Egoyan’s Ararat wins top prize at Armenian festival

Egoyan’s Ararat wins top prize at Armenian festival

Globe & Mail
Page R2
UPDATED AT 9:33 AM EDT Tuesday, Jul 6, 2004

Yerevan — Atom Egoyan’s two-year-old movie Ararat won the top prize
at the Golden Apricot Film Festival of works by ethnic Armenian
directors, officials said yesterday.

The festival included 57 movies by directors from 20
countries. Toronto-based Egoyan is a Canadian of Armenian heritage.

The film depicts the plight of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey during the
Armenian genocide of the early 20th century. The title refers to the
mountain that Armenians regard as their national symbol but which now
lies in Turkey.

Egoyan’s film tells of the persecution of Armenians by Turks through a
tapestry of stories that take place during the filming of a movie. A
young man, Raffi (played by newcomer David Alpay), is stopped at the
Toronto airport by a customs officer (Christopher Plummer) who
questions the contents of sealed film canisters. As Raffi tries to
explain his situation, the story of the killings unfolds.

In 2003, the film won five Genie Awards in Toronto, including one for
best picture. CP