Ararat (film)

Director Atom Egoyan and his wife, actress Arsinée Khanjian, are Armenian Canadians, and some of Egoyan's ancestors had been lost in the genocide. Egoyan had attempted to explain the genocide to their son, Arshile, when he was around six. Arshile asked, "Did the Turks say sorry?"[6] The film Ararat is intended as a response to that question.[7]

Producer Robert Lantos had promised that he would support a film about the genocide if Egoyan ever felt prepared to make one.[8] Alliance Atlantis provided Egoyan a budget of $12 million.[9]

The Defense of Van was recreated in the film.

For cinematography, Egoyan worked with his frequent collaborator Paul Sarossy, with shooting taking place over 45 days during summer 2001. The battle scenes depicting the Defense of Van were shot in Drumheller, Alberta, with some of the soldiers actually being computer generated. The Van villages were also computer generated.[9]

Other scenes were shot at Cherry Beach in Toronto. The film could not be shot in Turkey or at the real Mount Ararat because of Turkey's denial of the genocide.[9]

The film was made prior to the Parliament of Canada voting to recognize the Armenian genocide in 2004.[10] Egoyan said it was more important that the Turkish government accept the truth.[11]

In the opening week after the limited release on 15 November, the film averaged $35,188 per screen.[8] It made $162,000 in five theatres by 18 November.[19] By 24 days, it had made US$1.1 million in North America.[8]

The film completed its run on 30 January 2003, with a gross of $1,555,959 in North America. It grossed $1,187,377 in other territories for a total of $2,743,336.[2]

Critical reception was mostly negative.[20] In Canada, The Globe and Mail wrote "The metaphors are provocative, but too often, the viewer is left puzzled by the mechanics of the delivery."[8] Brian D. Johnson, writing for Maclean's, called it frustrating, though also interesting, and said it fell short despite ambition.[21] The National Post's review stated "Egoyan is almost crippled by a need to show all sides."[8] At the Toronto International Film Festival, the national panel of judges placed it in the year's top 10.[22]

Roger Ebert gave it two and a half stars, calling it "needlessly confusing," saying it "clearly comes from Egoyan's heart" but is "too much, too heavily layered, too needlessly difficult, too opaque." He also said it was disputed whether the film's quote from Adolf Hitler that the Armenian genocide is forgotten is genuine.[7] In The New York Times, Stephen Holden called the film a "profound reflection on historical memory," and "hands down the year's most thought-provoking film."[23] The BBC's Tom Dawson wrote the film "feels clumsy and convoluted" compared to Egoyan's other work.[3]

Ararat holds a 55% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 78 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Though Ararat radiates intelligence, its impact is diminished by an overly intricate plot and cerebral style."[24] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[25]

Ethnic Turks in Canada had proposed boycotting films by Disney and its subsidiary companies, and several nationalist critics sent e-mails to Egoyan and established websites arguing that the film's premise is not true.[16] Some individuals sent threats to Egoyan, including statements that a release of the film could result in danger for Armenians in Turkey.[26] Film Quarterly stated "Ararat touched off a new round of angry denials and charges of hate mongering."[16]

The film won several awards. These included five awards at the 23rd Genie Awards, which Ararat star Arsinée Khanjian co-hosted with actor Peter Keleghan. Egoyan was not present.[27]

In 2008, the government of Israel also awarded the Dan David Prize to Egoyan for "creative rendering of the past." Ararat was especially a reason for the honour.[28]

• Hogikyan, Nellie (2015). "Ararat". In Alan Whitehorn (ed.). The Armenian Genocide: The Essential Reference Guide. Santa Barbara, California and Denver: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1610696883.
• Mazierska, Ewa (2011). European Cinema and Intertextuality: History, Memory and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0230319547.
• Melnyk, George (2004). One Hundred Years of Canadian Cinema. Toronto, Buffalo and London: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802084443.
• Siraganian, Lisa (2016). "Hiding Horrors in Full View: Atom Egoyan's Representations of the Armenian Genocide". The Armenian Genocide Legacy. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Tschofen, Monique; Burwell, Jennifer, eds. (2007). Image and Territory: Essays on Atom Egoyan. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 978-0889204874.