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“The Promise”: DVD release of the Hollywood fresco on the genocide April 11, 2018

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The Promise DVD release

The Promise DVD release

It has been waiting for years, this mainstream film that will talk about the Armenian genocide. The wait was even longer in France, since it is one of the last countries to have released on the big screen. From April 11, it will be available on DVD.

The Promise is not intended to be a documentary but is extremely well documented. Through the prism of a love triangle between a young Armenian medical student (Oscar Isaac), an American reporter (Christian Bale) and his Armenian fiancee (Charlotte Le Bon), Terry George embarked on a Hollywood fresco in 1915. Finally! Because more than ever, the maxim of the film is topical: ” Our revenge will survive .”

Michael’s dream, played by Oscar Isaac, is to become a doctor. He leaves the Armenian countryside thanks to the money given by the father of his fiancee to come to Constantinople. And nothing happens as he could have imagined. ” Terry George wanted to make a classic movie, so it would be easy to get into it. That sounds familiar, while the genocide story is not at all, “says Oscar Isaac.

The one who has been seen as a Jedi, an X-Men or Llewyn Davis plays perfectly this Armenian lost between his contrary feelings – the reason pushes him towards his fiancée, the passion towards woman totally opposed – and the horror of the situation that he has to face – fortunately, he can count on his friend of the medical school, a Just who rebels against the actions of his family … Of what there to see a point of optimism, as Oscar Isaac points out: ” Even today, all over the world, atrocities are repeated again, and again, and again. The film conveys a hopeful message, which is particularly needed at the moment, especially with what can be seen about the treatment of refugees . “

Director Terry George © Claire Barbuti.

” I think cinema is the most effective medium for educating, ” said Terry George when The Promise was released , which ultimately only lasted a few days in movie programming . With this DVD release, the opportunity is there to try to show this didactic film and moving to the greatest number.

Watch Filmmaker Terry George says The Promise is not Just a Film it is now a movement,

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By Wally Sarkeesian, interview

We caught up with Terry George at Arpa International film festival,

Academy Award-winning screenwriter-director Terry George (The Promise, In the Name of the Father, Hotel Rwanda, The Shore, Some Mother’s Son) received the prestigious Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award named after the German soldier/medic who was stationed in the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide and documented the atrocities he witnessed in photographs.

Arpa’s coveted Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award, presented each year to a filmmaker whose work contributes toward the struggle for social consciousness and human rights, was awarded to Terry George in recognition of his extensive body of films that have shed light on the situation in his native Northern Ireland, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Armenian Genocide.

Terry George also received a unique stone-cross sculpted by Los Angeles-based artist Hrach Gukasyan. The tradition of etching crosses on stone is unique to the Armenian and Irish nations. A special stone-cross with a Celtic cross surrounded by Armenian motifs was commissioned by Arpa IFF, symbolizing the Armenian people’s gratitude to the Irish filmmaker.

How Chris Cornell Found Inspiration for His Song From Armenian Genocide Film ‘The Promise’

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Even though the Armenian genocide depicted in Open Road’s The Promise took place more than 100 years ago, when Chris Cornell wrote the searing end-title theme, he wanted to bring awareness to similar atrocities going on today.

“Rather than people thinking, ‘Wow, what a horrendous thing that happened a century ago,’ I’d love for them to realize that it is happening now and the fact that the warning signs are always the same leading up to a genocide,” said the late Soundgarden singer in an interview a few weeks before his May 2017 death and shortly before the film, starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, opened.

However, when Cornell wrote “The Promise,” musically he stayed rooted in the past. “That was a conundrum I hadn’t dealt with before. I couldn’t have any popular music references that are natural to me” like Led Zeppelin or The Beatles, he said. He also didn’t want to write a strictly period piece tied to the early 1900s, using only instruments that existed in Armenia, “because the song needed to do a bigger job, it shouldn’t be confined by geography or time.” He settled on acoustic guitar, piano, tympanis and strings, with orchestration by the late Grammy-winning arranger Paul Buckmaster.

Lyrically, Cornell, who earned a Golden Globe nomination in 2012 for “The Keeper” from Machine Gun Preacher, drew from The Promise writer-director Terry George’s script and rough edits of the film, as well as research – reading and watching documentaries – about the genocide. He told the story from the perspective of a young man singing to a photo of his father or grandfather about the inspiration they had provided by persevering through horrendous acts. Though not Armenian, Cornell also drew upon his wife’s Greek heritage since her ancestors were affected by the same World War I genocide that led to the death of 1.5 million Armenians.

Cornell, who donated proceeds from the song to the International Rescue Committee, an organization that provides assistance to those fleeing conflict, wanted to leave viewers with a sense of hope. “The hope was built into the story,” he said. “To me, the challenge was being able to distill it in a couple of verses and a chorus.

Armenian Genocide film “The Promise” screened in Syria

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The Promise in Syria

“The Promise”, a feature film about the Armenian Genocide was screened in Damascus, Syria on Monday, October 31.

The war drama centers on a love story involving a medical student (Oscar Isaac), a journalist (Christian Bale), and the Armenian woman (Charlotte Le Bon) who steals their hearts. All three find themselves grappling with the Ottomans’ decision to begin rounding up and persecuting Armenians during the first genocide of the 20th century.

A number of officials from the Armenian embassy, Syrian parliament members, cultural figures and religious leaders attended the event.

Prior to the screening, ambassador Arshak Poladyan detailed the history of the Armenian Genocide and the Armenophobic policies that the Ottoman Empire was famous for at the time.

Poladyan then drew the attention of those present to Turkey’s anti-Armenian position and the denialist policy, adding, however, that the process of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide has entered a whole new stage.

Director of latest Armenian Genocide movie in Yerevan: We didn’t shoot it for just a month, but for 100 years

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Terry George, the director of The Promise, the latest movie about Armenian Genocide, is in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan; this is his second visit to the country. He visited Armenia for the first time four years ago, to conduct studies for this film.
During Friday’s press conference, George said when he heard from non-Armenian filmmakers or audience that they had never heard of the Armenian Genocide and are surprised that the United States or Great Britain have not recognized it to this day and that the Turkish government denies the genocide, he believes this movie is a success.

The director added that he basically came across two views from those who watched this movie: “We knew very little about the Armenian Genocide,” and “We knew nothing about it.” He expressed a view that The Promise solves some educational issues also in this regard.

And, besides, in Terry George’s words, they are trying to draw attention—through this film—to the refugees’ issue which still exists. He noted that the greatest crime of the 20th century has not yet been recognized by the international community, and that is why today we see what is happening in Syria and Myanmar.

The filmmaker stated that they did not shoot The Promise for just a month, but for 100 years.

In turn, Eric Esrailian, the co-producer of this film, attached importance to Chris Cornell, the composer and performer of the soundtrack of The Promise. To note, Cornell committed suicide in May.

As per Esrailian, despite not being an Armenian, Chris Cornell was so caring about the Armenian Genocide issue, he had put his heart and soul into his song, and he condemned genocide denial.

By Shushan Shatikyan

Armenian genocide movie The Promise to be released in Australian cinemas

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Australian cinemas the Promise

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian MP at the Australian premiere of ‘The Promise’.

At the Australian premiere, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian MP urged people to go and see the film when it hits cinemas next week.

The Australian premiere of The Promise was held on Tuesday 6 June at Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne, with the support of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, Armenian General Benevolent Union of Australia, and Armenian Youth Federation of Australia.

The event’s special guest was New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian MP who said that she hopes more people will watch the film in her heartfelt address.

“It is an extremely important topic for all Armenians,” she said, thanking the late Armenian philanthropist Kirk Kerkorian for backing the creation of the movie in full, covering all costs.

The much-hyped controversial period drama was produced on a $100 million budget, a massive figure for an independent film.

“The Armenian community must take every chance to contribute to the recognition of the Armenian genocide,” she stressed.

The film starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac will be released in Australian cinemas next Thursday 15 June.

Directed by Terry George, The Promise follows the story of an Armenian medical student (Isaac) and an American journalist (Bale) who both fall in love with the same Armenian woman, played by Charlotte Le Bon. Their story is set against the Armenian genocide in Turkey at the outset of World War I.

Source: http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/Armenian-genocide-movie-The-Promise-to-be-released-in-Australian-cinemas

‘The Ottoman Lieutenant’ loses box office war Against the Armenian film The Promise

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The PromiseBy Riada Asimovic Akyol

With its story of a love triangle between a strong-minded American nurse, a rugged Ottoman soldier and a zealous American doctor, it would be easy to classify “The Ottoman Lieutenant” as a classical romance set in a picturesque Anatolian town at the dawn of World War I. Yet the film, which takes place in the Turkish city of Van — a scene of bloodshed between Turks and Armenians — has been the cause of​ wide controversy both in the West and Turkey.

Despite the attention it has received in the media due to its subject matter, the film has not done well at the local box office, totaling 41,578 viewers so far.

Other Turkish critics found the film too faithful to the Turkish narrative. Senay Aydemir from the leftist Gazete Duvar panned the film from both political and cinematic angles. Aydemir, who doesn’t shy from using the word “genocide” to describe the events of 1915, slammed the film as devoid of feelings, consistency and narrative tempo. Aydemir cynically described a scene in which Veli saves 20 Armenians from another “evil-hearted” Ottoman lieutenant and lambasted the film’s light tone and thin plot that completely omits historical points of interest, such as the political context that led to the Ottoman Empire’s decision to deport the Armenians. He also criticized the film’s blaming of the Russians for provoking Turkish-Armenian enmity, ignoring the roles played by Germany and the UK.

The plot and actors’ performance also got a dose of Turkish criticism: Hurriyet’s Ugur Vardan described the story as weak and not believable. He called the performance of Hera Hilmar “expressionless” and Josh Hartnett’s “mediocre.” Burak Goral of the secularist Sozcu mocked the censoring of kissing scenes in the version of the film shown in Turkish theaters: “As if an Ottoman lieutenant’s kiss on the mouth of a beloved Christian woman would spoil our Turkishness or our faith!”

Clearly, the film hasn’t found much acclaim in the box office or among critics. Yet it may still be valuable as a depiction of the common Turkish perspective on the deadly Armenian “deportation,” defined by many in the West as genocide.

Riada Asimovic Akyol
Contributor,  Turkey Pulse

Riada Asimovic Akyol is an independent analyst and writer. Her articles have been published by Al Jazeera English, The Nation and The National. She is pursuing a doctorate related to religion.

Angela Sarafyan, Oscar Isaac technically gotten married by Armenian priest

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Angela Sarafyan, who plays the role of Maral in The Promise, a new movie about Armenian Genocide, has revealed an unknown fact about this film. It turns out that she and Oscar Isaac, who plays Mikayel in the movie, were technically gotten married in Spain.

The actress posted some footage and photos on her Instagram account and wrote as follows: “The priest on the set of @thepromisefilm was a real Armenian priest from Armenia that happened to live in Spain. Etchmiadzin, one of the oldest cities in Armenia, has three sister churches and this is where he was ordained. He actually married us on set, with the true Armenian prayer they would do at any traditional Armenian wedding. Those prayers were true in 1915 and remain the same to this day. In the end, he told us, ‘I need to divorce you, because you are technically married in the eyes of God.’”

The premier of the Promise has been held in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, and in the major cities of several other countries.

Film The Promise Targeted for Exposing the Armenian Genocide

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‘The Promise,’ a $90 million epic drama, bluntly tells of Christians slaughtered during WWI

by Zachary Leeman,

Starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, “The Promise” is a film you likely should be aware of — but it’s doubtful you or many others have even heard of it. Out for nearly two weeks already, the picture hasn’t even managed to earn $10 million at the box office.

Based on a story  about the Armenian genocide during World War I, “The Promise” was a controversial movie from the beginning. The calculated slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire is something the Turkish government (the modern-day state of the Ottoman Empire) and many politicians refuse to officially acknowledge.

“Promise” director Terry George has said that many films had been attempted in Hollywood about the dark period in history during which Christian Armenians were slaughtered — but government forces worked in the shadows to stop them.

“The attempts to tell the story of the Armenian genocide by Hollywood are quite fascinating,” George told Deadline. “There were two serious attempts to do it in the ’50s, to make a film of a book called ‘Forty Days of Musa Dagh,’ which, in the ’40s, had become a bestseller across Europe and America. It was written by Franz Werfel. MGM or one of the other studios tried to put it together. The Turkish government leaned on the State Department and the U.S. government at the time, who then leaned on Hollywood, and the film was stopped.”

He continued, “Sylvester Stallone tried to make the same book in the ’70s and had the same thing happen. There was a current that was like, ‘The studio doesn’t want to make this.’ The Turkish government had become involved, and the sense that I got, and the research seems to show, [that] Turkey has enormous, disproportionate power and influence because of its strategic position. In the ’50s and ’70s, it was the Cold War and where they were on the border, and their situation with Israel. Today, clearly, they’re just as influential.”

This influence is why George chose to create his movie without major publicity. “We deliberately flew under the radar,” he said.

Thus, “The Promise” accomplished something other films about the Armenian genocide never could: It was finished and released.

“We deliberately flew under the radar.”

However, the final product has faced hurdles that many speculate have come from the Turkish government and Armenian genocide-deniers.

The New York Times reports that Daniel Giménez Cacho — an actor from “Promise” — said he was contacted by a Turkish ambassador before filming started. The ambassador wanted to emphasize that the genocide of 1.5 million Christians had never happened.

“The Promise” also walked into theaters with strangely bad buzz. The movie racked up over 50,000 one-star ratings on the website IMDB. This was before the film ever hit theaters and had only premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival; there, only a few thousand people actually saw it.

Worse still is the release of a competing film entitled, “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” a movie starring Josh Hartnett that was reportedly backed by Turkish investors. The similarities between “Ottoman” and “Promise” are strangely close; yet each film holds a very different view about the slaughter of Christian Armenians.

Both movies follow love triangles set during the disputed events during World War I. “The Promise” follows three Armenians caught up in the genocide, while “Ottoman” follows a handsome, heroic Turkish officer who is in love with an Armenian woman and saves Armenians through the course of the movie.

“It’s a sort of mirror image of our film, but with a totally denialist perspective,” George told The New York Times. He said he thought the Turkish government and president had a deliberate hand in the making of the film as a way to undercut and draw attention away from George’s movie.

“Ottoman” faced troubles during its creation because Turkish producers had complete rights to the work and reportedly took over editing duties — they protested some of the violence in the movie committed by Turkish people.

“Joe [Ruben, the director] was so enraged by their version [the Turkish producers’ version] of events he attempted to take his name off the film, but he realized contractually he was obliged to remain silent,” the film’s first assistant director, Michael Steele, told The New York Times. Ruben has done no publicity for his movie.

“Ottoman” has already opened in Turkey, while most people doubt “The Promise” will ever get a release there.

Before his death in 2015, entrepreneur and Armenian descendent Kirk Kerkorian pledged the entire budget of “The Promise” to filmmakers. This meant “The Promise” was able to bypass the struggles and hurdles other filmmakers had to endure when trying to make films about the Armenian genocide.

However, big stars and a big budget didn’t mean they could outrun the power and influence of governments that would like to sweep the mass slaughter of a group of people under the rug. “The Promise” received little publicity for this reason and clearly faced deliberate attempts to stall its potential popularity.

So the film may not bring in hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office — but it has accomplished something so much greater by simply being made. It exists forever, and that is something no government body or frightened bureaucrat will ever be able to stop. And if the film ever does earn a profit, producers have guaranteed they will donate that money to humanitarian charities.

The story of a shameful episode of world history has now been made into an expensive drama headlined by popular and talented actors. “The Promise” will live on and find an audience, especially since the world is slowly beginning to learn of the Armenian genocide on a bigger scale than ever before — and that’s putting an unusual amount of pressure on Turkey and politicians that deny the genocide ever happened.

A documentary entitled, “Architects of Denial” is about Armenian genocide deniers and will be released in October, with the backing of producers like Dean Cain. The recently released trailer showed filmmakers confronting U.S. politicians and putting them on the spot, forcing them to admit their denial of the events during World War I.

“The genocide is burned into the soul of the Armenian diaspora,” George told The Times. “Until they get some kind of recognition, it’s not going to go away.”

Source: http://www.lifezette.com/popzette/film-targeted-for-exposing-armenian-genocide/

As a result of pressure from Turkey, “The Promise” will not be broadcast in Egypt, Kuwait and Bahrain

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The Arevelk.am site reports that according to some information the broadcast company of the film “The Promise” for the Middle East, following the great pressures of Turkey would have canceled the diffusion of the film of Terry George on the genocide of the Armenians in many Arab countries of the Middle East. According to the same sources, the distribution of the film “The Promise” will simply be canceled in Egypt, Kuwait and Bahrain, while in Qatar the film will be broadcast with cuts. In Lebanon, the Turkish Embassy in Beirut also put pressure on the broadcaster of the film “The Promise” to cut large passages. But the broadcaster for Lebanon did not yield to this Turkish pressure and the film “The Promise” will continue to be broadcast without the slightest cut.

Krikor Amirzayan