Ararat Page #4

What happened in Van

in April 1915

was an amazing act

of self-defence.

We hadn't done anything

like that

since we held back the Persians.

- And when did you hold back

the Persians?

- 451.

- 451.

- Well, like I said, we, uh...

we go back.

- Could you come back

to the office please, sir?

- See, I don't know why

l'm wearing this sword.

I didn't have it in the movie,

so it's kind of ridiculous.

This is so tight, I can't...

Does it have to be so tight?

- I wanted to thank you.

- Are you kidding?

- All right, we'II just take it

from the top here, all right?

- This was... this was

a huge break for me.

I mean, you're one

of my favourite directors.

I want to thank you.

Can I...

can I ask you something?

Did you cast me just because

l'm half Turkish?

- No.

It's because I thought you would

be perfect forthe part.

- But being Turkish didn't hurt.

- Ah, didn't hurt, no.

- You know, you never asked me

what I thought of the history.

- What is there to think?

- Whether I believed it happened.

A genocide.

- Well, l'm not sure it matters.

- I don't want

to take up yourtime,

ljust...

The thing is, when I...

play a part,

it's supposed to...

come from here.

Not here. All right?

'Cause I was doing some research

and, uh...

I think the Turks

had a real reason to believe

that the Armenians were a threat

to their security.

I mean, their eastern border

was threatened by Russia

and, I mean, if they believed

that the Armenians

were gonna betray them...

So this was... this was war.

Populations get moved around

all the time. So...

- Then again,

thank you for your work.

- Ali, we're ready for you.

- I got your car around back.

Drive you home.

Mr. Saroyan!

- Yes?

- Why didn't you answer him?

- Because he's having regrets

about playing the part.

I can understand. He will

receive angerfrom his people.

- But he thinks Turkey was

at war with Armenia.

Doesn't it botheryou

that he doesn't get the history?

- No, not really.

- I mean, why didn't you explain

to him that we were citizens,

we were Turkish citizens.

We had a right to be protected.

- Are you driving him home?

- Yeah.

- Huh. Take this.

Buy him a bottle of champagne.

Let him think

that he has done something...

special?

- Something special.

- L'm sorry, Mr. Saroyan,

I don't think I understand.

- Young man, do you know

what still causes...

so much pain?

It's not the people we lost,

orthe land.

It's to know

that we could be so hated.

Who are these people,

who could hate us so much?

How can they still deny

their hatred?

And so hate us...

hate us even more?

- That was a good scene.

- Thanks.

- Must be really weird to get

into that... head space.

- Yeah.

- I mean, I was raised with

all these stories, you know.

Evil Turks and everything, so...

l'm a little hardened to it all.

But what you did today,

I mean, it, uh...

It made me feel

all that anger again.

- Hey, thanks.

So I take it you're, uh...

Armenian.

- Well, yeah. Yeah, that's what

I meant when I said I was,

you know, raised to feel

out of hatred to...

the person you're playing.

- Right. Right.

- You really pulled it off.

- Well, it'd be kind of hard

to disappoint you.

- What do you mean?

- Well, you were kind of prepared

to hate my character...

you said.

- Well, sure.

But l'm also kind of suspicious

of stuff

that's supposed to make me

feel anything. You know?

When I was watching it,

like even though I know

you were supposed to make me

feel like hating you,

l... I resisted it. But, uh...

But then, I mean, by the end

of the scene, ljust... I...

- You felt like killing me.

- Yeah.

My dad was killed trying to

assassinate a Turkish diplomat.

It was almost 15 years ago.

I could never understand...

what would make him

want to murder...

what he had to imagine that

Turkish ambassador represented.

But today, you gave me a sense

of what was going on

in his head.

I wanna thank you.

- Well...

you're welcome.

- Sh*t.

- What's this?

- It's from Edward.

He wanted to give it to you.

And thanks.

- Now, was this before or after

my conversation with him?

- After. I guess he wants to show

there are no hard feelings.

- Ah.

Okay. Thanks.

- Were you serious

about what you told him?

- What?

- That you don't think

it happened?

- What, the genocide?

- Yeah.

- Are you gonna shoot me

or something?

Look, I never heard

about any of this stuff

when I was growing up.

You know?

I did some research

forthe part.

From what I read,

there were deportations and...

Lots of people died.

Armenians and Turks.

It was World War I.

- But Turkey wasn't at war

with the Armenians.

I mean, just like Germany

wasn't at war with the Jews.

They were citizens. They were

expecting to be protected.

That scene you just shot was

based on an eyewitness account.

Your character, Jevdet Bey, the

only reason they put him in Van

was to carry out

the complete elimination

of the Armenian population

in Van. There were telegrams,

there were communiquTs.

- Look, l'm not saying

that something didn't happen.

- Something...

- Look, I was born here.

So were you. Right?

- Yeah.

- This is a new country.

So let's just drop the f***ing

history and get on with it.

No one's gonna wreck your home.

No one's gonna destroy

yourfamily.

Hmm?

So let's go inside and uncork

this thing...

and celebrate.

Hmm?

- Do you know what Adolf Hitler

told his military commanders

to convince them

that his plan would work?

'Who remembers the extermination

of the Armenians?'

- And nobody did.

Nobody does.

[Announcement]:

For security reasons,

please do not leave

your bags unattended.

Veuillez garder avec vous

vos bagages a main

en tout temps

pour des raisons de securite

- Roll up your sleeves.

- Why?

- Please, roll up your sleeves.

- I don't take drugs.

- Can you open that bag, please?

The numberyou gave me

has been disconnected.

- They must've closed

the production office.

- Then who's paying your bills?

- What bills?

- The cost of yourtravel.

- L'm paying for it myself.

- I thought this was

forthe film.

- It is.

- Then why wouldn't they

be paying for it?

- Because...

they don't know I went.

They didn't want to shoot there,

so I... I went myself.

I found myself a cameraman and

we went to shoot this material.

I thought the director might

need some extra shots,

stuff that he could

cut in later.

- And what about the digital

effects, the people marching?

- Well, that can still be added

if that's what they want to do.

- Can you play one of these

on this?

- Yeah.

- Could you put it on, please?

- Kind of personal.

- Then let's go

somewhere private.

- 'L'm here, Mum.

Ani.

In a dream world, the three

of us would be here together.

Dad, you and me.

I remember all the stories

I used to hear about this place.

The glorious capital

of our kingdom.

Ancient history.

Like the story that Dad

was a freedom fighter-

fighting for the return

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