World-renowned Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyan wants to make film in Turkey

July 30, 2010 - 13:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - World-renowned Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyan wants to make a film in Turkey, saying he welcomes all manners of projects.

A joint project with Turkish directors would be a good step toward dialogue, Egoyan told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review during a recent interview in Yerevan.

A fan of Turkish Nobel laureate author Orhan Pamuk, and especially his novel “Snow,” Egoyan said it would be a pleasure to adapt the writer’s work to the silver screen.

Referring to the Armenian Genocide, the filmmaker said: “As two publics, we need to speak about these incidents without a mediator,” he said. “Since we don’t speak, the West has not hesitated to exploit our wounds for political interests.”

Speaking about the current situation between Turkish and Armenian people, Egoyan said he deeply believed that the iron curtain between both peoples would be torn down as past incidents became topics of discussion.

In contrast to the commonly held view in the Diaspora, Egoyan said he believed opening the closed border gate between Turkey and Armenia was a significant step toward a peaceful future.

“Lifting borders will increase peace and welfare in the region,” the director said. “It will provide an environment for dialogue.”