The Presentation of the Film "The Cut" by Turkish Director in Moscow

• 02.05.2015, 16:41
•  Region,  World,  Diaspora

A German director of Turkish origin Fatih Akın in Moscow presented the film "The Cut", which has been included in the 71st Venice International Film Festival program, reports РИА Новости referring to MarsMedia. The film will be shown in the Russian cinemas starting from February 19. The film is co-produced by 7 countries - Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Poland, Turkey and Russia. The producers of the Russian side are Ruben Dishdishyan and Aram Movsesyan. The film is about the events of 1915. During the Armenian Genocide, a young man named Nazareth Manoogian losses his family. After several years he learns that his twin girls may be alive. Thus Nazareth starts his search reaching from his Mardin village to deserts, to Cuba and finally North Dakota.

"I decided to shoot this film as the situation in Turkey where you could not speak about the Armenian Genocide was not pleasant for me. As a painter it is wrong for me and I decided to raise this question to start a discussion around it," – said Akın. According to the director there are many young people in Turkey who do not know what tragedy happened 100 years ago. "Turkey does not recognize Genocide, but there is already a civic movement which continues growing and it is possible that my movie will also contribute that many people join this movement," – continued Akın.

"I worked on the film "The Cut" for 7 years. I have not shop a film about Genocide. I just told a story of an Armenian from Mardin, who knew nothing about the political processes. I began this journey by asking myself that maybe this film can become a bridge. Can it join those who recognize the Genocide to those who do not?" – said Akın.

The premiere of the movie took place in Ankara on December, 2014 and in Yerevan the film was presented on January 30, 2015. "The premiere of the movie in Turkey was both wonderful and sad. Wonderful, because after the film people shared with their impressions, discussed what they have seen. It was sad, because we could not agree with the cinemas for wider rental. They were afraid of provocations and clashes," - said Akın. According to him the movie was shown in 24 cinemas in silence and unnoticed.

"In Yerevan the film was welcomed. Armenians watch this movie in another way. We start suffering just from the first scene, as we know what will happen the next. This lives inside us on a genetic level, we are born with that. Every Armenian family has its own story," – said Arevik Martirosyan – the wife of the hero's brother in the movie.  President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan was also present in the presentation of the movie in Yerevan.

The film director said that after the Venice film festival there were threats from Turkish nationalists. "We did not take it so seriously, but when we are presenting the film somewhere I am always with bodyguards. Before the film was produced everyone in Turkey loved me, but now no one loves me," – mentioned Akın.