Atom Egoyan Career Summary:
August 26, 2020
Occupational Inheritance: No
Social Class: parents furniture store
Nationality: Canadian
Education:
Training:
Breakthrough: Exotica, 1994; age 34
First Film: Next of Kin, 1984; 24
First Oscar Nomination: Sweet Thereafter, 1997; age 37
Other Nominations: Script
Genre (specialties):
Collaborators: Arsinée Khanjian
Last Film: Seven Veils, 2023
Contract:
Career Output: 19 features
Career Span: (1984-present); 40 years
Marriage: Arsinée Khanjian, actress
Politics:
Retirement: NA
Death: MA
Atom Egoyan, CC (born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian stage and film director, writer, and producer. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica (1994), a film set primarily in and around the fictional Exotica strip club.[6]
Egoyan’s most critically acclaimed film is the drama The Sweet Hereafter (1997), for which he received two Academy Award nominations, and his biggest commercial success is the erotic thriller Chloe (2009).
His work explores themes of alienation and isolation, featuring characters whose interactions are mediated through technology, bureaucracy, or other power structures. Egoyan’s films 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.
In 2008, Egoyan received the Dan David Prize for “Creative Rendering of the Past.” Egoyan later received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, Canada’s highest royal honor in the performing arts, in 2015.
He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave.
Egoyan was born Atom Yeghoyan (Western Armenian: Աթոմ Եղոյեան) in Cairo, Egypt, the son of Shushan (née Devletian) and Joseph Yeghoyan, artists who operated a furniture store. His parents were Armenian-Egyptians, and he was named Atom to mark the completion of Egypt’s first nuclear reactor.
In 1962, the family moved to Canada, where they settled in Victoria, British Columbia and changed their last name to Egoyan. Atom grew up in British Columbia with his sister, Eve, now a concert pianist based in Toronto.
As a teenager, he became interested in reading and writing plays. Significant influences included Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. Egoyan also attributes his future in the film industry to Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, which he viewed at age fourteen, according to an interview he had with Robert K. Elder for The Film That Changed My Life: It gave me an incredible respect for the medium and its possibilities. To me, Persona marries a pure form and a very profound vision with absolute conviction. It’s very inspiring. I felt that it was able to open a door that wasn’t there before.
He graduated from Trinity College at the University of Toronto. It was at Trinity College that Egoyan 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 also wrote for the University of Toronto’s independent weekly, The Newspaper, during his time at the school.
Egoyan began making films in the early 1980s; his debut film Next of Kin (1984) world-premiered at Mannheim-Heidelberg and won a major prize.
His commercial breakthrough came with the film Exotica (1994). He received the Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association),FIPRESCI Jury Prize at the Cannes, and Best Motion Picture at Canadian Screen Awards (then called the Genie Awards).
It was Egoyan’s first attempt at adapted material that resulted in his best-known work, The Sweet Hereafter (1997), which earned him 3 prizes at the 50th Cannes Film Fest—the Grand Prix, the FIPRESCI Jury Prize, and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. The film also earned Egoyan the Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nominations.
The film Ararat (2002) generated 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 his third win. 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.
In 2006, Egoyan taught at the University of Toronto for three years. 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.
In 2009, he directed the erotic thriller Chloe, released by Sony Pictures Classics on March 26, 2010. This film grossed $3 million in box office sales in the US. Chloe had made more money than any of his previous films, and led Egoyan to receive many scripts of erotic thrillers.
In 2012, he directed Martin Crimp’s Cruel and Tender, starring Khanjian, at Canadian Stage in Toronto.
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.
The Captive (2014) starred Ryan Reynolds and screened in competition at the 2014 Cannes Fest, where it got negative reviews from critics.
Justin Chang from described it as “ludicrous abduction thriller that finds a once-great filmmaker slipping into previously un-entered realms of self-parody.”
In 2015, Egoyan directed the thriller Remember, which starred Christopher Plummer and premiered at the Toronto Fest, before being given limited release in theatres.
Guest of Honour was nominated at Venice in 2019, Special Presentation Toronto Festival, opening night galas in Vancouver and Montreal.
Egoyan is based in Toronto, where he lives with his wife Arsinée Khanjian, a trilingual Armenian-Canadian actress who appears in many of Egoyan’s films, and their son, Arshile (named after Armenian-American painter Arshile Gorky).
In 1999, Egoyan was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, it was later upgraded to Companion of the order in 2015, the highest level of the honour. 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. Egoyan was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Film Festival of India in 2017.[29]
Filmography
1984 Next of Kin
Won prizes at International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Nominated for Best Direction Genie Award. First met Arsinée Khanjian
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 Film Festival, Best Canadian Film and Best Ontario Picture at Cinefest Sudbury (1991)
1993 Calendar
Won the Special Jury Prize at Taormina Film Festival (1993)
1994 Exotica
Won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes.[31]
1997 The Sweet Hereafter
Won Grand Prize of the Jury, FIPRESCI Jury and Ecumenical Jury Prizes at Cannes.
1999 Felicia’s Journey
Won the Best Adapted Screenplay at Genie Awards (2000)
2002 Ararat
Won Best Picture at the 2003 Genie Awards; Genies for costume design and original score; in addition, Arsinée Khanjian won the best actress award and Elias Koteas best supporting actor at 2003 Genie Awards. Alwon 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 Ecumenical Jury at Cannes Film Fest (2008), Best Canadian Feature Film – Special Jury Citation at Toronto Fest (2008).
2009 Chloe
Nominated the DGC Craft Award Directors Guild of Canada (2010)
2013 Devil’s Knot
San Sebastian Fesr
2014 The Captive
Palme d’Or nomination at Cannes Film Festival (2014)
2015 Remember
Won the Vittorio Veneto Film Festival Award – Venice Film Festival (2015)
2019 Guest of Honor
Nominated for the Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival, opening night at Vancouver Film Fesr
Filmography (1984-present)
18 features; half bad
1984 Next of Kin
1987 Family Viewing
1989 Speaking Parts
1991 The Adjuster
1993 Calendar
1994 Exotica
1997 The Sweet Hereafter
1999 Felicia’s Journey
2002 Ararat
2005 Where the Truth Lies
2006 Citadel
2008 Adoration
2009 Chloe
2013 Devil’s Knot
2014 The Captive
2015 Remember
2019 Guest of Honour
2023 Seven Veils
TV films
In This Corner (1986)
Gross Misconduct (1993)
Sarabande (1997)
Krapp’s Last Tape (2000)
