In a society where a film's success is all too often judged by box office grosses, it is rare to find a filmmaker who has the ability to tell gripping stories without concern for dollars earned or publicity gained.

But Atom Egoyan wouldn't have it any other way.

Fiercely independent and critically adored, Egoyan is a filmmaker from Canada best known for films such as The Sweet Hereafter and Felicia's Journey. He has largely avoided the mainstream in recent years by continuing to make only the subtle, deeply unsettling films that have characterized his nearly 20 years behind the camera. Much of Egoyan's early work, which found a home on the film festival circuit, was obscure, edgy, microscopically budgeted and seen only by the most obsessive American art-house addicts.

But cinema aficionados, recently converted Egoyan followers, and those new to his work will have a rare opportunity not only to view a sampling of Egoyan's films this weekend at the Harvard Film Archive, but to also hear him discuss the evolution of his work. Next of Kin and Family Viewing, two of Egoyan's earlier films, will be shown, as well as a series of less well known short films.

The Early Years

Nothing about Atom Egoyan is easy to peg or categorize, including his background. Born in Egypt in 1960 to Armenian parents, Egoyan relocated to Canada when he was three, but didn't begin speaking English until four years later. Egoyan's unique name reflects his dual heritage, as he was named "Atom" in recognition of the first nuclear reactor ever to be built in Egypt, and his last name was shortened from Yeghoyan upon the family's arrival in British Columbia.

Isolated from his Egyptian roots, Egoyan set out to reject his ethnicity and assimilate himself into Canadian culture. "I think there's a real distinction between Canada and the United States if you're an outsider," Egoyan says. "When people immigrate to the States, there's a real sense of wanting to be American, and that comes before any other sort of identity. Canada is much more ambiguous. There's an emphasis on keeping heritage in the community but the choices of where to live are much greater. My family chose to locate to the West, where assimilation was very important."

During his teen years, Egoyan worked at the ritzy Empress Hotel in Victoria, an experience he often likens to the art of filmmaking. "Both the hotel business and the film business are concerned with creating and sustaining illusions," he explains. "In a hotel, you make up a room and create a place that is supposed to be reminiscent of a home. And a hotel staff function much like actors do, putting on a performance of serving people." Indeed, the world of hotels functions prominently in two of his films--Speaking Parts and The Adjuster. Although being a busboy is far less glamorous than directing movies, Egoyan says the experience was invaluable. "Hospitable trade is a wonderful place to examine human interaction and to learn about human nature. You meet all sorts of people, experience all sorts of personalities. It really was an incredible experience."

Egoyan chose to major in international relations at the University of Toronto, yet he always had a connection to the arts. "Although I was studying international relations, I was part of the film club and, most importantly, had access to film equipment," Egoyan points out. "I loved drama and playwriting and I became totally fascinated with the different ways [that] you could tell a story. And when I began to actually shoot things, I became convinced that the camera was like another character-I found film to be an incredible means of expression."

Early Artistic Visions

In 1984, Egoyan released his first feature film, Next of Kin, which received funding from both the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council. The complex story deals with a disillusioned young man who, while undergoing video therapy with his parents, sees a tape of an Armenian family wracked with guilt over giving up their son to a foster home years ago. The protagonist, Peter, craves a new role in life, so he presents himself to the family as their long-lost son, an act that leads to dark visions concerning cultural displacement and the line between role-playing and reality.

Egoyan followed Next of Kin with the disturbing Family Viewing, a 1987 film about the psychological struggle between Stan, a video equipment salesman, and his son, Van. Stan has driven both Van's mother and grandmother out of the house, and now he is symbolically eradicating their memory by taping over home videos-a practice that Van is painfully opposed to.