Atom Egoyan

Atom Egoyan Template:Post-nominals (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Langx; born July 19, 1960) is an Armenian-Canadian<ref name="encyclopedia">Template:Cite web</ref> filmmaker.<ref name="faculty">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> One of the most preeminent directors of the Toronto New Wave,<ref name="encyclopedia"/> he emerged during the 1980s and made his career breakthrough with Exotica (1994), a hyperlink film set in a strip club.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He followed this with his most critically acclaimed film, The Sweet Hereafter (1997), an adaptation of the Russell Banks novel of the same name, for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Egoyan's other significant films include The Adjuster (1991), Ararat (2002), Where the Truth Lies (2005), Adoration (2008), Chloe (2009), Devil's Knot (2013), and Remember (2015). His works often explore themes of alienation and isolation, featuring characters whose interactions are mediated through technology, bureaucracy, or other power structures. His films often follow non-linear plot structures, in which events are placed out of sequence in order to elicit specific emotional reactions from the audience by withholding key information.<ref name="faculty" /> Many of his films also draw on his experiences as a first-generation immigrant,<ref name="encyclopedia"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and as a member of the Armenian diaspora.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In addition to his Oscar nods, Egoyan has won eight Genie/Canadian Screen Awards, out of 25 total nominations. He received the 2008 Dan David Prize for "Creative Rendering of the Past"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the 2015 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has been a member of the Order of Canada since 1999, and was ascended to Companion in 2015.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref>

Egoyan is married to actress Arsinée Khanjian, whom he has often cast in his films.

Early life and education

Egoyan was born Atom Yeghoyan on July 19, 1960,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in Cairo, in what was then the United Arab Republic, to Armenian-Egyptian<ref name="waxman">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="clarke">Template:Cite news</ref> painters<ref name="mckenna">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="onstad">Template:Cite news</ref> Shushan (Template:Nee) and Joseph Yeghoyan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was named Atom to mark the completion of Egypt's first nuclear reactor.<ref name="waxman" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Egoyan has a younger sister, Eve.<ref>Interview with Eleanor Wachtel on CBC Radio One's programme Ideas on February 9, 2010. cf. http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/. Retrieved 2010-02-14.</ref>

In 1963, because of a rise in Arab nationalism, the family left Cairo and moved to Victoria, British Columbia, in Canada.<ref name="clarke" /><ref name="mckenna" /><ref name="onstad" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="waxman" /> They changed their last name to Egoyan.

As a teenager, Egoyan became interested in reading and writing plays. Influences included Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. He also attributes his future in the film industry to Ingmar Bergman's Persona (1966), which he viewed at age 14, according to an interview he had with journalist Robert K. Elder for The Film That Changed My Life:

Egoyan graduated from Trinity College at the University of Toronto. It was at Trinity College that he came into contact with Harold Nahabedian, the Armenian-Canadian Anglican Chaplain of Trinity College. In interviews, Egoyan credited Nahabedian for introducing him to the language and history of his ethnic heritage. Egoyan wrote for the University of Toronto's independent weekly, The Newspaper, during his time at the school.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Egoyan began making films in the early 1980s; his debut film Next of Kin (1984) had a world premier at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg and won a major prize. The next year he directed the 1985 Twilight Zone episode "The Wall".

His commercial breakthrough came with his film Exotica (1994). He received the Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association) in Brussels, the FIPRESCI Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and Best Motion Picture at the Canadian Screen Awards (then called the Genie Awards).

Egoyan's first attempt at adapted material resulted in his best-known work, the highly praised The Sweet Hereafter (1997). It earned him three prizes at the 50th Cannes Film Festival: the Grand Prix, the FIPRESCI Jury Prize, and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. The film also earned Egoyan Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Beginning in 1996, Egoyan has directed several operas, including Salome, Così fan tutte, Jenůfa, and The Ring Cycle, at the Canadian Opera, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, and elsewhere.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The film Ararat (2002) generated much publicity for Egoyan. After Henri Verneuil's French-language film Mayrig (1991), it was the first major motion picture to deal directly with the Armenian genocide. Ararat later won the award for Best Motion Picture at the Canadian Screen Awards, marking Egoyan's third win.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film was released in over 30 countries around the world.

In 2004, Egoyan opened Camera Bar, a 50-seat cinema-lounge on Queen Street West in Toronto.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The bar closed in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Beginning in September 2006, Egoyan taught at the University of Toronto for three years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He joined the Faculty of Arts and Science as the Dean's Distinguished Visitor in theatre, film, music, and visual studies. He subsequently taught at Ryerson University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006, he received the Master of Cinema Award of the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg.

His film Adoration (2008) has been adapted into an opera by Mary Kouyoumdjian and librettist Royce Vavrek. It premiered in New York in 2024 and is set to be presented again by LA Opera in 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2009, he directed the erotic thriller Chloe, which was theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics on March 26, 2010. This film grossed $3 million in limited theatrical release in the United States,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which was generally considered respectable for an arthouse film release in the early 2010's.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Several months after the DVD/Blu-ray release of Chloe, Egoyan said that Chloe had made more money than any of his previous films.<ref name="Pevere">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="e-TF1">Template:Cite web</ref> The success of Chloe led Egoyan to receive many scripts of erotic thrillers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2012, he directed a production of Martin Crimp's Cruel and Tender,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> after winning the Irish Times/ESB Award for Best Director for his production of Samuel Beckett’s Eh Joe, starring Michael Gambon and Penelope Wilton in Dublin. In 2025, he directed his original play Donation for the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin and his production of Jenůfa for Opéra de Montréal at La Place des Arts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After the release of the West Memphis Three from 18 years in prison, Egoyan directed a movie about the case called Devil's Knot (2013) starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth, based on a book, Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt. His next feature, The Captive (2014), starred Ryan Reynolds and screened in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where it received largely negative reviews from critics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Justin Chang from Variety described the film as "a ludicrous abduction thriller that finds a once-great filmmaker slipping into previously un-entered realms of self-parody."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 2015, Egoyan directed the thriller Remember, which starred Christopher Plummer and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, before being given a limited release in theatres.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His 2019 drama Guest of Honour, was nominated for a Golden Lion in competition in Venice in 2019, had a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival, and opening night galas in Vancouver and Montreal. His latest film is Seven Veils (2023); the film was a Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Official Selection with a special advance premiere at the Canadian Opera Company’s theatre, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He has also occasionally appeared in films as an actor, most notably in his own film Calendar and Jean Pierre Lefebvre's The Box of Sun (La boîte à soleil).

Personal life

File:Atom Egoyan and Arsinee Khanjian in 2013.jpg

Egoyan with his wife Arsinée Khanjian in 2013

Egoyan is based in Toronto, where he lives with his wife, actress Arsinée Khanjian, who appears in many of his films, and their son, Arshile (named after the Armenian-American painter Arshile Gorky).

In 1999, Egoyan was made an Officer of the Order of Canada; he was promoted in 2015 to Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest grade of the honour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2009, he won the 'Master of Cinema' award from the Mannheim Film Festival, 25 years after receiving his international festival premiere at the same event. In 2017, Egoyan was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Film Festival of India.

Filmography

Feature films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
1984	Next of Kin	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1987	Family Viewing	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1989	Speaking Parts	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1991	The Adjuster	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1993	Calendar	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1994	Exotica	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1997	The Sweet Hereafter	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1999	Felicia's Journey	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No
2002	Ararat	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
2005	Where the Truth Lies	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
2006	Citadel	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
2008	Adoration	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
2009	Chloe	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
2013	Devil's Knot	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
2014	The Captive	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
2015	Remember	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
2019	Guest of Honour	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
2023	Seven Veils	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes

Executive producer only

Year	Title	Notes
1995	Curtis's Charm
1998	Jack and Jill
2002	Gambling, Gods and LSD	Documentary film
2003	The Saddest Music in the World
	Foolproof
2005	Sabah
	Mouth to Mouth
2006	Away from Her
2025	While the Green Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts	Documentary film

Short films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Notes
1979	Howard in Particular	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1980	After Grad with Dad	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1981	Peep Show	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1982	Open House	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1985	Men: A Passion Playground	Template:Yes	Template:No
1991	En passant (In Passing)	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Segment of Montreal Stories
1995	A Portrait of Arshile	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
2000	The Line	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Segment of Preludes
2001	Diaspora	Template:Yes	Template:No
2007	Artaud Double Bill	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Segment To Each His Own Cinema
2013	Butterfly	Template:Yes	Template:No	Segment of Venezia 70 Future Reload

TV films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
1986	In This Corner	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
1993	Gross Misconduct	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No
1997	Sarabande	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
1988	Looking for Nothing	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No
2000	Krapp's Last Tape	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No

Awards

Year	Title	Award
1984	Next of Kin	Won prizes at International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg; nominated for Best Direction Genie Award
1987	Family Viewing	Won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at Locarno International Film Festival (1988)
1989	Speaking Parts	Best Motion Picture nomination, including five others, at the 1989 Genie Awards
1991	The Adjuster	Won the Special Silver St. George at the 17th Moscow International Film Festival,<ref name="Moscow1991">Template:Cite web</ref> Best Canadian Film and Best Ontario Picture at Cinefest Sudbury (1991)
1993	Calendar	Won the Special Jury Prize at Taormina International Film Festival (1993)
1994	Exotica	Won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival<ref name="cannes-1994.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
1997	The Sweet Hereafter	Won Grand Prize of the Jury, FIPRESCI Jury and Ecumenical Jury Prizes at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival<ref name="cannes-1997.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
1999	Felicia's Journey	Won the Best Adapted Screenplay at Genie Awards (2000)
2002	Ararat	Won Best Motion Picture at the 2003 Genie Awards; also won Genies for costume design and original score; in addition, Arsinée Khanjian won the best actress award and Elias Koteas best supporting actor at the 2003 Genie Awards; also won the Writers Guild of Canada award in 2003
2005	Where the Truth Lies	Won the Best Adapted Screenplay at Genie Awards (2006)
2008	Adoration	Won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Best Canadian Feature Film – Special Jury Citation at Toronto International Film Festival (2008)
2009	Chloe	Nominated for the DGC Craft Award at the Directors Guild of Canada (2010)
2013	Devil's Knot	Nominated for the Best Film Golden Seashell Award at San Sebastián International Film Festival (2013)
2014	The Captive	Palme d'Or nomination at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
2015	Remember	Won the Vittorio Veneto Film Festival Award – Venice Film Festival (2015)
2019	Guest of Honour	Nominated for the Golden Lion (Leone d'Oro) at the Venice Film Festival, opening nights at the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Festival du nouveau cinéma
2023	Seven Veils	Avant Première, Toronto International Film Festival (2023); Special Gala, Berlin International Film Festival (2024); Opening Night Film, Yerevan International Film Festival (2024); Opening Night & Best Canadian Film, Victoria Film Festival (2024); Opening Night Film, International Film Festival of Ottawa (2024); Nominated for Adapted Screenplay and Achievement in Direction, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (2024).

Bibliography

• Dear Sandra, Volumina (2007)

External links

• Ego Film Arts – official website
• Atom Egoyan – faculty page at European Graduate School (includes biography and video lectures)
• Template:IMDb name
• Order of Canada citation
• CTV.ca Filmmaker Egoyan set to teach at U. of Toronto
• Discussion of Egoyan's film, Calendar by Ron Burnett Template:Webarchive
• Literature on Atom Egoyan