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'Art Is Worth Dying for': Director Fatih Akin, Cast, and Crew Speak on 'The Cut'
Monday, September 8th, 2014
http://asbarez.com/126746/%E2%80%98art-is-worth-dying-for%E2%80%99-director-fatih-akin-cast-and-crew-speak-on-%E2%80%98the-cut%E2%80%99/
Director Fatih Akin (standing) with cast and crew of 'The Cut' at the
Venice International Film Festival
BY HAROUT EKMANIAN
>From the Armenian Weekly
VENICE, Italy--Award-winning director Fatih Akin's historical epic "The
Cut" premiered on Sunday, Aug. 31 at the 71st Venice International
Film Festival as part of the feature films competition program. Akin,
along with the cast and producers, were present at the screening on
Sunday afternoon at the Palazzo del Cinema in Lido, Venice, which was
attended by more than 2,000 movie buffs and critics.
"The Cut," which is about the devil inherent in man, concludes Akin's
trilogy on love ("Head-On"), death ("The Edge of Heaven"), and the
devil. The film deals with the Armenian Genocide and tells the story
of one survivor, Nazareth Manoogian. French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim
plays Nazareth, who is struck mute after narrowly escaping death.
Nazareth learns that his twin daughters may still be alive, and
journeys across the world in a desperate search to find them.
"Art is worth dying for," said Akin before the screening, in response
to a journalist's question about the latest death threats against him
by nationalist groups in Turkey, which intensified after the
publication of his interview with Agos, an Armenian newspaper based in
Istanbul. "I spent seven years to prepare for this film and the
controversies that would follow it, and now I am psychologically
ready. But I do not want to focus on this issue. I want people to see
this film first as a drama, as a western, as a work of art, so then it
becomes like a billiard ball that moves the rest of the balls on the
table."
Mardik Martin, an Iraqi-born Armenian cinema professor at USC and a
Hollywood veteran, returned to scriptwriting for "The Cut" after a
34-year break; he last worked for Martin Scorsese on "Raging Bulls" in
1980. He re-wrote the screenplay for "The Cut," which he considers a
western.
"In a way, yes, it is a western, because at that period the whole
Ottoman Empire became like the western badlands, where mass killings
were very common and Armenians were the weakest chain--with no arms and
guns to fight back. They were picked on by everybody," said Martin in
a pre-press conference interview with the Armenian Weekly.
Many actors from Akin's past films are featured in "The Cut," among
them Moritz Bleibtreu, Adam Bousdoukos, and Onder Cakar. Akin,
however, depended more on Armenian actors this time. "It gives more
authenticity. I tried to include good Armenian actors as much as I
can," he said.
Renowned French-Armenian actor Simon Abkarian plays a supportive role
in the film, as Krikor, another Armenian Genocide survivor. In an
interview with the Weekly following the screening in Venice, Abkarian
talked about Akin's Turkish background, and what it brought to the
film. "I thought that I had to be in this movie because for me it is a
political statement. And of course, Fatih is a great director, after
all," Abkarian said. "I hope many Armenians will go and watch this
film. We think we know our stories, but in fact we don't. We have to
tell it over and over again to understand it. We have to call crime
and justice by their names. We also have to leave space for discussion
between all of us, a space of intelligence. For now, only art is doing
this, not politicians."
"It's been almost three to four years now, that some people in Turkey
have started to face their history. It's time for an awakening for
them. We are here, we are not afraid anymore, because we were dead
once--we cannot die twice. But they can kill themselves by denying it.
Because if you deny it, you will kill the next one, and the next one,
until one day you kill your shadow, and there will be nothing left. To
continue on the right path, they must establish a sense of common
truth between them and Armenians," he added.
Also featured in the film is Diyarbakir-born Armenian actor Kevork
Malikyan. He told the Weekly that it is wonderful that someone like
Akin has had the bravery and vision to make this film. Malikyan, like
Akin, hopes that "The Cut" will be shown in Turkey, and that it will
be accepted for the story it tells.
"When I started this project my goal was to make Armenians and Turks
come together to watch the film and take their share of lessons from
it," Akin said. "My goal is to have this film establish a bridge
between them--even if the price of that bridge might be the criticism
of the west," he added, referring to the negative reviews by European
film critics over his decision to have the Armenian characters speak
in English.
The $20-million budget film is likely to be shown in Turkey, according
to Akin. "While writing the script, I always had the Turkish audience
in my mind," he said. Up until now, most of the reviews in the Turkish
press have been positive, which may be due to the media's efforts to
self-distance from the far-right groups that made threats almost a
month before the premiere.
Actor Akin Gazi, who plays the role of Nazareth's slain brother, has
Turkish-Cypriot roots. Growing up, he never heard any mention of what
happened in 1915; instead, he was raised with the basic government
version of history. "When you take a role on, there's always
pressure," he said. "Being of Turkish origin and playing an Armenian,
I felt a huge pressure. I wanted to do my research, because, honestly,
I didn't know about the Armenian Genocide. When I found out about what
actually happened, I felt the spirit of those 1.5 million and maybe
more people who suffered. I wanted to honor those people. I wanted to
give them respect that maybe they didn't have in life. I felt a huge
responsibility and I was honored to play that role. Hopefully the film
can bring some reconciliation. I am not afraid of threats also,
because we have justice on our side," Gazi told the Weekly.
Akin believes that massacres, deportations, and wars are still going
on in the Middle East because the suffering of 100 years ago--not only
of the Armenians, but of others, too--was never properly addressed.
"Because of the tragedy in his life, Nazareth, the main character,
loses his religion," Akin said, back at the press conference. "But
throughout the story, he discovers spirituality again. I mean, he has
hope. And whenever there is hope, there is a certain kind of
spirituality. This is the journey of the hero--to get rid of the bounds
and the dogmas and get to the point, to the essential."
According to French-Armenian actress Arevik Martirossyan, who plays
the role of Nazareth's sister-in-law, Akin knows exactly what he
wants. "He has a great energy to gather things around him. He notices
everything and it was a great pleasure to work with him," she said.
The 71st Venice International Film Festival will conclude on Sept. 6;
the awards will be announced on the same day. "The Cut" is one of the
strongest nominees. The Hamburg Film Festival--in Akin's hometown--will
also host the German premiere of "The Cut" on Oct 16. In Hamburg, Akin
will be presented with the Douglas Sirk Award recognizing his work
both as a director and a producer. "He has set an example for a whole
generation of filmmakers, both in Turkey and Germany," said Albert
Wiederspiel, the director of the Hamburg Festival, in his official
announcement. "His films were a starting point of a whole movement of
German filmmakers of Turkish origin."
Monday, September 8th, 2014
http://asbarez.com/126746/%E2%80%98art-is-worth-dying-for%E2%80%99-director-fatih-akin-cast-and-crew-speak-on-%E2%80%98the-cut%E2%80%99/
Director Fatih Akin (standing) with cast and crew of 'The Cut' at the
Venice International Film Festival
BY HAROUT EKMANIAN
>From the Armenian Weekly
VENICE, Italy--Award-winning director Fatih Akin's historical epic "The
Cut" premiered on Sunday, Aug. 31 at the 71st Venice International
Film Festival as part of the feature films competition program. Akin,
along with the cast and producers, were present at the screening on
Sunday afternoon at the Palazzo del Cinema in Lido, Venice, which was
attended by more than 2,000 movie buffs and critics.
"The Cut," which is about the devil inherent in man, concludes Akin's
trilogy on love ("Head-On"), death ("The Edge of Heaven"), and the
devil. The film deals with the Armenian Genocide and tells the story
of one survivor, Nazareth Manoogian. French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim
plays Nazareth, who is struck mute after narrowly escaping death.
Nazareth learns that his twin daughters may still be alive, and
journeys across the world in a desperate search to find them.
"Art is worth dying for," said Akin before the screening, in response
to a journalist's question about the latest death threats against him
by nationalist groups in Turkey, which intensified after the
publication of his interview with Agos, an Armenian newspaper based in
Istanbul. "I spent seven years to prepare for this film and the
controversies that would follow it, and now I am psychologically
ready. But I do not want to focus on this issue. I want people to see
this film first as a drama, as a western, as a work of art, so then it
becomes like a billiard ball that moves the rest of the balls on the
table."
Mardik Martin, an Iraqi-born Armenian cinema professor at USC and a
Hollywood veteran, returned to scriptwriting for "The Cut" after a
34-year break; he last worked for Martin Scorsese on "Raging Bulls" in
1980. He re-wrote the screenplay for "The Cut," which he considers a
western.
"In a way, yes, it is a western, because at that period the whole
Ottoman Empire became like the western badlands, where mass killings
were very common and Armenians were the weakest chain--with no arms and
guns to fight back. They were picked on by everybody," said Martin in
a pre-press conference interview with the Armenian Weekly.
Many actors from Akin's past films are featured in "The Cut," among
them Moritz Bleibtreu, Adam Bousdoukos, and Onder Cakar. Akin,
however, depended more on Armenian actors this time. "It gives more
authenticity. I tried to include good Armenian actors as much as I
can," he said.
Renowned French-Armenian actor Simon Abkarian plays a supportive role
in the film, as Krikor, another Armenian Genocide survivor. In an
interview with the Weekly following the screening in Venice, Abkarian
talked about Akin's Turkish background, and what it brought to the
film. "I thought that I had to be in this movie because for me it is a
political statement. And of course, Fatih is a great director, after
all," Abkarian said. "I hope many Armenians will go and watch this
film. We think we know our stories, but in fact we don't. We have to
tell it over and over again to understand it. We have to call crime
and justice by their names. We also have to leave space for discussion
between all of us, a space of intelligence. For now, only art is doing
this, not politicians."
"It's been almost three to four years now, that some people in Turkey
have started to face their history. It's time for an awakening for
them. We are here, we are not afraid anymore, because we were dead
once--we cannot die twice. But they can kill themselves by denying it.
Because if you deny it, you will kill the next one, and the next one,
until one day you kill your shadow, and there will be nothing left. To
continue on the right path, they must establish a sense of common
truth between them and Armenians," he added.
Also featured in the film is Diyarbakir-born Armenian actor Kevork
Malikyan. He told the Weekly that it is wonderful that someone like
Akin has had the bravery and vision to make this film. Malikyan, like
Akin, hopes that "The Cut" will be shown in Turkey, and that it will
be accepted for the story it tells.
"When I started this project my goal was to make Armenians and Turks
come together to watch the film and take their share of lessons from
it," Akin said. "My goal is to have this film establish a bridge
between them--even if the price of that bridge might be the criticism
of the west," he added, referring to the negative reviews by European
film critics over his decision to have the Armenian characters speak
in English.
The $20-million budget film is likely to be shown in Turkey, according
to Akin. "While writing the script, I always had the Turkish audience
in my mind," he said. Up until now, most of the reviews in the Turkish
press have been positive, which may be due to the media's efforts to
self-distance from the far-right groups that made threats almost a
month before the premiere.
Actor Akin Gazi, who plays the role of Nazareth's slain brother, has
Turkish-Cypriot roots. Growing up, he never heard any mention of what
happened in 1915; instead, he was raised with the basic government
version of history. "When you take a role on, there's always
pressure," he said. "Being of Turkish origin and playing an Armenian,
I felt a huge pressure. I wanted to do my research, because, honestly,
I didn't know about the Armenian Genocide. When I found out about what
actually happened, I felt the spirit of those 1.5 million and maybe
more people who suffered. I wanted to honor those people. I wanted to
give them respect that maybe they didn't have in life. I felt a huge
responsibility and I was honored to play that role. Hopefully the film
can bring some reconciliation. I am not afraid of threats also,
because we have justice on our side," Gazi told the Weekly.
Akin believes that massacres, deportations, and wars are still going
on in the Middle East because the suffering of 100 years ago--not only
of the Armenians, but of others, too--was never properly addressed.
"Because of the tragedy in his life, Nazareth, the main character,
loses his religion," Akin said, back at the press conference. "But
throughout the story, he discovers spirituality again. I mean, he has
hope. And whenever there is hope, there is a certain kind of
spirituality. This is the journey of the hero--to get rid of the bounds
and the dogmas and get to the point, to the essential."
According to French-Armenian actress Arevik Martirossyan, who plays
the role of Nazareth's sister-in-law, Akin knows exactly what he
wants. "He has a great energy to gather things around him. He notices
everything and it was a great pleasure to work with him," she said.
The 71st Venice International Film Festival will conclude on Sept. 6;
the awards will be announced on the same day. "The Cut" is one of the
strongest nominees. The Hamburg Film Festival--in Akin's hometown--will
also host the German premiere of "The Cut" on Oct 16. In Hamburg, Akin
will be presented with the Douglas Sirk Award recognizing his work
both as a director and a producer. "He has set an example for a whole
generation of filmmakers, both in Turkey and Germany," said Albert
Wiederspiel, the director of the Hamburg Festival, in his official
announcement. "His films were a starting point of a whole movement of
German filmmakers of Turkish origin."