Egoyan speaks at Tel-Aviv U

The Bar-Shira Auditorium at Tel-Aviv University was packed with cinephiles today, eager to see Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan. In Israel as a guest lecturer and recipient of the 2008 Dan David Prize, Egoyan delivered a stunning lecture on the Armenian genocide, using his critically acclaimed film Ararat (2002) as a springboard for discussing the representation of history in art, and the tragically unending efforts of the Turkish government to deny the atrocities of the past.

The Academy Award nominated filmmaker (The Sweet Hereafter, 1997) took time to acknowledge his own past, and share his journey into his forgotten Armenian heritage and his formative years in Toronto , where he first decided to become a filmmaker. It was a revealing lecture which was followed by a candid question and answer period.

 

Poster art for 'Ararat'

This month will see the premiere of Egoyan’s latest film, Adoration (2008) at the Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as a finalist for the Palm d’Or Award. It stars Rachel Blanchard and Scott Speedman.

The Dan David Prize is an annual award of $1 million each for three categories of recipients. As a prize laureate, Egoyan will donate ten percent of his winnings to deserving doctoral students and researchers within the field of cinema studies.