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Atom Egoyan

Atom Egoyan was born in Egypt in 1960. His parents moved to Victoria BC when he was a small child. The family was of Armenian heritage but Egoyan was quickly assimilated into a West coast Canadian community. He left Victoria to go to the University of Toronto where he studied international relations and the classical guitar. His first feature film 'Next of Kin' (1984) examines the story of a WASP Canadian young man who infiltrates an Armenian family in Toronto, pretending to be their lost son Bedros. From this film onwards Egoyan manifested an interest in family dynamics and perverse desire imbrocated with questions of technology and visual representation. Through the 1980s and early 90s he continued making a series of films exploring questions about identity, home and exile ('Family Viewing' (1987), 'Speaking Parts' (1989), 'The Adjuster' (1991)). His film 'Exotica' (1994) marked a transition in his career. This intense study of sexuality and mourning focussed around a Toronto nightclub, was shown at the Cannes film festival and went on to gain wider audiences in Canada, the USA and the UK. From this point in his career Egoyan has worked with bigger budgets and has begun to take on adaptations of literary works, 'Sweet Hereafter' (1997), 'Felicia's Journey' (1999), and 'Where The Truth Lies' (2005). He has also continued his interest in his Armenian heritage, making a low budget film 'Calendar' (1993) in Armenia and making the key film to date about the Armenian Genocide 'Ararat' (2002). Starring in all his films and an integral part of his creative enterprise is his partner Arsinee Khanjian. Egoyan has also created a family of actors and technicians who return frequently to work on his projects. His latest film 'Adoration' (2008) was shown at Cannes and also at the Toronto International Film festival. Egoyan currently resides in Toronto, ON with his partner and their son Arshile.


What members say | Filmography | Downloads (1)

Atom Egoyan - what members say


  • Felicia's Journey
  • Felicia's Journey review by hitchhiker from Londonderry
    Rated - 4 stars Eerily disturbing... 14 May 2004
    ...…but none the less masterful. Atom Egoyan gives us once again an insight into the complex world of silence and psychosis of those who appear the most ordinary among us. No...  
  • The Sweet Hereafter
  • The Sweet Hereafter review by A customer from Winchester, England
    Rated - 4 stars Expansive 28 October 2004
    ...Ian Holm with a whole movie to himself! And of course, he doesn't disappoint. Atom Egoyan is a subtle director with a greater sense of character and the bewildering comp...  
  • Ararat
  • Ararat review by CLTW from Kent
    Rated - 2 stars Disappointing history lesson 12 July 2004
    ...Atom Egoyan's films have always been challenging for the viewer but generally they have had more substance than this heartfelt but incredibly preachy diatribe. There ar...  

Atom Egoyan - filmography


  • Ararat
  • Ararat on DVD (2002)
    Starring: David Alpay,  Eric Bogosian,  Charles Aznavour
    Director: Atom Egoyan
    Certificate: 15
    ARARAT, Atom Egoyan's mysterious drama about the horrors of the largely unknown Armenian genocide in Turkey, unrolls through a film within the film (also titled ARARAT). Jumping back and forth in time, Egoyan weaves together the lives of several people. Ari (Arsinee Khanjian), an art historian, is ..read more »
    Rate this: 3.0 63% from 109 members
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  • The Sweet Hereafter
  • The Sweet Hereafter on DVD (1997)
    Starring: Ian Holm,  Sarah Polley,  Maury Chaykin
    Director: Atom Egoyan
    Certificate: 15
    A small Canadian town is torn apart by the appearance of an ambulance-chasing lawyer after a tragic accident involving a school bus killed many of the town's children. One key witness, however, eludes the troubled attorney: a gifted young woman confined by the tragedy to a wheelchair for the rest ..read more »
    Rate this: 3.0 68% from 461 members
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  • The Adjuster
  • The Adjuster (1991)
    Starring: Elias Koteas,  Arsinee Khanjian,  Maury Chaykin
    Director: Atom Egoyan
    Certificate: 18
    Unfortunately this title is currently unavailable for rental. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause. An insurance adjuster pulls out all the stops to ensure that his customers are satisfied, but fails to notice that his own life is falling apart...
    Rate this: 3.0 55% from 276 members
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  • Speaking Parts
  • Speaking Parts (1989)
    Starring: Michael McManus,  Arsinee Khanjian,  Gabrielle Rose
    Director: Atom Egoyan
    Certificate: TBC
    A lonely hotel maid in love with a movie extra obsessively watches his films on video. Meanwhile, the same actor, desperate for a speaking part, romances a screenwriter who is scripting a TV movie about the life of her dead brother. The attempt of these three characters to fulfill their desires ..read more »
    Rate this: 3.0 56% from 21 members
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Atom Egoyan - downloads


  • Felicia's Journey
  • Felicia's Journey for Download
    Starring: Peter McDonald,  Bob Hoskins,  Arsinee Khanjian
    Director: Atom Egoyan
    Certificate: 12
    Rent from: £2.99
    Run time: 111 minutes
    A middle-aged catering manager helps a young woman, who has just arrived from Ireland in order to locate her boyfriend, to find boarding accomodation. It soon becomes apparant that he has befriended and abused many young women before and now has his sights set on this woman...
    Rate this: 3.5 64% from 20 members
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Atom Egoyan facts

5 most recent films


Adoration - 0.0 stars
Where The Truth Lies - 3.0 stars
Ararat - 3.0 stars
Felicia's Journey - 3.0 stars
The Sweet Hereafter - 3.0 stars

5 highest-rated films


The Sweet Hereafter - 3.0 stars
Ararat - 3.0 stars
Felicia's Journey - 3.0 stars
The Adjuster - 3.0 stars
Where The Truth Lies - 3.0 stars

5 lowest-rated films


Adoration - 0.0 stars
Speaking Parts - 3.0 stars
Exotica - 2.0 stars
Where The Truth Lies - 3.0 stars
The Adjuster - 3.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars


Arsinee Khanjian - 6 times - show films
Elias Koteas - 2 times - show films
Rachel Blanchard - 2 times - show films
Bob Hoskins - 2 times - show films
Gabrielle Rose - 2 times - show films