Atom Egoyan CC (/ɛˈɡɔɪən/;[2] Armenian: Ատոմ Եղոյեան; born July 19, 1960) is an Egyptian filmmaker, typically working in Canada.

[3][4] Emerging in the 1980s as part of the Toronto New Wave, he made his career breakthrough with Exotica (1994), a film set in a strip club.

Egoyan's works often explore themes of alienation and isolation, featuring characters whose interactions are mediated through technology, bureaucracy, or other power structures.

His films often follow non-linear plot structures, in which events are placed out of sequence in order to elicit specific emotional reactions from the audience by withholding key information.

[3] He received the 2008 Dan David Prize for "Creative Rendering of the Past"[6] and the 2015 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

After Henri Verneuil's French-language film Mayrig (1991), it was the first major motion picture to deal directly with the Armenian genocide.

[27] He joined the Faculty of Arts and Science as the Dean's Distinguished Visitor in theatre, film, music, and visual studies.

His next feature, The Captive (2014), starred Ryan Reynolds and screened in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival,[38] where it received largely negative reviews from critics.

[39] Justin Chang from Variety described the film as "a ludicrous abduction thriller that finds a once-great filmmaker slipping into previously un-entered realms of self-parody.

"[40] In 2015, Egoyan directed the thriller Remember, which starred Christopher Plummer and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, before being given a limited release in theatres.

[41] His 2019 drama Guest of Honour, was nominated for a Golden Lion in competition in Venice in 2019, had a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival, and opening night galas in Vancouver and Montreal.