Film “1915” To Shed Light on Forgotten Genocide of 1.5 Million Armenians in Ottoman Turkey

LOS ANGELES — In honor of the 100th anniversary of the forgotten genocide that ravaged the Armenian population of Ottoman Turkey, Bloodvine Media, in conjunction with Strongman and mTuckman Media, plans to release “1915” in theaters on April 17 and on demand April 22, 2015.

The psychological thriller is directed by Armenians Garin Hovannisian (author of Family of Shadows) and Alec Mouhibian, and features a who’s who of Armenian cast and crew, including executive producer Raffi K. Hovannisian (Armenia’s first foreign minister), Grammy Award winning composer Serj Tankian (from the band System of a Down, soon to go on a tour dedicated to the Genocide), and actors Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale) and Angela Sarafyan (Twilight). The filmmakers will also join tens of thousands of Armenians on a march for justice on April 24 in Los Angeles to bring attention to the first genocide of modern history – which has been denied by the government of Turkey for an entire century. In Yerevan, a historic premiere is being planned at the Moscow Theatre for April 25.

“2015 marks not only the hundredth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, but also the close of an entire century of forgotten genocides,” said Garin Hovannisian. “‘1915’ is about denial – how we try to escape history, how history continues to haunt us. It is also about the need to face the ghosts of our own pasts.”

Synopsis: Exactly 100 years after the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey, a mysterious director (Simon Abkarian) 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. But as protesters surround his theatre, and a series of strange accidents spread panic among his producer (Jim Piddock) and actors (Angela Sarafyan, Sam Page, Nikolai Kinski), it appears that the director’s mission is profoundly dangerous, and the ghosts of the past are everywhere.

“1915” is directed and written by Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian, produced by Terry Leonard, Garin Hovannisian, and Alec Mouhibian, executive produced by Raffi K. Hovannisian, with original music by Serj Tankian (from the band System of a Down), cinematography by Leigh Lisbão Underwood, production design by Michael Fitzgerald, costume design by Lauren Oppelt, and editing by Dan Dobi and Paul Forte. The film stars Simon Abkarian, Angela Sarafyan, Sam Page, Nikolai Kinski, Debra Christofferson, and Jim Piddock. For more information, please join the 10,000 strong followers of the film on Facebook at www.facebook.com/1915themovie. You can pre-order the movie at www.1915themovie.com and instantly receive the haunting musical composition “1915 – The End Begins” from the original score by Grammy Award winning composer Serj Tankian.

The movie has been produced in partnership with the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) and the RVVZ / IDeA Foundation.

Release and Premiere
“1915” will open in select theaters across Southern California on April 17, in New York City on April 22, and in Yerevan, Armenia, on April 25. (The film will also be available on demand on April 22 across all platforms.) For a full list of theaters showing “1915,” see below or visit www.1915themovie.com.

In addition to its traditional release, “1915” has partnered with the innovative distribution company Tugg to bring screenings on-demand in cities and towns all over America. To see if “1915” is screening in your area, or to host a screening at a theater, community center, or campus near you, visit www.tugg.com/titles/1915.

A European Preview of “1915” will take place at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin, Germany, on April 5, headlining the prestigious theater’s groundbreaking six-week artistic commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. “1915” will then have its United States premiere at the historic Egyptian Theatre on April 13, in an event co-presented by the American Cinematheque and the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA). The highly-anticipated Armenia premiere will take place at Yerevan’s Moscow Theatre on April 25.

Traditional Release Theaters
Opening April 17
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills (CA)
Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino (CA)
Laemmle’s Playhouse, Pasadena (CA)
MGN Five Star Cinema, Glendale (CA)
Regency South Coast Village, Santa Ana (CA)

Opening April 22
Quad Cinema, New York (NY)

Opening April/May
United Artists Sierra Vista 6, Clovis / Fresno (CA)

Opening April 25
Moscow Cinema, Yerevan, Armenia
Cinema Star, Yerevan, Armenia