Armenian Genocide drama The Promise debuts a gripping new trailer

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Today, a new and emotionally-charged trailer for Terry George's Armenian genocide drama THE PROMISE has landed online. The film, starring Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, and Angela Sarafyan tells the true-life story of the abominable acts that resulted in the killing of 1.5 million people during the years of 1915-1923. The film itself looks to present audiences with a gripping love story nestled amidst the carnage of the genocide that took place during the last days of The Ottoman Empire. Standing as one of the world's most atrocious acts of human cruelty, the events of the Armenian Genocide have been likened to that of The Holocaust, with a frightening number of people and organizations choosing to suppress or ignore the crimes – including a lack of effort from both the Turkish government and the Israeli Foreign Ministry. For more on the film's significance and IMDB controversy, you can read this this article from our own Sean Wist, who covered the backlash and troubles the film faced late last year.

From what I've read, the journey to bring THE PROMISE to theaters was no easy task. The film reportedly cost $100 million to make before tax breaks, and its chief supporter, Kirk Kerkorian, an Armenian businessman who at one time owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, died in 2015 as the film was set to move into production.

Here is the film's official synopsis:

Empires fall, love survives. When Michael (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant medical student, meets Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), their shared Armenian heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between Michael and Ana’s boyfriend Chris (Christian Bale), a famous American photojournalist dedicated to exposing political truth. As the Ottoman Empire crumbles into war-torn chaos, their conflicting passions must be deferred while they join forces to get their people to safety and survive themselves. The Promise is directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Terry George.

Be sure to check out the trailer posted below, and if you'd like, you can read our own Chris Bumbray's review of the film from when he attended a screening during the TIFF 2016 celebration.

The film officially opens in theaters on April 21, 2017.