination due to a failed coup attempt by the military in July — it is the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, The Hollywood Reporter writes.

The website notes that nearly 2 million Armenians were systematically killed and forcibly relocated by Ottoman authorities beginning in 1915. The governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan still deny that such a thing ever happened.

The Hollywood Reporter writes about the Academy award winning Terry George’s new film “The promise,” which is dedicated to the Armenian Genocide. The film stars Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac. The film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2016.

Writer and director Terry George rose to prominence thanks to his 2004 film about the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi, Hotel Rwanda, which garnered an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.

The director told The Hollywood Reporter how he got support for making a film about the Armenian Genocide.

“The story of the Armenian genocide has been suppressed by successive Turkish governments, and we were well aware of that, but we wanted to go after it anyway. At the beginning, we tried to fly under the radar as much as we could so that we didn't have to deal with outside pressure. So we shot in Spain and Portugal and Malta. We were crucially aware of what we were trying to do, so we said, let's get this thing made and put it out there, and then have the political debate and the conversation that we need to have. I talked to a couple of Turkish journalists about this, and some of them really liked the film, but not enough to go out there and put their name behind it,” the director said.

Terry George noted that the film is a double-edged sword, because while it is a political film, it is primarily a love story. It is about a love triangle, or a love quadrangle.

“Even now, they're (Turkish authorities) locking up journalists who speak up on the matter. There was an article in the New York Times recently about how paranoid the government and the people are in Turkey now,” he continued.

The director also noted that there are many discussions regarding the Armenian Genocide, however, he highlighted that the Genocide did happen, and that fact is absolutely out of question.

As for the reactions to the film among the representatives of the Armenian community, the director noted that there is no doubt the Armenian community will embrace it. He is sure the film will not be shown in Turkey.

Talking about the cast, the director said it was very pleasant and easy to work with such famous and talented actors as Bale and Isaac. He noted that only two Turkish actors participated in the film, because many were afraid for their jobs and their careers.

The director added that the film was backed by the Kerkorian Foundation, as well as n Armenian-American production company.



Source Panorama.am
Share |

Related news

Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

13:15
France says situation 'calmer' in New Caledonia after fourth night of troubles
Hundreds of extra military and police arrived in France's troubled Pacific territory of New Caledonia ahead of a fourth night of troubles...
12:57
LIVE: Archbishop Bagrat delivers lectures at YSU courtyard
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the Tavush for the Homeland movement against the Armenian government’s unilateral...
12:33
International community urged to press for release of Ruben Vardanyan, other Armenian prisoners in Baku
Ruben Vardanyan’s family on Friday issued a statement calling on the international community to demand the unconditional release of...
12:06
Church in Artsakh's Aghavno at risk of destruction
The Holy Martyrs (Srbots Nahatakats) Church of Aghavno, a village in the Kashatagh region of Azerbaijani-occupied Artsakh, is at risk of...
11:32
Armenian, Azeri parliament speakers meet in Geneva
Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan met with Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis Speaker Sahiba Gafarova in Geneva on Thursday 16 May....
11:22
Armenian wrestler Yeghishe Mosesyan crowned European champion
Freestyle wrestler Yeghishe Mosesyan has earned a gold medal at the U15 European Championships 2024 being held in Loutraki, Greece, from May...
11:00
UJA warns of increasing pressure on reporters in Armenia
The Union of Journalists of Armenia (UJA) on Thursday issued a statement warning of increasing pressure, violence and disrespect...
18:30
Georgia's central bank spends $60 mln to support lari amid rallies
Georgia's central bank said on Thursday it had spent $60 million in reserves to support the lari after a surge in demand for foreign...
18:05
Heavy rain causes flooding in Yerevan's Nor-Nork
ArmLur has today released a video showing rainwater flooding the streets in Yerevan's Nor-Nork administrative district. In comments to...
17:36
Archbishop Bagrat insists on Pashinyan's ouster
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan of the Tavush Diocese has insisted on the ouster of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government to stop the...
17:06
Expert: Armenia has become a dictatorship
Constitutional law expert Vardan Poghosyan claims Armenia has fallen into dictatorship under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s rule....
16:36
France accuses Azerbaijan of interference in deadly New Caledonia riots
France accused Azerbaijan on Thursday of "interference" in the politics of its Pacific territory of New Caledonia, which has seen...
16:11
Russian deputy FM downplays Armenia's decision to stop CSTO funding
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin has played down Armenia’s move to stop financing the Collective Security Treaty...
15:46
Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients
Ahead of the Students and Youth Day in Armenia, Yerevan State University students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in...
15:36
Armenian border villagers block interstate highway
Residents of Kirants, a border village in Armenia’s Tavush Province, have blocked the local section of the Armenia-Georgia interstate...
15:06
Pashinyan hails border deal with Azerbaijan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan praised a controversial border delimitation and demarcation deal with Azerbaijan at a cabinet...
14:35
Opposition MP: Armenian leadership 'scared' of protest movement
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his political team are “scared” of the Tavush for the Homeland movement led by...
13:58
Azerbaijani court extends Ruben Vardanyan's detention
A Baku court on Thursday extended by five months the pre-trial detention of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. Vardanyan, a...
13:47
Three detained at protest outside Armenian government
Three people were detained at a protest outside the Armenian government building in central Yerevan as of Thursday afternoon, the police told...
13:27
In pictures: Rally held outside Armenian government
Members and supporters of the Tavush for the Homeland movement led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan on Thursday held a rally outside the Armenian...
13:11
Armenian, Azerbaijani border commissions sign protocol
On May 15, the 9th meeting of the Commission on Delimitation and Border Security of the State Border between the Republic of Armenia and the...
17:11
In pictures: Protesters flock to streets near Yerevan's Liberty Square
Protesters demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation on Wednesday flocked to the streets adjacent to Liberty Square in...
17:03
'Nikol the traitor': Protesters flock to streets in central Yerevan
Protesters demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation on Wednesday flocked to the streets adjacent to Liberty Square in...
16:36
Russia denies plans to remove all border guards from Armenia
The rumors floating around that Moscow told Yerevan about plans to fully withdraw Russian border guards from Armenia are not true, Russian...
16:06
Live: People gather outside church in central Yerevan for rally
A large number of people have gathered in the courtyard of St. Anna Church in central Yerevan for a march to Liberty Square where the Tavush for...
15:30
Large police forces deployed near Liberty Square in Yerevan
Ahead of a rally organized by the Tavush for the Homeland movement, numerous police forces have been deployed to the areas adjacent to Liberty...
14:58
Russian Foreign Ministry sees Western media silence on Armenian rallies
Western news media are giving wide coverage to the protests in Georgia but keeping silent about the rallies in Armenia, TASS cited Russian...
14:36
Large police forces deployed to central Yerevan ahead of rally
A large number of police forces has been deployed to central Yerevan, near the Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theater in the...
14:15
Tavush movement reiterates call for rally in central Yerevan
The Tavush for the Homeland protest movement led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan has denounced the Armenian authorities for plans to restrict...
13:33
Yerevan oncology center head fired for greeting protest leader, doctor says
Samvel Danielyan has been dismissed as acting director of Yerevan’s Yolyan Hematology and Oncology Center. In a Facebook live...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}