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The American Hellenic Council Calls for Boycott of Film ‘The Ottoman Lieutenant’ for Denying Greek, Assyrian and Armenian Genocide

The American Hellenic Council (AHC) has called for a boycott of the new film called “The Ottoman Lieutenant” for denying the Greek, Assyrian and Armenian Genocide by the Ottomans.

The film was released in the U.S. on March 10, and is directed by Joseph Ruben. The cast is composed of a list of well-known stars such as Michiel Huisman, Hera Hilmar, Josh Hartnett, and Ben Kingsley.

The call for boycott of the Turkish-produced film by the AHC came about alongside the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Western United States. The two groups are not only urging a boycott of the film, but also that the public joins in signing an AYF-initiated letter campaign to be sent to theaters showing this film to educate them as to how this film is a means of propaganda intended to mislead the public about the genocide.

“The film is a blatant attempt to repudiate the upcoming movie, “The Promise,” and mislead impressionable youth into believing the Genocide was a ‘two-sided’ event,” AHC wrote in a statement.

You can read the letter in its entirety below:

Dear Supporter,

We, the American Hellenic Council (AHC), in solidarity with the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Western United States, urge the Greek-American community, as well all descendants of the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Genocide, to jointly boycott the recently released film, The Ottoman Lieutenant.

The movie, which was produced by a Turkish production company, was released on March 10 and stars Michiel Huisman, Hera Hilmar, Josh Hartnett, and Ben Kingsley, is set in Ittihadist Turkey at the time of the Genocide. The film is a blatant attempt to repudiate the upcoming movie, The Promise, and mislead impressionable youth into believing the Genocide was a “two-sided” event.

Although we at the AHC, acknowledge that Ottoman Turks were affected by the state of war throughout the Empire, like all Ottoman citizens, their suffering cannot be equated with a systematic campaign of extermination, which befell the native Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian peoples of Eastern Thrace and Anatolia.

Therefore, we ask the Greek-American community to refrain from paying to watch this film in theaters or supporting it in any way. Those interested in joining an AYF-initiated letter writing campaign to local theaters to educate them about the purpose of this film should contact us at ioannis@americanhellenic.org.

Sincerely,

Ioannis Fidanakis
Executive Director
American Hellenic Council

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