“Past Not-So-Perfect”: Ararat and Its Reception in Turkey

When Atom Egoyan released his ninth feature film, Ararat (2002), it caused heated debates in Turkey and elsewhere as a result of its subject matter: the massacres of Ottoman Armenians between 1915 and 1918. This article looks at the problematic reception of Ararat in Turkey, examining not only the film itself but also the literature produced on the subject by journalists, opinion leaders, and academics. It argues that the official discourse on the Armenian genocide in Turkey also shaped discussions about the film in that country.