Armenian Genocide movies scrapped under Turkish pressure: filmmakerNovember 13, 2017 - 12:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Joe Berlinger’s “Intent to Destroy” shows how the history of the Armenian Genocide continues to be disputed and denied more than a century later," Variety reports. A case in point: He was unable to get a Turkish official to go on camera, as the government refuses to recognize the 1915 atrocities as genocide and has influenced its key Western ally, the United States, not to do so either. “I wish I could say that I was so prescient that when I started making the documentary, I would realize how relevant and important it is for today,” Berlinger told Variety‘s “PopPolitics” on SiriusXM. “Ever since our president took office and words like alternative facts and fake news get bandied about, and people just on a daily basis just say what they think is the truth, and just think that if they say it long enough, that it becomes the truth.” “Intent to Destroy” interweaves the history of the Armenian genocide with a movie being made about it, Terry George’s “The Promise,” released in 2016. Berlinger notes that Hollywood studios tried to make to make a movie about the genocide back in the 1930s, but Turkey made it clear that the industry would be banned from the country were they to proceed. The project was dropped. Even now, Berlinger notes, “The Promise” was barraged by a flood of negative reviews on the internet even before the movie had been released. “We are so barraged now with alternative histories, from the Civil War to what is going on in other parts of the world, that I think the lesson of Armenian genocide, the complicity of Western powers after World War I to help an ally sweep the truth under the rug, out of self interest, is a real warning sign of where that can lead, which is where we are today,” Berlinger said. “If I were a young person trolling the internet for the truth, I think it is going to be increasingly difficult to know what the truth is.” Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. Partner news | Fly Arna license suspended, says Armenia official The license of the Armenian airline Fly Arna has been suspended for six months, an official says. President stresses Armenia’s clear position to achieve peace On the eve of the International Francophonie Day, the Armenian President met with French intellectuals. Termination of servicing of MIR cards. IDBank It will not be possible to ensure the full operation of MIR cards in IDBank’s POS-terminals and ATMs Pashinian meets border villagers on possible land transfer to Azerbaijan Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with concerned residents of two villages in Armenia’s northern Tavush province. |