Action Alert -

-- Seven Theaters in New York and Los Angeles to Screen Highly Acclaimed Film on Armenian Genocide Starting November 15th

WASHINGTON, DC - The Armenian National Committee of America's (ANCA) "Take a Friend to Ararat" campaign went into motion with the announcement, today, by Miramax Films that the highly acclaimed Atom Egoyan movie on the denial of the Armenian Genocide will open in seven theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, November 15th. The film will open in the top ten U.S. markets on Wednesday, November 27th. Information about venues in these cities will be posted on the ANCA website at www.anca.org as soon as it becomes available.

The film is set to play in the following theaters.

In the Los Angeles Area:

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Laemmle Music Hall Theater 9036 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA (310) 274-6869

Archlight Theaters Hollywood 6360 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA (323) 464-4226

Town Center 5 17200 Ventura Blvd. Encino, CA (818) 981-9811

Laemmle Playhouse 7 673 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA (626) 844-6500

Manns Exchange Glendale 128 N. Maryland Glendale, CA (818) 549-0045

The film "Ararat," written, directed, and produced by Oscar nominated Canadian film director/writer Atom Egoyan deals with the topic of the Armenian Genocide with Egoyan's unique film-within-a- film approach. The movie focuses on the issue of the current denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish government.

"We hope that this campaign will encourage Armenian Americans, beginning in New York and Los Angeles, to spread the word and create awareness about this important movie," stated Sharistan Ardhaldjian, Chairperson of the ANCA-Eastern United States. "Ararat has the potential to make a tremendous impact on the general public by educating hundreds of thousands of movie-goers about the Armenian Genocide and its aftermath, including the continued denial of this crime by the Turkish government," concluded Ardhaldjian.

"The horror of the Armenian Genocide is not only the brutality of what occurred but the continued denial of that crime against humanity. When you have something as horrendous as the death of over a million innocent men, women and children and have no justice, there is no other choice but to continue to speak out against its denial." stated Steven J. Dadaian, Chairman of the ANCA-WR. "Ararat by far has the greatest potential to bring the Genocide into the hearts and minds of mainstream American consciousness and conveying the destructiveness of the denial by the Turkish Government to the average person."

The ANCA and Armenian Assembly co-hosted the Congressional Armenian Caucus' October 8th Washington, D.C. pre-screening of "Ararat" at the Library of Congress. The ANCA Western United States honored Egoyan with its prestigious ANCA Freedom Award on October 20th at its annual banquet, which also featured an award ceremony for the multi-platinum, Grammy nominated band System of a Down.

In the coming weeks, the ANCA will work through it chapters in New York, Los Angeles and around the nation to encourage Armenian Americans to "Take a Friend to Ararat." This program encourages Armenian Americans to attend the screenings of this film and, especially, to make a point of taking along non-Armenian friends who may not be aware of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey's denial of this crime, and its contemporary implications.