TIFF is the unofficial kickoff for awards season, and we’ve already seen some very promising trailers this week. None more promising, however, than The Promise, which sees Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale go up against the Ottoman Empire-instigated Armenian genocide in the 1910s. An Oscar for Oscar might not be too far off.

The trailer looks stunning, offering sweeping vistas of turn-of-the-century Constantinople and a visceral portrait of war that speaks to an impressive production budget. We’ll see in the next few days if this one will be an Oscar contender.

Here’s the full synopsis posted by Survival Pictures:

It is 1914. As the Great War looms, the vast Ottoman Empire is crumbling. Constantinople (Istanbul), its once vibrant, multicultural capital is about to be consumed by chaos.

Michael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), arrives in the cosmopolitan hub as a medical student determined to bring modern medicine back to Siroun, his ancestral village in Southern Turkey where Turkish Muslims and Armenian Christians have lived side by side for centuries.

Photo-journalist Chris Myers (Christian Bale), has come here only partly to cover geo-politics. He is mesmerized by his love for Ana (Charlotte le Bon), an Armenian artist he has accompanied from Paris after the sudden death of her father.

When Michael meets Ana, their shared Armenian heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between the two men even as Michael hangs on to a promise from his past. After the Turks join the war on the German side, the Empire turns violently against its own ethnic minorities. Despite their conflicts, everyone must find a way to survive — even as monumental events envelop their lives.

The Promise is directed by Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) and also stars Charlotte le Bon (The Walk, The Hundred-Foot Journey) and Shohreh Aghdashloo (X-Men: The Last Stand, House of Sand and Fog). The film will have its world premiere at TIFF this Sunday but does not have an official release date.

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