Live on Bloomberg TV

00:00The Armenian genocide which occurred from 1915 until 1923 claimed the lives of over one point five million people. While many countries have recognized the event others including the United States and Turkey have not. A new film from director Terry George is one of its first feature films one of the first feature films to depict the genocide. Here is the trailer for the promise Yes well thank you The world is at your feet to us but you're going to become a doctor. Yes it's my passion . Christopher Myers. Chris is a star reporter for The Associated Press. A toast to old friends and new could you make me feel I've come home. She's very fond of you . It's all it's it's very dangerous for me right now . I won't get you out of here. It's not safe for me then it's not safe for any of my people . The Associated Press team in reporting on the war. There's no word yet on what she to say I have to get us out of here before there's no time left. I was told that you organize an escape scheme. How can I help we will do the future together. Joining me now is the film's writer and director Terry George as well as three of its stars Christian Bale Oscar Isaac and Angela Safi and I am pleased to have all of them here at this table. Terry let me begin with you because this is a historical incident. Tell us what happened and why there's so much controversy. You know and why there's not been a film. Well the the background to the genocide itself is that when the First World War broke out the the Turkish government of that time actually the Ottoman Empire government there was no turkey. They they made a decision to basically to eliminate the Armenian population. And they used the cover of the war between the Turks and the Russians and the northern border to say that the Armenians had risen up and that they had to be moved out of that war zone. And what in fact happened was that the bulk of the population from Iran the Ottoman Empire were basically herded into the desert and walked to death or massacred in rivers fields cliffs drowned at sea . And so this was it wasn't the first genocide of the 20th century but a key moment in these catastrophes in that the word itself genocide came from this event. Why has the United States refused to really call it a genocide. It's that the fact that it hasn't been covered by film. And the reason why the United States hasn't called it a genocide or merge together in that Turkey has enormous influence strategic influence both during the Cold War and now and the Turkish government set about denying the event and suppressing the event itself in terms of film making and reporting and in fact twice attempts were made to me to make a film about a particular siege 40 days and was a dark. And the Turkish government leaned on both the State Department and the studios and had it squashed. So it's been a it's been one of the great unknown catastrophes of the 20th century and still being discussed. If I'd have thought over with. Yeah it's still it's still there. Obviously President Obama before he was elected promised to recognize the genocide and then reneged on that promise and successive so far as to say we'll study it or something like that. Well his last comment was that my my opinion of the event hasn't changed but the G word could not be spoken. And Ambassador Samantha Power who's a friend was unable to say older the G word either even though she'd written a book called A Problem from Hell and won a Pulitzer Prize highlighting the Armenian Genocide as the beginning of the American government's reaction to these events . So it's a very emotive topic and now with President Erdogan and the position he's taking authority that he has as president you have increased this week indeed. And it's I don't see a change in Turkey's the truth to it or even President Trump's attitude. Angela this is also a love story too. Yes. Yeah. I mean tell me about that about because it involves both of your co-stars. Well I I play model who is a traditional Armenian woman in the small village where Mikael Oscar Isaac's character comes from. And I I I believe that there are two different kinds of loves in this love story. And then the one here I believe morale is very much in love with me. But in the case of Mikael he he he marries her for practical reasons and well is betrothed to her for practical reasons and goes off to become a medical student to pursue his dreams to bring back that knowledge to the small village where they live. And so I was lucky enough to play this Armenian traditional woman being Armenian myself. Both my mother and my grandmother find examples of what that is. And this film the story was very very personal for me because I've heard the stories from my ancestors brought down to my grandparents who then told us about how they survived. And so. So it was it was very special to be a part of the film .

No schedule data available.

BTV Channel FinderWatch BTV in your area

'The Promise': Charlie Rose

On "Charlie Rose," a conversation about the film "The Promise." It is one of the first feature films to depict the Armenian Genocide. We are joined by director Terry George and the stars of the film Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac and Angela Sarafyan. (Source: Bloomberg)

More From Charlie Rose
All episodes and clips