Bal by Semih Kaplanoglu

Mavi Boncuk |
Synopsis
Yusuf is an only child who lives with his parents in an isolated mountain area. For the young boy, the surrounding forest becomes a place of mystery and adventure when accompanying his father on the job. Yusuf watches in admiration as his beekeeper father Yakup hangs specially-made hives at the top of the tallest trees. With the skill of a tightrope acrobat, he must often suspend dangerously from the uppermost branches to gather honey. The strong bond that he has with his father cannot protect Yusuf from becoming an outsider during his first year of school. Yusuf's stutter shames him in front of his classmates during oral reading assignments. Yusuf's anxieties escalate when his father must travel to a faraway forest on a risky mission. His father gone, Yusuf slips into silence to the distress of his pretty young mother Zehra. Days pass and Yakup still does not return. Yusuf sees his mother becoming sadder everyday. Yusuf summons all of his courage and goes deep into the forest to search for his father. A journey into the unknown...

Director Semih Kaplanoglu is one of the most profiled writers/ directors/producers of present-day filmmaking in Turkey, having received important national awards such as the Golden Orange (Antalya IFF) and the Golden Tulip award (Istanbul IFF) for his third feature »Yumurta« (Egg). His feature films have also screened at festivals around the world, earning him international awards, such as FIPRESCI prize for »Süt« (Milk) at the Istanbul International Film Festival and the Best Film Alternativa award for »Melegin Düsüsü« (Angel's fall) at the Barcelona Independent Film Festival.

»Bal« (Honey) is the third part of the Yusuf Trilogy, which traces the origins of a soul. Like in his previous films, Semih Kaplanoglu decides to work without music to create the emotional world of the film.

Filmography as writer, director, producer:
2010 »Bal« (Honey, feature film) World premiere in Berlin 2010
2008 »Süt« (Milk, feature film) World premiere in Venice 2009
2007 »Yumurta« (Egg, feature film) World premiere in Cannes 2008
2004 »Melegin Düsüsü« (Angel’s fall, feature film) World premiere in Berlin 2005 2000 »Herkes kendi evinde« (Away from home, feature film)

Cast: Bora Altaş Erdal Beşikçioğlu Tülin Özen
Crew Production Manager: Aksel Kamber
Sound: Matthias Haeb
Art Director: Naz Erayda
Editor: Ayhan Ergürsel, Semih Kaplanoğlu, S. Hande Güneri
Screenplay: Semih Kaplanoğlu, Orçun Köksal
Associate Producer: Alexander Bohr
Co-Producers: Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper
Producer: Semih Kaplanoğlu Production
Company: Kaplan Film Production

Co-Production Company: Heimatfilm
Technical Data Format: 35mm / 1:1,85 / Colour / Dolby Digital Length: 103 min. Original language: Turkish Original title:Bal
World Sales: Match Factory
The Match Factory GmbH | Cologne/Germany

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