A Portrait of Arshile

A Portrait of Arshile

Directed by Atom Egoyan
1995 Canada; United Kingdom

Synopsis

Egoyan juxtaposes home-video images of his son Arshile with a self-portrait of the famed Armenian artist, Arshile Gorky; Egoyan narrates in English, while his wife narrates in Armenian. The self-portrait made from a photo of the artist as a child at the time of the great massacre of the Armenians is used as a focus for meditations on the nature of self-awareness, artistic expression, and the relationship between the artist and the viewer.

Cast & Crew

Cast
Writers

Audience Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first.

Supporting Independent Cinema

Watch here

Participating Laurel films can be licensed, streamed, and cast to your TV.

Back the filmmaker

Send a tip directly to the team behind the work.

Help the movement grow

Donate to Laurel to support independent cinema and filmmaker programs.

A Portrait of Arshile

Selected 1995

Share

X / TwitterFacebookWhatsAppEmail
Laurel

Built by film lovers, Laurel is a nonprofit home for festival films—connecting audiences to bold, independent storytelling while supporting the artists behind it.

Have feedback or found an issue?

We'd love to hear from you — report bugs, incorrect film data, or share ideas.

© 2026 Laurel. All rights reserved.

Cinema for those who seek it.