Armenian Genocide Thriller ‘1915’ to be Released in 2015

LOS ANGELES—Production companies Bloodvine Media and Strongman announced today their co-production of 1915, a psychological thriller set against one of the most terrifying events of modern history.

1915 is the feature film debut of writer-directors Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian. Together with producer Terry Leonard (Before I Disappear, Cold Comes the Night, Amira & Sam, Hounddog) and an international cast including Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale, The Cut, Gett), Angela Sarafyan (The Immigrant, Twilight), Sam Page (Mad Men, House of Cards), Nikolai Kinski (Aeon Flux), and Jim Piddock (HBO’s Family Tree, The Prestige), 1915 was filmed on location in Los Angeles.

Set on the single day of April 24, 2015—the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide—the film follows one man’s controversial and dangerous mission to bring the ghosts of a forgotten tragedy back to life. The movie will play a leading role in the global movement this spring to shed light on all genocides of the past century.

Grammy Award winning musician and human rights activist Serj Tankian (System of a Down) has composed the cutting-edge original score for 1915. For more information, visit www.1915themovie.com and our social media pages.

“We expect 1915 to be more than a movie,” said co-director Garin Hovannisian. “We have made this movie to serve not only as art or entertainment, but also as an act of defiance against the continuing silence, indifference, and denial that have fueled an entire century of genocide.”

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.

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.

Writer / Director / Producer
Garin Hovannisian is the internationally acclaimed author of the memoir Family of Shadows (Harper Collins). His essays and stories have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and other publications.

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 variety of other publications, and has been a Media Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He lives in Los Angeles.

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.

The 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 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.

Angela Sarafyan (as Angela)
Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Angela Sarafyan moved to Los Angeles at the age 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.

Sam Page (as James)
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.

Nikolai Kinski (as Tony)
International phenomenon 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.

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 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 GOLDMEMBER, THE PRESTIGE, THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, and THINK LIKE A MAN TOO.

Additional cast includes, Debra Christofferson (CARNIVALE), Sunny Suljic (SALEM), Courtney Halverson (THE HAMMER) and Myles Cranford (LOWDOWN).

Producer
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, 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. He splits his time between New York City and Los Angeles.

Music
Serj Tankian will compose an Original Score for 1915. He 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.

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.

“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,” said Tankian about 1915.

Others credited on the movie include cinematographer Leigh Lisbão Underwood (Winner, Best Cinematography at Palm Springs International Shortfest, 2013, for THE BOY SCOUT); production designer Michael Fitzgerald (THE LAST FIVE YEARS, SWELTER, THE SECRET LIVES OF DORKS, AROUND THE BLOCK); costume designer Lauren Oppelt (THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW ON BROADWAY, THERESA IS A MOTHER); and film editor Paul Forte (FIX, WHAT ABOUT LOVE) & Dan Dobi (LE MONDE NOUS APPERTIENT).