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By Karen Mizoguchi,
Armenian-American singer and actress Cher united with Armenian-American reality stars Kourtney and Kim Kardashian to support the new film The Promise.
The trio attended the Los Angeles premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Wednesday, joining the film’s star, Christian Bale, on the red carpet.
Director Terry George’s new historical drama, also starring Oscar Isaac, focuses on the Armenian Genocide carried out by the crumbling Ottoman Empire during World War I. As the war drags on, the national mood gets worse and Armenian citizens become the victims of raging hate crimes.
Following the screening, the wife of Kanye West, 36, tweeted: “So proud of the movie #ThePromise Everyone please go see it and finally hear the story of the Armenian people.”
In April 2015, Kim and sister Khloé Kardashian traveled to Armenia for eight days during which they paid their respects to the Armenian Genocide Memorial in the country’s capital — which is dedicated to the estimated 1.5 million Armenians killed by the Ottoman Turks at the beginning of the 20th century. The visit was later shown on their family’s E! series Keeping Up with the Kardashians in October 2016.
Meanwhile, Cher, who was born Cherilyn Sarkisian, has been very vocal about her support for the film.
“Hitler said if they don’t remember the Armenians, they will not remember the Jews. We cannot let this happen to another group of people. I vow to keep the promise,” the icon said in a video released on Wednesday.
And back in October, Cher tweeted that she saw The Promise for the first time, writing: “NEVER AGAIN!”
So proud of the movie #ThePromise Everyone please go see it and finally hear the story of the Armenian people 🇦🇲
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) April 13, 2017
Cher’s late father, John Paul Sarkisian, was of Armenian descent.
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In addition, The Promise has garnered celebrity support from Leonardo DiCaprio, Barbra Streisand, Armenian-American tennis legend Andre Agassi, as well George Clooney and his pregnant wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, both of whom attended the film’s London premiere earlier this month.
All proceeds from The Promise, which hits theaters April 21, will be donated to non-profit organizations geared to helping spread Armenian culture and education, including Elton John’s AIDS Foundation.
April 24 will mark the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.