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I'm Atom Egoyan, I'm a film director, a writer and a producer.
I went to U of T to study International Relations, but I got caught up with the film board at
Hart House. My very first project in film was in my first
year at U of T. It was called "Howard in Particular", it was
black and white, shot on 16mm. I actually did it because I had a play that
I had written, that I had submitted to the Trinity College Dramatic Society, and they
had rejected it, and I just thought out of spite I'd make it as a movie.
The thing about U of T for me is that because it wasn't a formal film school, I immersed
myself in film culture while I was pursuing a degree in something completely different.
The University of Toronto allows you to do that.
I think you can't underestimate my studies in International Relations in terms of understanding
what my fascinations are as an artist. Because one of the things you study in International
Relations is the notion of perception and misperception in international decision-making.
Often, when there's conflicting realities at play, or perceptions of reality. An that
obviously is a theme that has recurred in my work. The debates we had, the conversations
we had: I couldn't have had a better post-secondary education than the one I received at University
of Toronto.