April 22nd and 23rd: 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 these two Landmark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Films

April 21, 2020

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 (ANCA) Facebook Page at 9:00 pm EST (6:00pm PST) for a question and answer session with Director Terry George and Producer Dr. Eric Esrailian, moderated by ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

“The Promise” can be streamed online from on a wide variety of sites including: Amazon Video, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, and DirecTV.

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 ANCA Facebook Page  at 9:00 pm EST (6:00pm PST) for a question and answer session with Director Joe Berlinger and Producer Dr. Eric Esrailian, again moderated by Hamparian.

“Intent to Destroy” can be streamed online from on a wide variety of sites including: Amazon Video, iTunes, DirecTV, HULU (available with STARZ add-on

“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.

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.”

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/

#####