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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.