Ararat Tomorrow

[Guest Fadi]

Here it goes, finally open for the public in Canada and United-States.

 

I hope that anyone that could go would go and see the movie, the first Weekend is very important for obvious reasons, everyone should bring non-Armenians with them, I have managed to find 9 non-Armenians to go and see the movie, and will expect to find as much as possible.

 

So Finally guys, the count down is on.

[wh00t]

Domino, I'll see you at the AMC

[Guest Fadi]

Found a better place.

 

[ November 21, 2002, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: Domino ]

[baboyan]

i have waited for this movie to come out for a very very long time.i was hoping that this movie would come out on april 24,but i was wrong.i my family and i have a chance to see it

[Azat]

From Tuesdays LA Times

------

 

Armenia's tragedy was long in coming to the movie screen

Before Atom Egoyan's 'Ararat,' attempts to raise funds for, and interest in, a film about the 1915 genocide met with no success.

 

 

 

By Lorenza Munoz, Times Staff Writer

 

As producer Robert Lantos rose to introduce his friend, director Atom Egoyan, inspiration struck. Lantos was fresh from a trip to his native Hungary, where he had filmed the story of his family -- actually the story of Hungarian Jews from the turn of the century through communist rule -- in the epic movie "Sunshine."

 

As he spoke at a function at the Armenian Community Center in Toronto, Lantos turned to Egoyan and said, "If and when the day comes when you are ready to tell the story of your people, as your friend and producer, I will stand by you."

 

"It occurred to me that day that there was an important, almost magical moment or a parallel with Atom," Lantos said, and that afternoon three years ago nudged Egoyan into writing about his Armenian heritage. The resulting movie, "Ararat," opened Friday to favorable reviews and grossed an estimated $162,000 in five theaters.

 

Although many ethnic and racial groups in America have told their story -- Jews, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Italians, Irish and Greeks -- Armenians have never seen their story dramatized on the big screen. Egoyan's "Ararat" is the first theatrically released feature film about the Armenians and the genocide. Historians estimate that 1.5 million Armenians from eastern Turkey perished from 1915 to 1923. Denying the genocide took place, the Turkish government maintains that the violence was precipitated by the outbreak of World War I.

 

Egoyan said he struggled to find a way to tell such a sweeping story.

 

"A lot of people have a hard time generally depicting history. Why do we need to witness atrocity?" he said. "How do you make people want to see that? The way you do that is to make it contemporary and to show that this can actually affect our contemporary lives."

 

"Ararat" has prompted many Armenian Americans in Hollywood to ask themselves why it took so long to tell this story. Sylvia Minassian, founder of the Arpa Film Festival, an Armenian and international festival held annually in Los Angeles, estimates there are several hundred Armenian Americans working in Hollywood.

 

Heavyweights in the community include MGM owner Kirk Kerkorian, Oscar-winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List"), producer Arthur Sarkissian ("Rush Hour"), manager Aleen Keshishian and her brother Alek, who directed Madonna's "Truth or Dare" concert tour documentary.

 

Since 1935, attempts at making a film about the genocide have been either quashed by appeals from the Turkish government or turned down by studios leery of the controversy and unwilling to risk money on a historical epic.

 

Currently, the rights to Franz Werfel's novel about the genocide, "The 40 Days of Musa Dagh," are owned by German producer and director Ottokar Runze, but the script has been floating around for 10 years and is still in development. Mexican director Salvador Carrasco ("The Other Conquest") hopes to direct another Armenian story, "Vergeen," about a young girl who survives the genocide and comes to America to begin a new life.

 

Producer Howard Kazanjian ("Star Wars: Episode VI -- Return of the Jedi") said he has tried half a dozen times over the last 30 years to get a studio on board, to no avail.

 

"We have not been able to raise the financing," said Kazanjian, noting that even Steven Spielberg had a hard time raising the money to make "Schindler's List." "People are moving on -- they are looking for the next 'Spider-Man.' "

 

The Armenian community itself has not been responsive to his attempts to raise money, Kazanjian said.

 

"As generous as Armenians are in giving to the church and philanthropic organizations, I have not been able to get them to put up one dime to make this movie," he said. "They want it, but they don't want to support it. Their fathers and mothers and relatives were killed -- they want it, but they don't want to see it."

 

Alex Yemenidjian, who is Armenian and the chief executive of MGM, passed on "Ararat" when Egoyan brought him the script.

 

"I liked the script, but economically it did not make much sense," Yemenidjian said. "You have to look at the above-the-line costs, below-the-line costs.... While your heart says one thing and your mind says another, I have a fiduciary responsibility to my shareholders."

 

It was Miramax Films founder Harvey Weinstein who decided to distribute the film in the U.S. Lantos' Serendipity Point Films and Telefilm Canada produced the $11-million movie with Miramax pitching in.

 

Weinstein said he had never really heard of the Armenian genocide until Egoyan brought him the script. Once he read it and did his own research, he felt it was time to tell the story. Having lost eight relatives at Auschwitz, Weinstein related well to the subject, although he said he expects to lose money on the film.

 

"I thought it was way too compelling to ignore," said Weinstein, who doesn't mind losing money on a film as long as Miramax continues to make it up on others. "Financially it doesn't make sense, but so what? It makes common sense, which is more important."

Zaillian said he has wanted to write a story about the Armenian American experience but, as a third-generation Californian, felt somewhat disconnected from his grandparents' homeland. Like many Armenian Americans who are fully assimilated into American culture, he said he had relatively little contact with other Armenians when he was growing up in a Los Angeles suburb in the 1950s.

 

"Experience isn't always necessary, of course -- research can sometimes make up for it -- but in this case, the lack of it has ... produced a lack of confidence in myself to do it well," Zaillian said. He said he was excited and even a little jealous when Egoyan sent him the "Ararat" script to read. "So much time had gone by without anyone having done it, I'd let myself get complacent, thinking, 'One of these days I'll get to it.' "

 

http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/c...za18nov18.story

 

(I wonder how may of the 18 films that MGM released last year made money? Oh wait I know, 3)

[wh00t]

That's a great article Azat, thanks. Sent it many people when I first read it a couple days ago because of the good new information on Ararat, Zaillian, Yemenidjian and others. Was a bit surprised to find out that Yemenidjian rejected it, but then in their defense, and as you state, they aren't exactly as financially flexible as Miramax! Hopefully the new James Bond will help.

 

[ November 22, 2002, 03:52 PM: Message edited by: wh00t ]

[yanginrit]

 

[ November 22, 2002, 08:11 PM: Message edited by: Torontonian ]

[yanginrit]

Sorry for the first reply.

 

As my name may give a hint, I am from Toronto. Just wanted to let you guys know that the firm I work for (happens to be a jewish firm) received invitations from a bank to see Ararat at a special nite and meet Mr. Egoyan as well. Sponsorship is very important and seems to be working well here in Toronto. By the way, I have an invitation too and will be seing it on December 4th, even though I wanted to see it before but I'll wait.

 

The "Lazy" Torontonian

[MosJan]

Steven Zaillian

https://deadline.com/2024/09/ripley-director-steve-zaillian-takes-home-emmy-for-outstanding-directing-for-a-limited-or-anthology-series-or-movie-1236089338/

‘Ripley’ Director Steve Zaillian Takes Home Emmy For Outstanding Directing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

 

Steve Zaillian garnered an Emmy Award on Sunday for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix’s Ripley. 

In his speech, Zaillian said he was enamored by the beautiful landscapes that Italy provided, alongside being grateful for his cast and crew. “Making Ripley in Italy was its own reward. It was like a dream. I didn’t need anything after that,” the director said. “The work is its own reward and I still really appreciate this honor though, and I share it with literally hundreds of people who worked on Ripley, the actors, Andrew [Scott], Dakota [Fanning], Elliot [Sumner], Johnny [Flynn], Maurizio [Lombardi], and all the other wonderful Italian actors, the producers, the incredible department heads and crew—all of ’em artists in their own right. I thank them. The Academy, Netflix and my family.” 

[MosJan]

https://people.com/ripley-wins-best-directing-for-limited-or-anthology-series-or-movie-emmys-2024-8703422

 

Ripley Wins Best Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at Emmys 2024: 'It Was Like a Dream'

 

Director Steven Zaillian said while accepting the award that “Making Ripley in Italy was its own reward, it was like a dream. I didn’t need anything after that"

 

 

Ripley may have had a short run, but its legacy will live on thanks to the 76th annual Emmy Awards.

 

The series took home the coveted prize for best directing for a limited or anthology series or movie at the Emmys 2024 on Sunday, Sept. 15.

 

Director Steven Zaillian said while accepting the award that “Making Ripley in Italy was its own reward, it was like a dream. I didn’t need anything after that. And I know the other directors know what I’m talking about, the work was its own reward. I still really appreciate this honor, though."

 

"I share it with literally hundreds of people who worked on Ripley. The actor, Andrew, Dakota, Elliot, Johnny Mauritzio and all of the other wonderful Italian actors, the producers, the incredible department heads and crew. All of them artists in their own right," he continued. "I thank them, the academy, Netflix, and my family. Thank you."

 

 

[MosJan]

Steven Zaillian

Steven Zaillian has won a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series for Netflix’s RIPLEY.

This marks Steven Zaillian’s second DGA win, following his win for 2017’s THE NIGHT OF. In September 2024, Steven Zaillian won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for RIPLEY.

RIPLEY is a Netflix limited series created, written and directed by Steven Zaillian, which won four Emmys.

In an exclusive interview with Armenian Film Society, Oscar-winning writer Steven Zaillian discussed his work on the award-winning series RIPLEY, his mother’s grape leaves recipe, and set the record straight on whether he’ll ever tell an Armenian story.

Link below for our interview with Steven Zaillian.

https://www.armenianfilmsociety.com/.../interview-steven...