“What happened to Armenians was awful,” Elton John said, as he announced the release of the Armenian Genocide film The Promise. 

“I am excited to announce the release of The Promise, a story of the Armenian Genocide at the outset of World War I. What happened in Armenia was awful. It was wrong. Let’s keep the promise to never forget and to promote human rights wherever we are and however we can,” the singer said.

“Like our belief about HIV & ending AIDS, no one should be left behind. In this spirit of championing human rights, all of the film’s proceeds will be donated to charity. I thank you so much for your support, & hope that you too vow to Keep the Promise,” Elton John stated.

Elton John and EJAF chairman David Furnish at West Hollywood Park during an Oscar commercial break.

Set in 1914 right before the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the film follows Michael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), a hopeful medical student who arrives in Constantinople to bring modern medicine to his ancestral village of Siroun in Southern Turkey. In the bustling capital, he soon meets Chris Myers (Christian Bale), an American photo-journalist, and Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), an Armenian artist. Both Michael and Chris soon fall in love with Ana and a love triangle ensues just as the Turks join the war on the German side, turning against the Armenians. Everyone must find a way to settle their differences in order to survive the coming chaos.