Ararat (the movie)

"Ararat"

Canada / France | 2002 | col | 115 mins | dir. Atom Egoyan, with Arsinée Khanjian, Charles Aznavour, Elias Koteas, Marie-Josée Croze | cert. 15

Perhaps Egoyan's most personal work, this multi-layered examination of the legacy of genocide is a dramatic and intriguing hall of mirrors, in which history and memory, reality and fiction all prove unpredictable and fluid.

Egoyan about intent of the film (http://www.ekathimerini.com Feb 20, 2006):

"Ararat" is not so much a movie about the Armenian genocide as it is about the refusal to acknowledge it. Maybe one day I'll make a more "historical" film. The question though, for me as a person of Armenian origin, is the manner in which they refuse to admit that the Armenian genocide ever happened and how this refusal has influenced future generations. I thought the film would help instigate some dialogue with Turkey and I was thrilled when we found a Turkish distributor. But, there were threats against the theater showing it, and against the life of the distributor, so we had to pull it. I was disappointed because it was an invitation to dialogue.