1915THE MOVIE PRESS KIT #EndYourDenial Jan 2015 PRESS KIT Directors’ Statement In 1915, under the cover of a world war, millions of Armenians were quietly taken out of their homes and marched to their deaths in the deserts of Ottoman Turkey. Their towns and villages were burned to the ground. Their churches were dismantled, too; the crime was to be denied forever. It was a crime so new, it did not even have a name. Statement Directors’ Those who escaped 1915 tried to find new lives across the world. Many survivors, like our great-grandparents, never spoke of what they had seen. But some nights, we would hear them crying and screaming in their sleep. In April 2015, millions of Armenians across the world will commemorate the Basic Information 100th anniversary of those nightmares—what historians now call the Armenian Genocide—the first genocide of modern history and the blueprint of the genocides that followed: the Holocaust, Rwanda, Cambodia, the Sudan. They will march in commemoration but also in protest against the silence, indifference, and ongoing denial that have fueled an entire century of genocide. Direction Our movie takes place one hundred years after 1915, on the other side of the world. It is about denial: what happens when the past is ignored; what happens when it is confronted. It tells the story of a man who is on a mission to bring the unrecognized ghosts of 1915 back to life. How can something that happened 100 years ago possibly matter today? How Team Creative does any past tragedy, individual or historic, continue to affect our lives? What does it mean to “move on”? These are some of the questions we pursue in 1915. As we face the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, we are grateful for your support and friendship. Social Media Warmly, Garin K. Hovannisian, co-writer/director Alec Mouhibian, co-writer/director Historical Timeline 1915 THE MOVIE #ENDYOURDENIAL Alec Mouhibian (L) and Garin Hovannisian (R) on location at the Los Angeles Theatre. 1915themovie.com PRESS KIT Basic Information Film Title 1915 Genre Directors’ Statement Directors’ Psychological Thriller, Drama Directed & Written by Garin K. Hovannisian & Alec Mouhibian Basic Information Story Direction Logline A mind-bending psychological thriller set against one of the most terrifying events of modern history, 1915 The Movie follows one man's controversial mission to bring the ghosts of a forgotten genocide back to life. Creative Team Creative Synopsis In 2015, exactly 100 years after the Armenian Genocide, a theatre director (Simon) is staging a play at the Los Angeles Theatre to honor the victims of that tragedy—a horrifying crime forgotten and denied for an entire century. Social Media But as protestors surround his theatre, and a series of mysterious accidents spread panic among his actors, we realize that Simon’s mission is more controversial than we think—and the ghosts of the past are everywhere. The magic of the play won’t work unless the actors, especially Simon’s enigmatic wife Angela, face the truths that haunt their own lives. Historical Timeline 1915 THE MOVIE #ENDYOURDENIAL 1915themovie.com PRESS KIT Basic Information Cast Simon Abkarian | as Simon Born in Paris in 1962, into a French-Armenian family, Simon Abkarian has mesmerized the world as an internationally acclaimed film and stage actor. He has starred in more than 30 films, including YES (a film by Sally Potter), CASINO ROYALE (opposite Daniel Craig, as the villain Alex Dimitrios), RENDITION, CUT, and GETT, nominated for best foreign film in the 2015 Statement Directors’ Golden Globes. In 2001, for his stage performance in BEAST ON THE MOON, Abkarian won the Moliere Award – the highest honor of the French theatre. Abkarian delivered a stunning portrayal of Armenian painter Arshile Gorky in Atom Egoyan’s ARARAT. His performance in 1915 is the culmination of a lifelong devotion to honor his heritage and artistically redeem the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Basic Information Angela Sarafyan | as Angela Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Angela Sarafyan moved to Los Angeles at the age Direction of four, and launched into the global spotlight with her role as the vampire Tia in THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 2. She most recently played opposite Marion Cotillard in THE IMMIGRANT, directed by James Grey, and has starred in THE INFORMERS, PARANOIA, A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY, and many other films and TV shows. The new pilot WESTWORLD, featuring Sarafyan alongside Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood, just received a series pickup from HBO and is set to debut in 2015. Creative Team Creative Sam Page | as James Social Media Born in Milwaukee, Sam Page has simultaneously juggled three recurring arcs on such beloved series as AMC’s Golden Globe and Emmy Award- winning MAD MEN, the worldwide phenomenon DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, and acclaimed ABC Family Channel series GREEK. Page joined yet another cast in the form of an arc on GOSSIP GIRL, and most recently, in season two of the Netflix original series HOUSE OF CARDS with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Previously a co-star of the CBS drama SHARK, opposite James Woods, Page has also appeared in a host of other popular television shows and starred in a series of feature films, including SERIAL DATERS ANONYMOUS. Historical Timeline 1915 THE MOVIE #ENDYOURDENIAL 1915themovie.com PRESS KIT Basic Information Nikolai Kinski | as Tony International phenom Nikolai Kinski has performed in a series of acclaimed films (including KLIMT (film), AEON FLUX, YVES SAINT LAURENT, and the forthcoming remake of POINT BREAK) ever since his first role alongside father Klaus Kinski in Paganini at the age of 11. Directors’ Statement Directors’ Basic Information Jim Piddock | as Jeffrey Jim Piddock, an actor, writer, and producer, is a transatlantic fixture of the screen and stage. He was most recently the co-creator (with Christopher Guest) and co-star of HBO's FAMILY TREE and has guest starred on NBC's MARRY ME with Casey Wilson, Ken Marino, and Jo Beth Williams, as well as Direction CBS's MOM alongside Alison Janney, and FXX's new MAN SEEKING WOMAN. He has graced the screen in a vast array of blockbusters, including LETHAL WEAPON 2, INDEPENDENCE DAY, AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEM- BER, THE PRESTIGE, THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, and THINK LIKE A MAN TOO. Creative Team Creative Other Cast Members Debra Christofferson (CARNIVALE), Sunny Suljic (SALEM), Courtney Halverson (THE HAMMER), and Myles Cranford (LOWDOWN). Social Media Historical Timeline 1915 THE MOVIE #ENDYOURDENIAL 1915themovie.com PRESS KIT Direction Writer / Director / Producer Garin Hovannisian Garin Hovannisian is the internationally acclaimed author of the memoir Family of Shadows (Harper Collins). His essays and stories have appeared in the Los Directors’ Statement Directors’ Angeles Times, New York Times, and other publications. Writer / Director / Producer Alec Mouhibian Alec Mouhibian is a writer, comedian, and most recently the co-star of the feature documentary HEAL AMERICA. He has written for Slate, The Weekly Standard, and a Basic Information variety of other publications, and has been a Media Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He lives in Los Angeles. Direction Hovannisian and Mouhibian, the founders of Bloodvine Media, have been collaborating on film and literary projects for more than ten years. 1915 is their feature film debut. Creative Team Creative Producer Terry Leonard Terry Leonard has produced more than 35 feature films over his 14-year career. Highlights include HOUNDDOG, COLD COMES THE NIGHT, HOW TO BE A MAN, ALLEGIANCE, BEFORE I DISAPPEAR, THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM, MATCH, Social Media STEPHANIE DALEY, and AMIRA & SAM. Leonard graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Film, and started his career by producing short films at NYU, one of which won the esteemed King Award. His features have won awards and acclaim from the Directors Guild of America, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Independent Spirit Awards. An active member of the Producers Guild and the DGA, Leonard also produces commercials for a number of high-end clients through his company Strongman. Historical Timeline He splits his time between New York City and Los Angeles. 1915 THE MOVIE #ENDYOURDENIAL 1915themovie.com PRESS KIT Creative Team Music Serj Tankian “1915 is an incredible feature film full of rich trauma, profundity, suspense, and some magic all while remaining picturesque and modern – a rarity in today's films. I am relishing in creating the musical world for it." Statement Directors’ Serj Tankian is a Grammy Award winning musician and anti-Genocide activist. He is internationally acclaimed as the band leader of System of a Down, as well as carrying out various solo projects. Basic Information Tankian is also the award-winning composer of the symphonies Elect the Dead and Orca. In 2002, he co-founded a non-profit political activist organization, Axis of Justice. He also founded the music label Serjical Strike Records. Tankian will compose an Original Score for 1915. Direction Cinematography Leigh Lisbão Underwood (Winner, Best Cinematography at Palm Springs International Shortfest, 2013, for THE BOY SCOUT) Team Creative Production Design Michael Fitzgerald (THE LAST FIVE YEARS, SWELTER, THE SECRET LIVES OF DORKS, AROUND THE BLOCK) Social Media Costume Design Lauren Oppelt (THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW ON BROADWAY, THERESA IS A MOTHER) Editing Historical Timeline Paul Forte (FIX, WHAT ABOUT LOVE) & Dan Dobi (LE MONDE NOUS APPERTIENT) Technical Info TRT – 80 minutes Exhibition Format – DCP, DVD, Blu-Ray, HD CAM Aspect Ratio – 1.85:1 Shooting Format – Arri Alexa 2K ProRes 1915 THE MOVIE #ENDYOURDENIAL 1915themovie.com PRESS KIT Social Media Campaign #1915TheMovie, #EndYourDenial, #ArmenianGenocide, #Remember1915 Directors’ Statement Directors’ Basic Information Direction Stay connected Team Creative Follow this production on all social media platforms. You can find additional information on release dates and film updates for 1915 The Movie on our website.