Canadian-Armenian director getting IFFI Lifetime Achievement Award

PanARMENIAN.Net - Acclaimed Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan will be bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award at 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2017 which begins on November 20, United News of India reports.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani tweeted: ''Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan will be bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award at #IFFI2017. @IFFIGoa will also honour his work with a special film section that will screen 3 films produced by him.''

An accomplished director, writer and producer, Egoyan has made a mark in the mainstream and alternate cinema all over the world.

His work is often credited for exploring different themes that carry a rich amount of emotions and effective use of Technology.

Born to Armenian – Egyptian parents, Egoyan discovered a lot about his heritage when he attended the University of Toronto and started to study Armenian history.

He developed a sudden interest in the 1915 Genocide in which 1.5 million of Turkey’s Armenian population were killed. He describes this moment as the motivation to make films that highlight the history which is otherwise suppressed.

Egoyan directed 15 full-length films thereafter, several television episodes, and a few shorter pieces.

His film ‘Ararat’ was the first feature film on the Armenian Genocide and received critical acclaim and appreciation for taking a bold stand on this sensitive topic.

This year, at IFFI 2017, three of the best films by Atom Egoyan will be screened namely ‘Exotica’, ‘The Sweet Hereafter’ and ‘Remember’.