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    Ararat

    • 20022002
    • RR
    • 1h 55min
    IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    14K
    YOUR RATING
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    Ararat (2002)
    Home Video Trailer from Miramax
    Trailer1:34
    3 Videos
    53 Photos
    DramaWar

    Interrogated by a customs officer, a young man recounts how his life was changed during the making of a film about the Armenian genocide.Interrogated by a customs officer, a young man recounts how his life was changed during the making of a film about the Armenian genocide.Interrogated by a customs officer, a young man recounts how his life was changed during the making of a film about the Armenian genocide.Interrogated by a customs officer, a young man recounts how his life was changed during the making of a film about the Armenian genocide.Interrogated by a customs officer, a young man recounts how his life was changed during the making of a film about the Armenian genocide.

    • Director
      • Atom Egoyan
    • Writer
      • Atom Egoyan
    • Stars
      • Charles Aznavour
      • Brent Carver
      • Eric Bogosian
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Atom Egoyan
    • Writer
      • Atom Egoyan
    • Stars
      • Charles Aznavour
      • Brent Carver
      • Eric Bogosian
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 214User reviews
    • 70Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 12 wins & 13 nominations

    Videos3

    Ararat
    Trailer 1:34
    Ararat
    Ararat
    Trailer 1:34
    Ararat
    Ararat
    Trailer 1:37
    Ararat

    Photos53

    Christopher Plummer and David Alpay in Ararat (2002)
    Christopher Plummer in Ararat (2002)
    David Alpay in Ararat (2002)
    David Alpay and Arsinée Khanjian in Ararat (2002)
    Charles Aznavour and Arsinée Khanjian in Ararat (2002)
    Atom Egoyan and David Alpay in Ararat (2002)
    Atom Egoyan and Arsinée Khanjian at an event for Ararat (2002)
    Atom Egoyan, Arsinée Khanjian, and Robert Lantos at an event for Ararat (2002)
    Atom Egoyan and Arsinée Khanjian at an event for Ararat (2002)
    Atom Egoyan at an event for Ararat (2002)
    Atom Egoyan, Elias Koteas, David Alpay, Eric Bogosian, Marie-Josée Croze, Arsinée Khanjian, and Robert Lantos at an event for Ararat (2002)
    David Alpay at an event for Ararat (2002)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charles Aznavour
    Charles Aznavour
    • Edward Saroyanas Edward Saroyan
    Brent Carver
    • Philipas Philip
    Eric Bogosian
    Eric Bogosian
    • Roubenas Rouben
    Simon Abkarian
    Simon Abkarian
    • Arshile Gorkyas Arshile Gorky
    Christopher Plummer
    Christopher Plummer
    • Davidas David
    Arsinée Khanjian
    Arsinée Khanjian
    • Anias Ani
    Setta Keshishian
    • Dinner Guestas Dinner Guest…
    David Alpay
    David Alpay
    • Raffias Raffi
    Shant Srabian
    • Dinner Guest #3as Dinner Guest #3…
    Marie-Josée Croze
    Marie-Josée Croze
    • Celiaas Celia
    Elias Koteas
    Elias Koteas
    • Alias Ali…
    Max Morrow
    Max Morrow
    • Tonyas Tony
    Christie MacFadyen
    • Janetas Janet
    Dawn Roach
    • Customs Officeras Customs Officer
    Garen Boyajian
    • Young Gorkyas Young Gorky
    Lousnak Abdalian
    • Gorky's Motheras Gorky's Mother
    Raoul Bhaneja
    Raoul Bhaneja
    • Photographer, Levonas Photographer, Levon
    Haig Sarkissian
    • Sevanas Sevan
    • Director
      • Atom Egoyan
    • Writer
      • Atom Egoyan
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

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    Storyline

    Edit
    People tell stories. In Toronto, an art historian lectures on Arshile Gorky (1904 -1948), an Armenian painter who lived through the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. A director invites the historian to help him include Gorky's story in a film about the genocide and Turkish assault on the town of Van. The historian's family is under stress: her son is in love with his step-sister, who blames the historian for the death of her father. The daughter wants to revisit her father's death and change that story. An aging customs agent tells his son about his long interview with the historian's son, who has returned from Turkey with canisters of film. All the stories connect. —<jhailey@hotmail.com>
    armenianarmenian genocidearmeniaart history professorarmenian flag166 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A Quest For Truth... Among Lies, Deception And Denial.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • War
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity and language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ararat (2002) premiered as part of the 'Official Selection' at the 55th Cannes International Film Festival in 2002, but it was not 'In Competition' for any awards. Atom Egoyan's prior feature [Felicia's Journey (1999)] and his subsequent feature [Where the Truth Lies (2005)], artistically less ambitious films, were both screened 'In Competition' at Cannes. The reasons for "Ararat" not being part of the 'Official Competition' in 2002 are still ambiguous: Some claim there was political pressure on the festival by Turkey, while Egoyan said he himself decided not to enter Ararat (2002) into the competition: "This film is dealing with a period of history that has never been represented before on film. The idea of subjecting that to the additional pressures of a jury - given all the pressures that are on this film already - seemed to be unnecessary."
    • Quotes

      Raffi: But he thinks Turkey was at war with Armenia. Doesn't it bother you that he doesn't get the history?

      Edward Saroyan: No, not really.

      Raffi: I mean why didn't you explain to him that we were citizens, we were Turkish citizens. We had a right to be protected.

      Edward Saroyan: Are you driving him home?

      Raffi: Yeah.

      Edward Saroyan: Huh. Take this.

      [hands him dollar bills]

      Edward Saroyan: Buy him a bottle of champagne. Let him think that he has done something special.

      Raffi: Something special? I'm sorry, Mr Saroyan, I don't think I understand.

      Edward Saroyan: Young man, do you know what still causes so much pain? It's not the people we lost, or the land. It's to know that we could be so hated. Who are these people, who could hate us so much? How can they still deny their hatred? And so hate us... hate us even more?

    • Crazy credits
      Closing disclaimers: 1) The historical events in this film have been substantiated by holocaust scholars, national archives, and eyewitness accounts, including that of Clarence Ussher. 2) To this day, Turkey continues to deny the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Making of 'Ararat' (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Mystery
      Written by Gord Downie (as Gordon Downie) and Atom Egoyan

      Performed by Gord Downie (as Gordon Downie)

      From the album "Coke Machine Glow"

      Courtesy of Wiener Art Records - copyright 2000

      Copyright 2000 - Wiener Art (SOCAN)/Egoyan Ego Film Arts (SOCAN)

    User reviews214

    Review
    Top review
    Nothing extraordinary
    At the first time when I saw `Ararat', I was strongly impressed. To say the truth there were some parts of the film which were ununderstandable for me, after I watched that movie for several times and could understand it at all and create my own viewpoint.The scenario was a real chaos, and the characters were not chosen right. The example of this is Raffi (a puny guy). Finally, I think Egoyan tried to introduce genocide in some way that the audience that knows nothing about armenians and armenian genocide could understand and be sorry for armenians. However, I don't think he really succeeded in this stuff, because Egoyan created this film from the standpoint turks are bad human kind. It's wrong in some points. I agree that at that time of history, there was an awfull religion-fanaticism and turks did awfull things, but their generation is not as responsible for that as we suppose. On the other hand I am sure there was a real genocide and generally all armenians are sure, cause of our ancecstors stories. And I am sure no one could socialise with the people who could do that. However I am not going to create my future on the idea there was an armenian genocide and turks are murders. This is a wrong point of view. Of course, there is a pain and the pain will always be there in the armenian-man's heart, as our mothers were raped, our fathers were killed, our brothers and sisters were procured from our mothers abdomen and killed not even born. But armenians should live by the future, not by the past and so must do turks. Noone is guilty, maybe just some persons who were alive at that period of time but not now.
    helpful•6
    6
    • scum_m
    • Apr 25, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 6, 2002 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • France
    • Official sites
      • egofilmarts.com (Canada)
      • Miramax
    • Languages
      • English
      • Armenian
      • French
      • German
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
      • A級控訴
    • Filming locations
      • Turkey
    • Production companies
      • Alliance Atlantis Communications
      • Serendipity Point Films
      • Ego Film Arts
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,555,959
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $211,130
      • Nov 17, 2002
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,743,336
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 55min
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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