View source for Intent to Destroy

{{short description|2017 documentary film}}
{{for|the element of the crime of genocide|genocidal intent}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Intent to Destroy
| image          = Intent to Destroy poster.jpg
| director       = [[Joe Berlinger]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Joe Berlinger
* [[Eric Esrailian]]
* [[Chip Rosenbloom]]
}}
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* Joe Berlinger
* Cy Christiansen
}}
| distributor    = Abramorama 
| music          = [[Serj Tankian]]
}}
'''''Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial, & Depiction''''' is a 2017 [[documentary film]] directed by [[Joe Berlinger]] about the [[Armenian genocide]].

==Production==
Berlinger embedded in the filming crew of ''[[The Promise (2016 film)|The Promise]]'' to shoot ''Intent to Destroy''.<ref name=Buckley>{{cite news|author=Buckley, Cara|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/movies/the-promise-the-ottoman-lieutenant-turkey-armenian-genocide.html|title=Battle Over Two Films Represents Turkey's Quest to Control a Narrative|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=2017-04-20|access-date=2019-05-13}}</ref> The film prominently features behind the scenes footage from ''The Promise'', starring [[Oscar Isaac]] and [[Christian Bale]], while incorporating historical context for the feature film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/movies/intent-to-destroy-armenian-genocide-review.html|title=Review: 'Intent to Destroy' Shows That the Armenian Past Is Not Over|first=Ken|last=Jaworowski|date=November 9, 2017|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

According to ''The Promise'' actor [[Daniel Giménez-Cacho]], an ambassador in the Turkish foreign service had contacted him and told him the Turkish government's position that the killings in the Armenian genocide were not a genocide; his statements were featured in ''Intent to Destroy''.<ref name=Buckley/>

Berlinger declined an invitation to travel to Ankara, Turkey to interview officials of the Turkish government. The interview request appeared after, according to him, he requested feedback from the Turkish government. Turkish officials did not say who he would meet, and had he gone, he would not have been allowed to bring his film crew nor any recording devices. Berlinger stated "I felt like it would be a useless trip and one that was potentially dangerous, frankly."<ref name=Buckley/>

Among the experts interviewed were [[Taner Akçam]], [[Fatma Müge Göçek]], and [[Vicken Cheterian]]. The film also interviewed Turkish officials who denied that an Armenian Genocide had occurred.<ref name=Suny/>

==Reception==
''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' described the film as a "masterful effort."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-capsule-intent-to-destroy-review-20171109-story.html|title=Documentary 'Intent to Destroy' examines Armenian genocide|first=Gary|last=Goldstein|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> It earned a "Critic Score" of 92% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/intent_to_destroy/|title=Intent to Destroy|via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}</ref>

Frank Scheck of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' stated that it was "excellent and informative", though he argued that at times the film "plays like a special feature for the DVD edition of ''The Promise''", an aspect he was critical of.<ref>{{cite web|author=Scheck, Frank|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/intent-destroy-1056307|title='Intent to Destroy': Film Review |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=2018-11-08|access-date=2019-07-03}}</ref>

Historian [[Ronald Grigor Suny]] compared the film favorably to ''[[The Promise (2016 film)|The Promise]]'', stating, "Berlinger selects from ''The Promise'' precisely those scenes that show the horrors of 1915... Watching the crew paint the extras with simulated blood and the reaction of the lead actors to the scene (some of whom break down and sob) is oddly more evocative of the terrors of that time than that same scene" in ''The Promise''. He also praised the film for its use of varied source material and expressed that film may be a better medium for capturing the horrors of genocide than written text, stating, "What on the printed page can possibly match the panoramic view, shot from above by a camera mounted on a drone, of a column of desperate, bereft Armenians marching to their death?"<ref name=Suny>{{cite journal |last1=Suny |first1=Ronald Grigor |title=Film review |journal=Nationalities Papers |date=2019 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=162–164 |doi=10.1017/nps.2018.46|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Release==
After its theatrical run, ''Intent to Destroy'' was acquired by [[Starz]] for television.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Starz Acquires Armenian Genocide Documentary "Intent to Destroy" • MassisPost| work = MassisPost| access-date = 2019-08-10| date = 2018-03-09| url = https://massispost.com/2018/03/starz-acquires-armenian-genocide-documentary-intent-destroy/}}</ref> ''Intent to Destroy'' was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary at the 40th [[News and Documentary Emmy Award]]s.<ref>{{Cite web| title = NOMINEES FOR THE 40th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED – The Emmys| access-date = 2019-08-10| url = https://emmyonline.tv/news-and-documentary-40th-nominees/}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|https://intenttodestroy.com}}
*[https://www.starz.com/movies/37960 ''Intent to Destroy''] at [[Starz]]
*{{IMDb title|6794462}}
{{Works about the Armenian Genocide}}
{{Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Intent To Destroy}}
[[Category:2017 films]]
[[Category:2017 documentary films]]
[[Category:Armenian genocide films]]
[[Category:American documentary films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Joe Berlinger]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Joe Berlinger]]
[[Category:Films produced by Joe Berlinger]]
[[Category:2010s English-language films]]
[[Category:2010s American films]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]


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