Award-Winning Filmmakers Terry George, Joe Berlinger, Eric Esrailian Explore the Power of “The Promise” and “Intent to Destroy”

ANCA to Host Facebook Q/A Session with Directors and Producer following National Watch-Along Nights for Landmark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Films

WASHINGTON, DC – The week leading up to the April 24th international remembrance of the Armenian Genocide will feature national watch-along nights for the groundbreaking film “The Promise” and Emmy-nominated documentary “Intent to Destroy”, with simultaneous streaming of these films in homes across America followed by question and answer sessions with the directors and producer of these innovative films about the Armenian Genocide.

On Wednesday, April 22nd at 6:30 pm EST (3:30 pm PST), viewers are encouraged to watch “The Promise” then tune into the Armenian National Committee of America Facebook Page (anca.org/facebook) at 9:00 pm EST (6:00 pm PST) for a question and answer session with Director Terry George and Producer Dr. Eric Esrailian, moderated by ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

Join the Watch-Along of the Armenian Genocide-era epic, “The Promise” then view the Q/A with Director Terry George and Producer Dr. Eric Esrailian, moderated by the ANCA’s Aram Hamparian.

“The Promise” can be streamed online from on a wide variety of sites including:

Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Oscar-Isaac/dp/B073DMVM6G/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-promise-2017/id1230134243
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiU0DdBWNwY
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=tiU0DdBWNwY
Vudu: https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/The-Promise/861213
DirecTV: https://www.directv.com/movies/The-Promise-MDJSZ3lsWVNYYWN4a011cnR5eDZkdz09

On Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30 pm EST (3:30 pm PST), viewers are encouraged to watch “Intent to Destroy” then tune into the Armenian National Committee of America Facebook Page (anca.org/facebook) at 9:00 pm EST (6:00 pm PST) for a question and answer session with Director Joe Berlinger and Producer Dr. Eric Esrailian, again moderated by Hamparian.

Join the Watch-Along of the Armenian Genocide documentary, “Intent to Destroy,” then view the Q/A with Director Joe Berlinger and Producer Dr. Eric Esrailian, moderated by the ANCA’s Aram Hamparian.

“Intent to Destroy” can be streamed online from on a wide variety of sites including:

Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Intent-Destroy-Christian-Bale/dp/B079J7FGB5
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/intent-to-destroy/id1332971652
DirecTV: https://www.directv.com/movies/Intent-to-Destroy-SmdkdlVyblhnVkZtZ0hJbll3Y2xDUT09
HULU (available with STARZ add-on)

Viewers can comment and share thoughts in real-time via social media using the hashtag #KeepThePromise.

“The Promise and Intent to Destroy – each powerful works of art in their own right – pointed a global spotlight on Ankara’s obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide – contributing directly to last year’s passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution by both the U.S. House and Senate,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.  “To the late, great Kirk Kerkorian, to Eric Esrailian, Mike Medavoy, Terry George, Joe Berlinger and everyone who brought these films to the big screen – we share our profound gratitude. Mission accomplished!”

“The Promise” (2017) is a major historical drama depicting the Armenian Genocide through a touching love story. The film is written and directed by Terry George, produced by Dr. Eric Esrailian, Mike Medavoy, and Bill Horberg, and features an international cast and crew including Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale. All film proceeds, and an unprecedented amount of additional philanthropy, has been designated to various charities with an emphasis on human rights and Armenian causes. In “Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial, and Depiction” (2017), filmmaker Joe Berlinger meets with historians and scholars to discuss the Armenian Genocide and its denial, set during the filming of “The Promise.” Both films feature compelling soundtracks with the late Chris Cornell’s Grammy-nominated title track for “The Promise” and Serj Tankian’s score for “Intent to Destroy.”

“The Promise” and “Intent to Destroy” were screened as part of the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival “Armenia: Creating Home” program’s “Cultures of Survival” series. Among the themes explored by Cultures of Survival – through narrative sessions, presentations, and film—is the central role of culture in helping people survive and thrive through and beyond genocide, war crimes, and other violence.  The ANCA Endowment Fund #KeepThePromise was a major funder of the Smithsonian Folklife festival

The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law, The UCLA Promise Armenian Institute, Dr. Eric Esrailian, producer of “The Promise” and “Intent to Destroy,” In Defense of Christians, Hellenic American Leadership Council, and A Demand for Action (which advocates on Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac issues) are joining with the Armenian National Committee of America in hosting these watch-along nights and question and answer sessions.

The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law is the center of human rights education, research and advocacy at UCLA and around the region. Founded with a visionary $20 million gift in 2017, the Promise Institute at UCLA Law trains the next generation of human rights lawyers and leaders, generates vital scholarship, and develops programs for on-the-ground assistance to address the most pressing contemporary human rights concerns of our times – from race and migration to the environment and technology, matters which resonate with our location here in Los Angeles, and which are reshaping our world. Learn more by visiting: https://law.ucla.edu/centers/international-law-and-human-rights/promise-institute-for-human-rights/main/

Launched in November of 2019, The Promise Armenian Institute will serve as UCLA’s new hub for all initiatives and research related to Armenia and the diaspora. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, speaking at the Institute’s opening shared that it will “energize the teaching of Armenian history and culture in addition to reaching out to Armenians and Armenian institutions through research and public programs.” Learn more by visiting: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-institute-scholarship-on-armenia-and-diaspora

Among the broad array of educational resources provided by the producers of “The Promise” are:

Study Guide:
https://thepromisetoact.org/educator-resources/study-guide/

Teaching “The Promise”:
https://thepromisetoact.org/educator-resources/teaching-the-promise-with-testimony/

Educator Resources:
https://thepromisetoact.org/educator-resources/the-genocide-education-project/

Additional Resources:
https://thepromisetoact.org/educator-resources/additional-resources/

Virtual Experience:
https://thepromisetoact.org/educator-resources/siroun-a-virtual-reality-experience/

ANCA
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

1 Comment

  1. Amazing! Thank you ANCA and Armenian Weekly. Although we won’t be able to March for Justice this year, sharing these films — particularly with those who do not know our story — is a great idea. The whole movement you led along with the films finally got the recognition we deserved. Now it is time to get other countries, and Turkey, to do the same in honor of our ancestors.

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