Word: egoyan
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...cinema aficionados, recently converted Egoyan followers, and those new to his work will have a rare opportunity not only to view a sampling of Egoyan's films this weekend at the Harvard Film Archive, but to also hear him discuss the evolution of his work. Next of Kin and Family Viewing, two of Egoyan's earlier films, will be shown, as well as a series of less well known short films...
...Nothing about Atom Egoyan is easy to peg or categorize, including his background. Born in Egypt in 1960 to Armenian parents, Egoyan relocated to Canada when he was three, but didn't begin speaking English until four years later. Egoyan's unique name reflects his dual heritage, as he was named "Atom" in recognition of the first nuclear reactor ever to be built in Egypt, and his last name was shortened from Yeghoyan upon the family's arrival in British Columbia...
...Isolated from his Egyptian roots, Egoyan set out to reject his ethnicity and assimilate himself into Canadian culture. "I think there's a real distinction between Canada and the United States if you're an outsider," Egoyan says. "When people immigrate to the States, there's a real sense of wanting to be American, and that comes before any other sort of identity. Canada is much more ambiguous. There's an emphasis on keeping heritage in the community but the choices of where to live are much greater. My family chose to locate to the West, where assimilation was very...
...During his teen years, Egoyan worked at the ritzy Empress Hotel in Victoria, an experience he often likens to the art of filmmaking. "Both the hotel business and the film business are concerned with creating and sustaining illusions," he explains. "In a hotel, you make up a room and create a place that is supposed to be reminiscent of a home. And a hotel staff function much like actors do, putting on a performance of serving people." Indeed, the world of hotels functions prominently in two of his films--Speaking Parts and The Adjuster. Although being a busboy...
...Egoyan chose to major in international relations at the University of Toronto, yet he always had a connection to the arts. "Although I was studying international relations, I was part of the film club and, most importantly, had access to film equipment," Egoyan points out. "I loved drama and playwriting and I became totally fascinated with the different ways [that] you could tell a story. And when I began to actually shoot things, I became convinced that the camera was like another character-I found film to be an incredible means of expression...