Intent to Destroy (2017)

Filmmaker Joe Berlinger meets with historians and scholars to discuss the Armenian Genocide and the continuing denial by the Turkish government of it ever happening.

Director:

Joe Berlinger

Writers:

Joe Berlinger, Cy Christiansen

Stars:

Shohreh Aghdashloo, Taner Akçam, Hagop Asadourian

7 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Herself
Taner Akçam	...	Himself - Historian
Hagop Asadourian	...	Himself (archive footage)
Peter Balakian	...	Himself
Christian Bale	...	Himself
Ian Bedford	...	Himself
Michael Bobelian	...	Himself
Paul Boghossian	...	Himself
Eric Bogosian	...	Himself
Vicken Cheterian	...	Himself
Lee Cleary	...	Himself
Hrant Dink	...	Himself (archive footage)
Atom Egoyan	...	Himself
John Marshall Evans	...	Himself
Carla Garapedian	...	Herself

Storyline

Academy Award® nominated director Joe Berlinger embeds himself on the epic film set of Terry George's The Promise (2016) to take an unwavering look at the Armenian Genocide. Historians, scholars and filmmakers come together in Berlinger's cinematic exploration of the tangled web of responsibility that has driven a century of denial by the Turkish government and its strategic allies. Intent to Destroy (2017) is a timely reckoning with the large-scale suppression of a historical tragedy. Berlinger confronts the fraught task of shedding light on the Armenian Genocide - whose witnesses and descendants are still fighting to be officially acknowledged as such by the international community - how it was carried out during World War I as the reign of the Ottoman Empire drew to a close, and how it laid the groundwork for the genocides that followed.

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Plot Keywords:

genocide | armenian genocide | historian | ottoman empire | raphael lemkin | 

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Taglines:

Death, denial, and depiction

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Survival Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Det armenske folkedrab

Filming Locations:

USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Auction of Souls (1919)

User Reviews

This is a companion piece to "The Promise" that I reviewed at Tiff 2016

This is the research behind the historical drama presented in documentary form. It is very helpful in understanding the who's, why's and where's that were depicted in the film. A favourite of mine at the September 2016 festival.

It includes many in depth moments with the film maker and many deeply personal moments (direct to camera) from the films actors of Armenian heritage and its Caucasian stars Christian Bale and James Cromwell portraying American witnesses to the actual events in 1915.

Important viewing for us who want more information about the history of this troubled region and time.

I expect it to part of a bonus material when "The Promise (2016)" is released on disc.

I was at the 3rd screening at Hot Docs 2017 and unfortunately was unable to participate in a Q&A as the film makers had left.

I would very much like people that saw a screening with a Q&A to post a review together with some details of the exchanges with the film makers.