One of the World's First Female Directors: Cahide Sonku

Cahide Sonku, who began her career as an actress in the 1930s, made history as the first female star of Turkish cinema by achieving great fame with Aysel Bataklı's film Damın Kızı (The Damın Kızı). Sonku, who had already achieved a successful career with her films, completed her 1949 film "Fedakâr Ana" (Fellow Mother) when director Seyfi Havaeri became ill. This film marked Cahide Sonku's directorial debut. After founding Sonku Film in 1950, she pioneered women in the film industry, producing films such as Vatan ve Namık Kemal (1951), Beklenen Şarkı (1953), and Büyük Sır (1956).

Grave of Cahide Sonku, Zincirlikuyu Cemetery, Istanbul.

Cahide Sonku (born Cahide Serap; 27 December 1912 – 18 March 1981) was a Turkish actress, model, writer and the first female film director in Turkey. Sonku was the founder of her own movie production company, Sonku Film, in 1950. She was thrice married and divorced.

Sonku' first theater and cinema experience was during her secondary school education. She was accepted into Darülbedayi when she was only 16 years old, and in time she took her place among the most popular actors of Istanbul City Theatres. She started acting with "Seven Village Zeynebi" first at the People's Houses Theater, then at the Istanbul Municipality Conservatory, and then at Darülbedayi (1932-City Theaters), discovered by Muhsin Ertuğrul who was an important figure in Sonku's career.

Sonku founded the production company "Sonku Film" in 1950 and however went bankrupt in 1963 due to a fire that burned down the company building. She continued working at the City Theater through Muhsin Ertuğrul's influence, then left and struggled with alcohol addiction in the last years of her life.

Sonku received the Turkish Film Critics Association service award in 1979 and died in 1981 at the Alkazar Cinema in Istanbul, at the age of 61. She was buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. Cahide Sonku Prize is awarded in her memory at the annual Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.

Cultural depictions

• In 1989, the series Cahide is based from life of Cahide Sonku. It starring Hale Soygazi as Cahide.

• In 2013, the short film "Kayıkçı" starring Merih Fırat as Cahide.

• In 2014, the short film "100-5=Cahide" starring Farah Zeynep Abdullah as Cahide.

•  In 2016, the short film "Cahide" starring İpek Bilgin as Cahide.

 

 

Review | Empire of the Rabbits / Tavşan İmparatorluğu

 Film Reviews

Film Review: Empire of the Rabbits (2024) by Seyfettin Tokmak

April 24, 2025 Milani Perera Leave a comment

A Heartbreaking Tale of Childhood and Exploitation

“Empire of the Rabbits” is a haunting exploration of childhood innocence lost to poverty and exploitation. Premiering at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the film is a powerful, slow-burning drama that explores the harsh realities faced by children trapped in a world they cannot escape.

Set in a nameless, desolate countryside, the film follows young Musa (Alpay Kaya) and his father, Beko (Sermet Yesil). After his wife’s accidental death, Beko struggles to survive. With few options left, he decides to exploit his son to gain a government disability pension. To do so, his son must pretend to be disabled. His teacher in this tragic game is Nergis (Perla Palamutcuogulları), a girl of his age also forced to mimic disability. Together, they form a bond in their shared suffering, creating a fantasy world to escape their grim reality. 

Musa’s dream is to build a rabbit empire, a refuge for rabbits he saves from traps and hound races. This empire is more than a child’s fantasy—it becomes their only escape from the adult world that seeks to control and use them. The film is a poignant tale of resistance, showing how two children use imagination to fight against a system that exploits them.

The narrative of “Empire of the Rabbits” is slow-paced, with few dialogues and mostly “dumb” silence of protagonist that is sharply contrasted with adults’ manipulative and exploitive harsh words. In a film where the narrative development blends well with semiotics, compositions and cinematography, the sparse use of dialogue is refreshing and respectful towards the audience. Spectators can take their own time to think and absorb the feature that unfolds before their eyes.

From the very opening scene, the director brings a sense of uneasiness that expands into gloom throughout the film. The plot is poignantly painted with skilful use of semiotics. The innocence and helplessness of rabbits are compared to all the children in the movie who are forced to adopt a life of handicappedness. Not only the rabbits but the hounds are also victims; their defiance and vagrancy are punished with death. It brings ominous foreshadowing of an unexpected ending.

The cinematography by Claudia Becerril Bulos perfectly complements the film’s tone. Long, wide shots of barren landscapes fill the screen, emphasizing the desolation surrounding the characters. The empty, skeletal trees are a visual metaphor for the children—both have potential for life but are stifled by their environment. The use of a greenish-yellow filter amplifies the film’s somber mood, heightening the sense of decay and hopelessness.

Alpay Kaya’s performance as Musa is a standout. His portrayal of the quiet, burdened boy is powerful. Kaya conveys a deep sense of emotional weight through his expressions, showing the internal conflict of a child caught between fantasy and the harshness of reality. His eyes, filled with pain, communicate far more than words ever could. Kaya’s mature performance adds a level of authenticity to the film, making Musa’s struggle feel all the more real.

Tokmak’s direction is sensitive and empathetic, particularly toward the child actors. His handling of their emotions is delicate, capturing both their vulnerability and resilience. The director is known for addressing social issues affecting children, and this film is no exception. It serves as a potent commentary on child exploitation, the cycle of poverty, and the way society often abandons its most vulnerable members.

“Empire of the Rabbits” is a must-see for anyone interested slow and meditative cinema that is socially conscious. Tokmak’s direction and Kaya’s performance elevate this film into something truly special—a poignant, sobering reflection on the exploitation of children and the loss of innocence.

First appeared in the Asian Movie Pulse.

 

Film | Apollon by Day Athena by Night by Emine Yildirim

 Apollon by Day Athena by Night

Director: Emine Yildirim

Türkiye

Awards and nominations:

Official selection for Tiantan Award, 15th Beijing International Film Festival

Official selection for Seyfi Teoman Prize, 44th Istanbul Film Festival

Best Film award in the Asian Future section, 37th Tokyo International Film Festival

A film still from "Apollon by Day Athena by Night" /15th Beijing International Film Festival

In the hauntingly beautiful ancient Mediterranean city of Side, Defne begins a surreal journey to find the ghost of her long-lost mother. Plagued by spirits desperate for connection, Defne is soon swept into a dreamlike odyssey through past and present, guided by an unlikely trio: a revolutionary, a disillusioned lounge singer, and a priestess from antiquity. As she navigates the thin veil between the living and the dead, reason and madness, Defne is drawn into a world where grief, myth, and memory collide.

"Apollon by Day Athena by Night" is a bold and poetic debut that defies genre boundaries with a distinctly female perspective. Set against the evocative backdrop of Side's ancient ruins, the film explores memory and identity through the eyes of a reluctant psychic whose companions are as unforgettable as the ghosts she chases. With its richly layered storytelling, mythological symbolism, and a haunting sense of place, Emine Yildirim's film offers a fresh, daring voice in contemporary cinema—and a deeply resonant journey into the heart of the unseen.

Film | Yeni Şafak Solarken / New Dawn Fades by Gürcan Keltek

44th Istanbul Film Festival

The Istanbul Film Festival was traditionally awarded a Best National Film in the "National Competition" between 1985 and 2024. With the 44th Istanbul Film Festival in 2025, the festival structure changed, eliminating the "National Competition" section and replacing it with the "Golden Tulip Competition." With this change, the "Golden Tulip" award went to be the "Best National or International Film" in the competition. For the first time, 15 domestic and international films competed in this category. This year’s festival featured the latest works by renowned directors as well as selections from global festivals, with 18 awards handed out.

The Best Director Award was given to Gürcan Keltek for “New Dawn Fades /Yeni Şafak Solarken /” while Pelin Esmer won Best Screenplay for “And the Rest Will Follow” and the Best Actor Award went to Nazmi Kırık for “The Flying Meatball Maker.” Lastly, the Film Critics Association of Türkiye (SİYAD) awarded Best Film to “Apollon by Day, Athena by Night” by Emine Yıldırım.

 Yeni șafak Solarken / New Dawn Fades by Gürcan Keltek

It’s been years since Akın has been in and out of the hospital. He’s relentless, angry, and shell-shocked from being stuck in the system. Since his discharge, he’s well aware that his old life is long gone. He has become unable to leave his family house except for occasional visits to religious monuments in Istanbul. During those visits, he falls into a state of ecstasy as he tries to take refuge in God. These divine structures trigger something in him. As he loses touch with his true self, his mind shifts into another reality

Gürcan Keltek

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

"I made Yeni șafak solarken because I believe insanity is just another social construct. This film is about how we slip/escape through that construct, and I believe this is what cinema is all about."

Gürcan Keltek

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Director Gürcan Keltek

Country of production Türkiye, Italy, Germany, Norway, Netherlands

Year 2024

Format DCP 4K

Tone Color

Duration 130'

Original version Turkish, Bosnian

Screenplay Gürcan Keltek

Cast Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu, Ayla Algan, Erol Babaoğlu, Suzan Kardeş, Dilan Düzgüner, Gürkan Gedikli

Producer Arda Çiltepe

Co-producer Manuela Buono, Marc Van Goethem, Stefan Gieren, Fernanda Renno

Line producer Önder Önsal

Production design Yunus Emre Yurtseven, Meral Efe Yurtseven

Cinematography Peter Zeitlinger

Editing Murat Gültekin, Semih Gülen

Sound Massimiliano Borghesi

Music Son of Philip

Costume design Meltem Balakan

Production Vigo Film

arda@vigofilm.com  www.vigofilm.com

 Co-production Slingshot Films info@slingshotfilms.it

 www.slingshotfilms.it

 29P Films cargocollective.com/29p-films

 The StoryBay www.storybay.tv thestorybay@gmail.com

 Fidalgo Productions fernanda@fidalgo.no fidalgo.no

 International sales Heretic info@heretic.gr www.heretic.gr

 

Cinema Jazireh by Gözde Kural

Cinema Jazireh, directed by Gözde Kural, was awarded the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury in the official competition section of the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic. The award, presented for the 31st time this year, honors films that highlight spiritual, ethical, and humanitarian themes, as well as artistic expression.

Gözde Kural's second feature film, following her debut feature "Toz" (2016). The film premiered at the 32nd International Golden Boll Film Festival in Türkiye. It was one of the most anticipated films of the festival.

Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism withdrew its support for Gözde Kural’s drama “Cinema Jazireh” after watching it.

“We fought this decision, but they rejected it. I couldn’t believe it. It’s not even about Turkey, but apparently there were still things they didn’t want to see,” the Turkish director tells Variety.  

Director, Writer: Gözde Kural [1]

Cast: Reza Akhlaghirad, Meysam Damanzeh, Fereshteh Hosseini 

Sound: Alireza Alavian

DOP : Adib Sobhani

Assistant Director : Beran Soysal

Editors : Gözde Kural, Bünyamin Bayansal

Colorist : Laurent Morel

Costume Designer : Ezgi Karayel

Production Designer : Babak Tahmili

Cast: Fereshteh Hosseini, Mazlum Sümer, Ali Karimi, Hamid Karimi, Meysam Demanze, Reza Akhlagrad

Producers: 

Gözde Kural / Toz Film Production

Milad Khosravi / Seven Springs Pictures

Bulut Reyhanoğlu / KosKos Film

Co-production:

Svetla Tsotsorkova / FrontFilm

Andreea Dumitrescu / AVVA MIXX Studios

Bünyamin Bayansal, Emre Pekçakır / Soberworks

World sales and festival handling:

Seven Springs Pictures

Seven Springs Pictures is a film production and distribution company founded by Milad Khosravi in 2020 and based in Tehran. The company is passionate about creating compelling arthouse and cinematic films from Iran and the broader Middle East. The name was  inspired by Seven Springs, a cherished fountain in Iran’s Bakhtiari region, where many inspiring films were born from there.

 

After surviving her family's massacre, Leila has a goal: to find her son Omid. But in Afghanistan, being woman means being less than nothing. She chooses to change her identity and sets a path where the slightest hesitation can mean death. 

In the grip of the Taliban’s oppression rule “Cinema Jazireh” is a poignant drama set in Afghanistan. Leyla disguises herself as a man to search for her missing son, Omid. Leyla’s journey intertwines with Azad, an orphan boy trapped in a creepy world of child abuse called “Bache Bazi”. As they confront unimaginable hardship, they discover the enduring power of resistance and whispers of hope that refuse to be silenced.

[1] Gözde Kural was born in 1987 in Ankara. After receiving her education in Advertising and Film TV, she started her career as an assistant director, directing various videos and TVCs. 

She studied Film Production at Istanbul Bilgi University and began her career as an assistant director before transitioning into writing, directing, and producing her own work.

She has directed three short films and made her feature directorial debut with Dust (2015), a drama shot in Afghanistan. The film screened at numerous international film festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, and Mumbai International Film Festival. Dust received critical acclaim and won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in 2016.

 

FILMOGRAPHY

Cinema Jazireh /2024/ Post-production/ / Writer, Director, Producer / Feature fiction film 

Dust / 2016 / Feature Fiction Film / Writer and Director /  Shanghai IFF, Antalya IFF, Mumbai IFF 

Taking place in Afghanistan, which seems to have normalized after the war but is still seething under the surface, Toz is based on the emergence of secrets from a family’s past one by one. Azra, Emir and Ahmet are three Afghan siblings born and raised in Istanbul. After their mother’s death, Azra sets off to find out why she inherited a house in Afghanistan, to see the house and to really get to know her family. She ignores her brother Emir’s concerns and goes to her uncle, who refuses to tell her anything. Her uncle is uncomfortable with her even going out alone and is rude to his wife and daughter. Azra gets close to a handsome and polite café owner whom she meets by chance and tries to reach her relatives, whose existence she has just learned about, through this man. ×

Seven Springs Pictures is a film production and distribution company founded by Milad Khosravi in 2020 and based in Tehran. The company is passionate about creating compelling arthouse and cinematic films from Iran and the broader Middle East. The name was  inspired by Seven Springs, a cherished fountain in Iran’s Bakhtiari region, where many inspiring films were born from there.

The Neighbourhood / 2018 / Feature Documentary / Producer 

INTERVIEW

Kural, in his own words, examines Afghanistan, which he sees as the end of the world, and Turkey's current grim situation. In doing so, he explores compelling topics ranging from the relationship between women and men to homosexuality, from Taliban oppression to the "baça bazi" tradition of child abuse and exploitation, a practice seen in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The film won the "most promising actor award" at the Golden Boll and has now won the "best director award" at the 40th Mostra de Valencia Film Festival.

We spoke with Kural about "Cinema Jazireh."

'THE END OF THE WORLD'

- Your first feature film, "Dust," was also a story about Afghanistan, and so is this film. Why Afghanistan?

I went to Afghanistan at a very young age, right after graduating. It was a place I went to understand the world, with the feeling of, "What's happening here? What's happening? I need to see." Then I said, "Let me make a film here." I also had some questions about life: Where do we live? Where is this world? It can't just be here. Afghanistan taught me a lot at that point. Because it truly is the end of the world. And it's a country that's so easily ignored. I returned. This time, it started asking me questions. At the same time, the world wasn't going anywhere good.

So I tried to tell this story through Afghanistan, but of course, the film isn't just about Afghanistan. It's a film that says something to us, too: to those above us, below us, and even further away.

- The film begins with a mother searching for her son. We say we'll be watching Leyla, and the story of a mother searching for her son entirely. But then the frame suddenly shifts to "bacha bazi." How did you go about implementing this transition?

I had both stories in mind from the very beginning. Only the "Cinema Jazireh" section came in much later.

In the final stages, I decided it would make more sense for the two sections of the script to run parallel. Where is this place? Because it's nowhere, really. A ghost town. At first, we understand where we are. A colorless world, no children, no women. Then suddenly, we enter another world, a vibrant one. It's so much fun. There's music, there's cinema, but it hides very interesting realities behind it.

'SHE SHOULD FIND HER WAY ALONE'

- We're actually watching two different genders experience the anxiety of motherhood. One is Leyla, the other Zabur. How did you establish Zabur's motherhood?

Zabur is a story in itself... I generally find the emotions of the characters first. Zabur's emotion was the weight of being unwanted, and I'll say it again: I was also deeply affected by the place I live in.

Because here, Zabur is also this person: She's the woman who suffered years of violence from her husband but can't seem to leave that house. Or she's the son who's constantly being abused. Therefore, she's a very complex character who encompasses all of them, and this motherhood is something she takes on. Whether she wants it or not, she's the one who manages things, thinking things will go wrong if I'm not here, etc., and trying to fill that gap, but she can't quite manage it. She's a complex character, in a very in-between, very gray area. Leyla, on the other hand, is more straightforward, has a clear goal, and doesn't get too confused. Therefore, her change isn't a character change. It's a decision-making shift.

- It's actually one of the most important parts of the film: There's a man keeping Leyla alive, and we never saw him again. I wonder if we would have?

Sencer. Zabur and Sencer were the two characters I pondered the most. After a certain point, the tension escalates so much that I didn't want to turn Leyla back into a man, frankly. I mean, I want that woman to find her own path. "Leave her alone," I said. "Gözde," because she did what she had to do.

And most importantly, I wanted to convey, "Look, not every man is like this. Not everyone who lives here is like this. We're not monsters." I believe we walk on equal paths. Besides, even the worst are not that bad. This is not something I can ever justify, but we have to understand each other. Because our first inclination is to fight and struggle against the criminal himself, but if we want to end this, we have to fight crime. Therefore, nothing in life is that black and white. We all have gray areas.

- What if we ask how much of what we watch is real and how much is fiction?

Unfortunately, it's all true. I'm deeply saddened to say this. Even I get goosebumps during some scenes in the film, thinking, "It's not like that, but what if it was?" "Oh my! What if it happened!" But it happened somewhere. Cinema Jazireh is a metaphorical place. There's no such place, but Cinema Jazireh is everywhere. In the Netherlands, in Türkiye, in Syria, in Russia, Cinema Jazireh is everywhere, in different forms.

"WE SHOULD NOT LOSE OUR DIGNITY AND FREEDOM TO HOPE"

- The Taliban, the concept of sharia, the state of motherhood... In your interview, you said, "The end of the world is Afghanistan, and I tried to look at Türkiye from the perspective of the end of the world." I'd like you to elaborate on this a bit.

These things you just mentioned... Am I a good mother? Am I a woman? Do I like men? These are secondary questions in life. First, shelter... You need shelter. Then you need to be fed. While the primary problems haven't been resolved, there's no platform to discuss them there. We can discuss them here. Because we still have the capacity to create such spaces. But we're losing ground. As they say, "That won't be enough," "This won't work either," it happens, and that happens too. No one got anywhere overnight. First, ideas were destroyed. Then they spoke out. And then it was put into action. I'd like to say, "Don't come here. This is not a good place." If my country were a person, I would want to shake it and say, "Don't go. Turn around. Turn around now, or it's no good."

I dedicated the hope in this film to hope because I saw the despair in the eyes of the people in my country. Because no, we cannot lose it. In these dark times, we have two things: our dignity and our freedom to hope. We cannot lose these two. It's impossible.

-So what should we do?

First, we must urgently look at each other. And we must hold on to what unites us, not what divides us. Because the other side is busy emptying the very concept that unites us. No. We will hold on to these things. We will hold on to them without turning up our noses. We must stand together. One of us may have a crooked eye, the other may be a mess. It doesn't matter. We'll talk about that later. But we must urgently hold on to what unites us.

INTERVIEW

I started working in the film industry at the age of 20, right after graduating, but it wasn’t enough for me; I felt a deep need to understand the world. That urge led me to Afghanistan. I spent a lot of time there, travelled through many cities, met countless people, and read extensively about the country. Eventually, I shot my first feature, Dust (Toz), in Kabul.

After returning home, I realised I had gathered so many untold stories, and at the same time, things were rapidly changing in my own country and region, with a growing wave of radicalisation moving backward.

It was during my time in Afghanistan, observing practices like Bacha Bazi (the exploitation of boys for dance and sexual entertainment) and Bacha Posh (where families disguise a girl as a boy to gain social advantages or overcome the stigma of not having sons), that the initial idea for Cinema Jazireh struck me.

Can you tell us more about the practical journey to gather the funding for the film?

In countries like ours, where currency fluctuations are rapid and the economy is unstable, bringing a film to the production stage is a major challenge. But Cinema Jazireh was especially, both due to its subject matter and the geography it deals with. Every partner had to be convinced one by one.

I began by participating in pitching platforms to make the film more visible step by step. Later, we continued the journey with new co-producers who came on board. Even after the contributions from Bulgaria, Romania and Iran, there was still a significant financial gap. With our producer Bulut Reyhanoğlu, we managed to close that gap thanks to a few angel investors from Turkey who genuinely believe in auteur cinema. To give just one example of the financial challenges we faced: after reviewing the film, due to certain policy considerations, our Ministry of Culture decided to withdraw its support and even requested the return of the previously granted funds. This decision created an additional financial burden for us at a very sensitive stage of the production.

How important was it to you to find a balance between the film focusing on the specifics of the situation Afghanistan faces whilst also having more universal resonances?

There’s a piece of wisdom I once heard that stayed with me while building the structure of the film: “What we tell is only ever understood as much as the other side is able to comprehend.” That became a kind of guide for me. The goal was never to deliver slogans or force didactic messages; at least, I don’t believe that’s what cinema should do. So, striking a balance between the specific and the universal was extremely important to me.

How did you cast the leads of Fereshte Hosseini, Mazlum Sümer, and Ali Karimi?

Zabur is arguably the film’s most complex character, and for a long time, I couldn’t quite picture the right actor for him. One day, a writer friend insisted I meet Mazlum Sümer. The moment I saw him, I was struck by the energy in his eyes. He had barely appeared in any films before, and he was from Turkey and didn’t speak Farsi either. But after a few meetings, I felt he was worth the risk. Watching the finished film now, I realise just how big of a risk we took, and how fully he rose to the challenge.

Fereshte Hosseini was an actress I already knew. When casting a woman who would disguise herself as a man, her facial structure was also important. It was our producer Milad Khosravi who first suggested Fereshte, and honestly, I didn’t hesitate. She was perfect for the role, not just physically, but also emotionally and politically. Being an Afghan-born Iranian, she fully understood the layered identity and the stakes at hand.

Ali Karimi’s casting was a different story. I had worked with child actors before, but given the nature of this character, we had to be especially careful. I watched many auditions, and the moment I saw Ali, his presence, his eyes, and his intuitive grasp in front of the camera really moved me.

What projects are you planning to do next?

After two feature films about Afghanistan, it’s time to return home. Currently, I’m working on a project that’s very close to me, which explores the tensions between rising nationalism, social pressures, and individual freedom within an urban Turkish setting. The film focuses on how public symbols and collective identities can intrude upon private lives, creating a complex mix of conflict, irony, and dark humour.

Film | And the Rest Will Follow / O Da Bir Şey Mi by Pelin Esmer

Famous film director Levent (45), the honorary guest of Söke Film Festival from İstanbul, is completely unaware of Aliye (25), a housekeeper at the hotel where he is staying. However, Aliye, who is trying to tailor a new life story for herself, knows Levent and his films very well. Aliye’s intriguing story brings together these two distant people with completely different lives. Now, they have to choose between reality and fiction.

O da Bir Şey mi / And The Rest Will Follow 2025 LINK

DCP, Color, 114', Turkish, Aspect Ratio   1.85:1 (FLAT) Dolby Digital

Countries of Production:Türkiye - Bulgaria - Romania

Aliye (25) a young hotel housekeeper has never left her small town Söke where time runs slower, quieter and less promising compared to İstanbul, the home town of well-known film director Levent (45). Aliye sees Levent under the stage lights as an honored guest of the Söke Film Festival, whereas he sees only her arm through the velvet curtain drawn across a service window between the hotel bar and kitchen where she serves clean glasses to the bar counter. All night he watches her arm from the bar side of the curtain while on her kitchen side she stalks and listens to the bar regulars competing with the dramas of their life stories in the presence of this famous director.

Wait till you hear mine, she says to herself one day and starts her story she meticulously dreams and lives, slowly recording a tailormade life story for herself. Aliye’s voice recordings slowly leak into Levent’s life in İstanbul as he is at the edge of an end of story with his wife. Listening to this invisible young woman carries him to some moments from his past that have been waiting until today to shade into a reflective film which will eventually bring him once again to Aliye’s town Söke.

Levent, sitting again at the bar side of the velvet curtain, this time hearing Aliye’s true story from someone else, thinks her life would make a beautiful film and asks her to appear in real. Having listened to her own true story behind the other side of the curtain, Aliye seems more interested in the character she has created by her own hands and leaves the truth to the others.

 

Credits

Director:  Pelin Esmer; Screenplay: Pelin Esmer; Producers: Dilde Mahalli; Pelin Esmer; Kerem Çatay ; Co-Producers: Poli Angelova (Screening Emotions, BG); Nikolay Todorov (Screening Emotions, BG); Tudor Giurgiu (Libra Films, RO); Associate Producers:Esra Kutlu, Bogdan Craciun

Supported by: Eurimages; T.C. Kültür Bakanlığı Sinema Genel Müdürlüğü; Bulgarian National Film Center

Director of Photography: Barbu Balasoiu

Editing: Özcan Vardar; Art Director: Elif Taşcıoğlu; Set Designer & Consulting Architect: Cem Sorguç; Sound: Samet Yılmaz; Sound Design: Aleksandar Simeonov; Sound Mix: Aleksandar Simeonov, Ivan Andreev; Executive Producer : Selim Güntürkün; Costume: Merve Ertan

Post-production Studios: Abt (istanbul); Geniuspark (istanbul); Sonus Film Post (sofya); Avanpost (bükreş)

INTERNATIONAL PRESS Brigitta PORTIER

brigittaportier@alibicommunications.be

Whatsapp :+32477982584 www.alibicommunications.be

PRODUCER ROSA FILM DİLDE MAHALLİ

dmhalli@gmail.com Whatsapp :+905326315280

Bio 

Pelin Esmer studied sociology at Boğaziçi University before continuing her education at Yavuz Özkan’s Z1 Film Workshop. She worked as an assistant director on documentary and fiction films before founding her own film company, Sinefilm. She began making independent films in 2001, directing The Collector, The Play, 10 to 11, Watchtower, Something Useful, Queen Lear, and And The Rest Will Follow.

Her first film, The Collector (2001), followed her uncle Mithat Esmer through the streets of Istanbul, exploring his passion for collecting. The documentary won the Best Documentary Film award at the Independent Rome Film Festival.

She then learned about the theater adventures of peasant women in Mersin-Arslanköy through a newspaper article. With a small crew, she traveled to the village and filmed these women as they transformed their life stories into a theater play. The documentary film titled The Play (2005) premiered at the Istanbul Film Festival and made its international premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival. The film was screened at more than fifty international film festivals and won the Best Documentary Film award at the Creteil, Bucharest, and Trieste Film Festivals. Pelin Esmer was awarded the Best New Documentary Filmmaker award at the Tribeca Film Festival for her first feature film.

The Play was followed by her first fiction film, 10 to 11 (2009). She completed the screenplay for her film, inspired by her documentary The Collector, at the Cinefondation artist residency of the Cannes Film Festival, where she was invited. Starring Mithat Esmer and Nejat İşler, 10 to 11 made its international premiere in the official selection of the San Sebastian Film Festival. It toured many festivals, including Toronto, Rotterdam, Tallinn, and received numerous national and international awards including special jury prize at Istanbul Film Festival, best film and best script awards at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, FIBRESCI award at Tromso Film Festival. Esmer received the Best Director award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival for this film from one of her favorite directors Abbas Kiarostami.

Another fictional film she wrote and directed, Watchtower (2012), tells the story of Nihat (Olgun Şimşek), who takes refuge in a fire watchtower at the top of a forest, and Seher (Nilay Erdönmez), who takes shelter in a small bus station on the side of a highway in Tosya. The film made its international premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. It was subsequently screened at festivals in many countries, including Rotterdam, Gothenburg, and Taipei, received numerous international & national awards. Following the release of the film in US, Esmer was invited as a guest of the Caravanserai Program where she attended special screenings in Idaho, Hawaii, Alaska, Kansas City and Washington State.

The Watchtower was followed by Something Useful (2017), which she co-wrote with the writer Barış Bıçakçı. The film, which brings together a poet (Başak Köklükaya), a nurse (Öykü Karayel), and a bedridden engineer (Yiğit Özşener) who have never met before, was largely shot on a train and in Izmir. Something Useful was invited to numerous international festivals. It won the Best Screenplay awards at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, FIPRESCI award and the Best Screenplay award at the Istanbul Film Festival among many other international and national awards.

Pelin Esmer, fourteen years after her first feature film, The Play, shot the documentary Queen Lear (2019) with the same women of Arslanköy again. In Queen Lear, a road movie, she follows the female protagonists as they leave their village and go on tour to remote corners of Mersin and Anamur. She completed the editing of the film in Berlin, where she was invited by the DAAD Artist-in-Residence Program. After its premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Queen Lear was screened at numerous international film festivals, including Doc. Fest Munich, FIPADOC, and Gothenburg, and won awards at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival(Turkey), Guangzhou (China), Tetouan (Morocco), and Le FIFA (Canada).

Invited by the Camargo Foundation to an artist residency in Cassis, France, in the fall of 2019, Pelin Esmer began working on her screenplay And The Rest Will Follow. Completed in 2025, the film had its premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival. It was awarded the Best Screenplay prize in the international competition section of the Istanbul Film Festival. While And The Rest Will Follow continues its festival journey, Pelin Esmer is continuing her work on her new screenplay.

Filmography

2025 And the Rest Will Follow

fiction, 114’, writer, director, producer

2019 Queen Lear

documentary, 84’, writer, director, producer, editor

2017 Something Useful

fiction, 107’ writer, director, producer, editor

2012 Watchtower

fiction, 100’ writer, director, producer, editor

2009 10 to 11

fiction, 110’ writer, director, producer, editor

2005 The Play

documentary, 70’ writer, director, producer, camera, editor

2002 The Collector

documentary, 46’ writer, director, producer, camera

 

Awards | 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival

Seyfettin Tokmak's "Rabbit Empire" won the Best Film Award in the National Feature Film Competition at the 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. "Rabbit Empire" dominated the evening by winning seven awards. Following the ceremony, all award recipients posed for a commemorative photo on stage.

"Rabbit Empire" Best Film

Sevin Okyay announced the Best Director Award, which went to Seyfettin Tokmak, director of "Rabbit Empire." Rabbit Empire" tells the story of 12-year-old Musa, who dreams of creating a world where his father can save wild rabbits from the greyhound races and feed them in the mine. Seyfettin Tokmak, who volunteered for three years as a film instructor for children in Ümraniye juvenile detention, set out to transform the "childhood melancholy" he saw in them into a film. He found the depth he was looking for in Musa's character in Alpay Kaya, whom he met while working as a shepherd in the village of Darboğaz in Kars.

Accepting the award from Okyay, Tokmak said, "I'd like to thank my team and all my friends in Elazığ. I spent three or four years in a juvenile prison. I volunteered as a film teacher for children. You show them colorful things, but they were asleep. My experiences there motivated me to make this film. I've seen children in great difficulty throughout my life. Yaşar Kemal's book, 'Children are Human Beings,' is very precious to me. I'm receiving the award for Yaşar Kemal." Seyfettin Tokmak also received the FİLM-YÖN Best Director Award. Performing on stage for the sixth time, Tokmak said, "It's like a miracle. Am I going to die? I feel so hard. It's like my last day. Receiving this award from such esteemed directors. I worked so hard, and I died from complaints and financial hardship. There's nothing better in the world than being rewarded for my hard work."

Tokmak, who first took the stage to receive the film critics' awards, returned to the stage repeatedly throughout the night to accept the Best Supporting Actor (Sermet Yeşil), Best Art Director (Tora Aghabayova), and Best Cinematographer (Claudia Becerril Bulos) awards on behalf of the winners.

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EMPIRE OF THE RABBITS / TAVŞAN İMPARATORLUĞU
Seyfettin Tokmak | TÜRKİYE, MEXICO, CROATIA

Somewhere in rural Turkey, 12-year-old Musa has recently lost his mother, and his father Beko is now insisting that the boy join other local boys in pretending to be disabled and attending a special needs school a money-making scheme designed to cheat the state of disability funding run by Beko’s criminal boss Muzaffer He also runs an illegal greyhound race, with Beko providing the rabbits for prey while he learns the tricks of playing a cripple from Muzaffer’s young daughter Nergis. As the suppression of their adult world increases, Musa rescues her into his dream of a rabbit empire founded in an old mine.

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"Rabbit Empire," announced by Ömer Vargı, won the Best Film Award. The film's cast took the stage to accept the award. Director Seyfettin Tokmak accepted the award. Tokmak said, "We have nothing left to say. The jury is very important to us. This film has been shown in many places around the world. It's wonderful that it's being shown in the country where it was produced. I will never forget this night. There are so many people who aren't here. Everyone put so much effort into this film. I really want the children with disabilities in the film to see it. There could be no greater award in life."

If there were an audience award at the Golden Orange Awards, it would likely have gone to Hasan Tolga Pulat's "Fragmented Years," which earned Yetkin Dikinciler the Best Actor award. The film, which stars Dikinciler as actor Aytekin Aktaş, who overcame financial hardship with "erotic comedies" in the 1975 Yeşilçam film "Hamlet" and "Parted Şevket," had frequently erupted in applause. Upon accepting the award, Dikinciler touched upon the "sanctity of the profession," concluding his speech by saying, "What could be more valuable than the right to live honorably, humanely, and freely? My thanks and greetings to those who gave up and sacrificed for this."

At the end of the ceremony, Öykü Karayel was presented with the "Festival Medal," a medal awarded for the first time last year and given to a different artist each year. Receiving the medal, Karayel said, "Art will save us again. Therefore, let's not interfere with the spaces where art can breathe. I hope to present it with the same pride next year." 

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Films in the National Feature Competition: 

The Breath We Take, Aldığımız Nefes

Ties, Bağlar,

Roots and Passions, Kökler ve Tutkular

Barcelona, ​​

Fragments from the East, Doğudan Fragmanlar

The Most Beautiful Funeral Songs, En Güzel Cenaze Şarkıları

A mosaic of stories: a grieving widow, soon-to-be newlyweds, an artist's intimate revelation, and a birthday gathering for someone who passed away. Each tale weaves into the next, creating an intricate narrative tapestry.

Early Winter, Erken Kış

Kanto, 

Noir, 

"Noir," directed by Ragıp Ergün, focuses on a director planning to settle on a deserted island far from Istanbul to shoot his farewell film. He is then lynched after crying at the funeral of a girl he doesn't know. In the film, Ergün attempts to approach femicide from a unique perspective.

Like a Felled Tree, Kesilmiş Bir Ağaç Gibi

"Like a Cut Tree" tells the story of Refik, a retired engineer who, having failed in a previous venture and gone bankrupt, finds himself unable to truly feel a sense of family with his son, who only has a relationship with him for money, and his daughter, who plans to settle abroad. He embraces Nesrin, a Syrian refugee, and her two young sons as family. Director Tunç Davut and producer/screenwriter Sinem Altındağ weave a multitude of issues into the escalating pace of Nesrin's disappearance, leaving Refik with two children. Filmed in Mersin, a city densely populated by refugees, the film explores issues such as family relationships, the refugee problem, gender inequality, and social decay.

Davut explained that they felt the need to examine immigrants and the social fabric of society while working on the script. In the post-screening interview, he said, "The story began to take shape around family relationships, marginalization, social structure, class distinctions, and conscience. We tried to portray an elderly man's conscience and the crumbling middle-class family structure." 

Fragmented Years, Parçalı Yıllar,

Mercy from the Owner, Sahibinden Rahmet

Rabbit Empire., Tavşan İmparatorluğu.

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Awards

National Feature Film Competition Best Film: Rabbit Empire

Dr. Avni Tolunay Special Jury Prize: The Breath We Take (Written by Şeyhmus Altun, Fevziye Hazal)

Behlül Dal Best First Film Award: The Owner's Mercy (Emre Sert, Gözde Yetişkin)

National Feature Film Competition Best Director Award: Seyfettin Tokmak (Rabbit Empire)

Cahide Sonku Award: Bilge Şen (Fragmented Years)

Cahide Sonku Award: Ezgi Yaren Karademir (Ties, Roots, and Passions)

Cahide Sonku Award: Nanaz Bahram (Ties, Roots, and Passions)

National Feature Film Competition Best Screenplay Award: The Owner's Mercy (Emre Sert, Gözde Yetişkin)

National Feature Film Competition Best Cinematography Award: Claudia Becerril Bulos (Rabbit Empire)

National Feature Film Competition Best Music Award: Fragmented Years (İrsel Çivit)

National Feature Film Competition Best Editing Award: Şöhret Tandoğdu / Deniz Çizmeci (Noir)

National Feature Film Competition Best Art Direction Award: Tora Aghabayova (Rabbit Empire)

National Feature Film Competition Best Actress Award: Leyla Tanlar (Early Winter)

National Feature Film Competition Best Actor Award: Yetkin Dikinciler (Fragmented Years)

National Feature Film Competition Best Supporting Actress Award: Yıldız Kültür (Kanto)

National Feature Film Competition Best Supporting Actor Award: Sermet Yeşil (Rabbit Empire)

FİLM-YÖN Special Best Director Award: Seyfettin Tokmak (Rabbit Empire)

Best National Documentary Film: Like a Novel

Documentary Competition Special Jury Award: Yerli, Devletsiz

National Competition Best Short Film: Till Death Do Us Part

Short Film Jury Award: Bimba

International Sungu Çapan Film Critics Award: The Divine Comedy (Ali Asgari)

National Sungu Çapan Film Critics Special Jury Prize: The Rabbit Empire (Seyfettin Tokmak)

International Film Competition Best Film Award: A Poet (A Poet)

International Film Competition Special Jury Prize: The Divine Comedy (Ali Asgari)

International Competition Best Director: Tereza Nvotova (Father)

International Competition Best Actress: Lea Drucker (Adam's Sake)

International Competition Best Actor: Ubeimar Rios (A Poet)

GAIN Special Jury Prize at the Film Schools Student Film Awards: What is the Perfect Measure?

Student Film Awards Best Film Award: The Hum of the Mound