German-Turkish director Fatih Akin spent seven years working on "The Cut", a film that depicts the Armenian genocide of 1915. He first had the idea after the assassination of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul in 2007, which sparked protests across Turkey. "There was an open discussion about the Armenian genocide in Turkey after Hrant was shot", he recalls.

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Turkey does not recognise the Armenian genocide, only acknowledging a "massacre". Nevertheless, Fatih Akin says he has witnessed a change in mentalities in Turkey.

Even though he was insulted and received deaths for making "The Cut", the director "did not get any trouble" from the government and describes a "live and let live" response from the authorities. Turkey was "ready for such a film", he concludes.

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