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Atom Egoyan

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Atom E Govan, director,
Atom Egoyan on the Red Carpet at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards. Photo © 2017 by R.A.Lucas. Used with permission.

B: July 19, 1960 in Cairo, Egypt

Joseph and Shushan Yeghoyan had great foresight in 1960 to bestow the name Atom on their newborn son. The completion of Egypt’s first nuclear reactor must have inspired the Yeghoyan’s to identify this bundle of energy in its purest form. Their move to Victoria, B.C., three years later found them changing their name to Egoyan for simplicity’s sake. Growing up in B.C., Atom Egoyan had a relatively average childhood. His quest for assimilation led him to reject his family`s culture. However, years later when he attended the University of Toronto he began to reconnect with his Armenian past. In 2014 his film, The Captive, had its world premiere in Official Competition at the 67th Festival de Cannes. His film Guest of Honour, had its North American premiere as a Special Presentation at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

Also see: TIFF announces World Premiere of Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils at the 48th edition of the Festival.

Also see: Atom Egoyan: Face the Strange, by Geoff Pevere
Also see: An in-depth interview with Atom Egoyan from 2004.