Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Edinburgh Film Festival 2009 | Milk and Doc

Milk (Sut)
DIRECTORS’ SHOWCASE
UK PREMIERE
Semih Kaplanoglu | Turkey, France, Germany
2008 | 102 min
Cast: Melih Selçuk, Basak Köklükaya, Riza Akin, Saadet Isil
Aksoy, Tülin Özen, Alev Uçarer

An aspiring writer balances the demands of family, art and
growing up.
Turkey continues to produce some of the most elegant and
profound cinema on the international scene. This supremely
delicate and engaging coming of age drama follows sensitive
country boy Yusuf as he struggles to scrape a living in a
changing rural economy, whilst also managing the turbulent
emotions of adolescence and seeking recognition for his
poetry. When his single mother finds a romantic interest of her
own, the future looks even more uncertain...

On the Way to School

DOCUMENT
UK PREMIERE
Orhan Eskiköy, Özgür Dogan | Turkey | 2009 | 81 min

All the charm of Être et Avoir: school life seen through the eyes
of a young Turkish teacher just finding his feet.
Recently graduated primary teacher Emre has been sent to run
a remote school in Turkish Kurdistan. He arrives to discover a
village with no running water, a somewhat relaxed approach
to school attendance, and pupils who only speak Kurdish,
a language fervently prohibited by the Turkish government.
Filmed over one year, this is a beautiful, affectionate and gently
humorous observation of Emre (never far from a phone call
home to his mum) and his class as they struggle to come to
terms with one another’s customs.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Variety Review | Eastern Plays

Cannes | Eastern Plays (Bulgaria-Sweden) By JAY WEISSBERG

A Waterfront Films (Bulgaria) presentation of a Waterfront Films (Bulgaria)/Chimney Pot, Film i Vast (Sweden) production. (International sales: Memento Films, Paris.) Produced by Kamen Kalev, Stefan Piryov, Fredrik Zander. Executive producer, Maya Vitkova. Co-producers, Anguel Christanov, Thomas Eskilksson. Directed, written by Kamen Kalev.

With: Christo Christov, Ovanes Torosian, Saadet Isil Aksoy, Nikolina Yancheva, Ivan Nalbantov, Krasimira Demireva, Hatice Aslan, Kerem Atabeyoglu, Chavdar Sokolov, Alexander "The Indian" Radanov, Anjela Nedialkova, Ivan Vitkov.
(Bulgarian, Turkish, English dialogue)

The quiet despair of directionless souls could be a dreary subject in the hands of a lesser novice, but Kamen Kalev's "Eastern Plays" is an honest, skillful rumination on the search for inner and outer connections. While the storylines of two existentially adrift brothers aren't always well integrated, Kalev brings a fine ear for dialogue and an unsentimental warmth to this personal tale, making for an impressive debut that ends on a surprisingly hopeful note. A long and fruitful fest life is assured, with even a chance for modest Euro arthouse play.

The bleak apartment blocs on the outskirts of Sofia, Bulgaria, are home to Georgi (Ovanes Torosian), a troubled teen dabbling in skinhead culture. Half-heartedly drawn to a violent racist clique by Fish (Chavdar Sokolov), Georgi is borderline disaffected, joining in when Drega (Alexander "The Indian" Radanov) leads a foreigner-bashing posse in an attack on a visiting Turkish family.

Stepping in to help the victims is Georgi's largely estranged older brother Christo, known as Itso (Christo Christov). While Georgi opens the pic, this is Itso's film in many ways. A former art student and sculptor, Itso just about gets through his days as a carpenter, supplementing a methadone dependency with multiple beers.

Itso pushes everyone away, especially g.f. Niki (Nikolina Yancheva), until he intervenes to help the Turkish family and connects with their daughter Isil (Saadet Isil Aksoy). Forming an unlikely yet thoroughly believable duo, these two are brought together by their mutual need for the kind of supportive humanity not found in their daily lives; they're the only people who listen to each other when they speak. Beyond overcoming the objections of her mistrustful parents (well played by Hatice Aslan and Kerem Atabeyoglu), Itso needs to surface from his funk before he can reach for a future.

While both brothers are floundering in existential solitude, Itso projects a far deeper sense of being both lost and trapped. Perhaps it's because tyro thesp Christov, an old friend of Kalev's, was the basis for the script, and many details are taken directly from his life. Kalev's sensitivity, combined with dialogue as truthful as it is natural, leaves no room for vampiric verisimilitude; while it comes as a shock to discover, in the end credits, that Christov tragically died last year, the entire film is suffused with poignant respect.

Less successful is a political subplot involving Drega accepting cash from a candidate to foment racist attacks; though undoubtedly based on fact, this belongs in a separate film. Kalev also seems to be searching too hard for ways to integrate the different strands.

All perfs are strong, but it's Christov and Aksoy who linger in the memory. At first Itso seems an unappealing character, but his haunted quality and sense of decency, coupled with wrenching despair, quickly confound that superficial impression. Aksoy, so fine in Semih Kaplanoglu's films "Egg" and "Milk," is a striking presence, her external beauty enhanced by a palpable empathy.

Largely handheld lensing captures the characters' unsettled cores, and the blowup from HD is flawless. Several scenes stand out for their emotional and technical honesty, including Itso's conversation with a shrink (Ivan Vitkov), in which Christov, seen in shadow against a window, explains that he has the strength to get up, but nothing to hold onto.

Camera (color, HD-to-35mm), Julian Atanassov; editors, Kalev, Stefan Piryiov, Johannes Pinter; music, Jean-Paul Wall; production designer, Martin Slavov; sound (Dolby Digital), Momchil Bozhkov, Boris Trayanov; associate producer, Dobriana Petkova; assistant director, Ina Hadjieva; casting, Vania Bajdarova, Harika Uygur. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Directors' Fortnight), May 17, 2009. Running time: 88 MIN.

Cannes 2009 | Eastern Plays by kamen Kalev

Eastern Plays | Bulgaria, Sweden - 1h23 (2009) Directed, written by Kamen Kalev.
Film Info in PDF

Produced by Kamen Kalev, Stefan Piryov, Fredrik Zander. Executive producer, Maya Vitkova. Co-producers, Anguel Christanov, Thomas Eskilksson.
(Bulgarian, Turkish, English dialogue)

Cast: Christo Christov, Ovanes Torosian, Saadet Isil Aksoy, Nikolina Yancheva, Ivan Nalbantov, Krasimira Demireva, Hatice Aslan, Kerem Atabeyoglu, Chavdar Sokolov, Alexander "The Indian" Radanov, Anjela Nedialkova, Ivan Vitkov.

Synopsis: Two brothers who've lost all contact are suddenly brought together when they have opposite roles in a racist beating : while Georgi who's recently joined a neonazi group participates in the violence, Itzo witnesses and rescues the Turkish family.
Georgi, now being asked to participate in larger events, starts to question his implication in the movement and Itzo wonders if the beautiful Turkish girl he saved could be his ticket out from his sad life in Sofia. Only by reuniting will the two brothers be able to assess what they really want from life. (more...)

Production : Waterfront Film | Bacho Kiro 39 1202 Sofia Bulgaria
Tél : +359 2 985 2300 | info@waterfrontfilm.net | www.waterfrontfilm.net

Co-Production : Chimney Pot (Suède) | Film i Väst AB (Suède)

foreign sales : Memento Films International
6 cité paradis 75010 Paris France
Tél : +33 (0)1 53 34 90 20 | Fax : +33 (0)1 42 47 11 24
sales@memento-films.com | festival@memento-films.com | www.memento-films.com

KAMEN KALEV
Kamen Kalev was born in Burgas, Bulgaria in 1975. He graduated from the Femis Film School, Paris. Kamen's short films Orpheus, Maltonius Olbren, Get The Rabbit Back, Rabbit Troubles were presented and received awards at many International films festival such as Cannes, Berlin, Clermont-Ferrant, NY Film Festival, Locarno, Stockholm, Sarajevo... He also directed over 60 commercials and a number of muisic videos.

KAMEN KALEV Filmography

2009 : Eastern Plays
2007 : Rabbit Troubles (cm / short)
2005 : Get The Rabbit Back (cm / short)
2002 : Orpheus (cm / short)
2001 : Maltonius Olbren (cm / short)


Bulgarian movie “Eastern Plays” selected for Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes
On May 17, 2009 Bulgarian movie “Eastern Plays”, directed by Kamen Kalev premiered in Cannes. It will compete for the Camera D'or Award given to debut films. According to Olivier Pere, Directors’ Fortnight director, “Eastern Plays” is “original, moving and profound, and the actors are just amazing”. The film is a real find, he says. It is a low-budget one with many of the crew working for free. Private investor Angel Hristanov supported the shots financially. During a film festival in Sarajevo Kamen met Peter Gustavson, Director of a Swiss Film Fund, who also lent a helping hand. Three well-known Turkish actors play for free as well.



Thursday, May 07, 2009

A Honey of a Deal for Kaplanoglu

Germany’s leading regional film fund, Filmstiftung NRW, has allocated $14.7m – a third of its annual budget - to 35 projects, including Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu’s BAL - HONEY, the third and final part of his Yusuf trilogy, between Kaplan Film and Heimatfilm.

German film production will step up a gear this week after the Berlin-based German Federal Film Board finally agreed its budget for 2009. It is understood to be close to last year’s $93.4m. The decision, following a special meeting of its administrative council, means the FFA can resume funding, including paying producers “reference funding” for successful 2008 projects.

Friday, May 01, 2009

2009 | The Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival in Ankara

ANKARA - The Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival in Ankara will feature movies from the 1980s to turn the spotlight on the pressures women faced during that decade. Ninety films by 81 female directors will be on silver screen at the festival. The political, social and cultural transformations of the 1980s, a significant decade both in Turkey and in the world, will be relived on the silver screen as part of an annual women’s film festival in Ankara. The festival will open May 7 at 8:30 p.m. at the State Opera and Ballet building in Ankara with an opening ceremony that will be aired by state-run TRT 2. The festival will conclude May 14.

Film fest looks back at the 80’s


"The 1980s were years in which films were subject to censorship and women were confined to traditional roles in Turkey," Halime Güner, the coordinator of the 12th Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival, said at a press conference Wednesday. "We want to bring the ’80s back and put them in the spotlight from the perspective of women to highlight the pressures women faced at the time and remind people of the historical facts of the period, which tend to be forgotten."

The Flying Broom film festival is Turkey’s first to focus on women. This year’s edition will feature screenings of 90 films by 81 female directors from 26 countries, along with side events related to the theme, "1980s."

Speaking at the press conference, film critic Alin Taşçıyan said women’s cinema symbolizes the opposition to the pressures and traditional roles women are confronted with and to any kind of discrimination, including gender discrimination. She said it was after the 1980s that women began to raise their voices in Turkish cinema and shoot their own films that dealt with women’s problems.

"This year’s festival has the best program in the last two years of all the film festivals in Turkey and in the world, including the Cannes Film Festival," Taşçıyan said. "I invite everyone to watch these carefully selected films."

The films screened will include those by prominent female directors such as the German filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, the Spanish actress and director Antonia San Juan and Magda, known as the diva of Egyptian cinema. The event will also showcase Turkish and international documentaries by female directors, as well as films from the 1980s, including "Mine" (1982), by the renowned late director Atıf Yılmaz, and "Tüm Kapılar Kapalıydı" (1989) by Memduh Ün. Ün’s film, titled "All the Doors Were Closed" in English, focuses on the difficulties its female hero faced under the military regime of the 1980s.

In addition to film and documentary screenings in different categories, the festival will also feature panel discussions, exhibitions, concerts and other side events. An exhibition titled "On September 12É" referring to the day the Turkish military staged a coup in 1980, will run between May 8 and 18 at the İbrahim Çeçen Foundation IC Art Gallery on Kızılırmak Street in Kocatepe. The exhibition will feature letters sent by women from Turkey’s different provinces, reflecting on their thoughts and feelings about the coup period and its effect on women. Letters written by the visitors to the exhibition will also be added to the collection.

The International Federation of Film Critics Award will also be presented at the festival, the only event in Turkey where this award is given.

Festival films will be screened at the Kızılırmak movie theater and the German Culture Center as well as at university campuses in Ankara. Documentaries will be shown at Ankara University’s Communication Faculty, and at the Bilkent University and Middle East Technical University campuses. Short films and documentaries will be free of charge. Other tickets will be 6 Turkish Liras. For more info: www.ucansupurge.org.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Two Awards to Three Monkeys at River Run International Film Festival

Three Monkeys has received the top prize in an international film festival in the United States. Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Three Monkeys (Uc Maymun) was named "the Best Film" by the jury in the River Run International Film Festival. Actress Hatice Aslan received the Best Actress Award with her part in Three Monkeys. The festival jury included Eric Besner from Lucas Films, director Jennifer Chambers Lynch, film critic Andrew O'Heir Michael Kutza, artistic director and the founder of Chicago International Film Festival. Ceylan was named the best director with Three Monkeys in 2008 in the Cannes Film Festival.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

2009 Box Office Ranking ...so far

Rank / Movie Title / Distributor / Gross / Release Date
Turkish films in Bold
1 Recep Ivedik 2 Ozen Film $20,769,050 2/13

2 Günesi gördüm Pinema $11,367,756 3/12
3 Güz sancisi Ozen Film $2,889,639 1/23
4 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button WB $2,608,363 2/6
5 Kadri'nin götürdügü yere git Medyavizyon $2,388,416 1/16
6 Vali (2009) Medyavizyon $2,227,940 1/9
7 Yes Man WB $1,883,542 1/16
8 Slumdog Millionaire Chantier $1,869,006 2/27
9 Fast and Furious UIP $1,558,249 4/3
10 Twilight Tiglon $1,465,726 1/16
11 The Tale of Despereaux UIP $1,420,078 1/23
12 Ayakta Kal UIP $1,128,543 1/16
13 Umut Ozen Film $945,268 2/27
14 Vicky Cristina Barcelona Tiglon $910,973 1/9
15 Inkheart Medyavizyon $884,658 1/23
16 My Bloody Valentine 3-D WB $875,120 2/13
17 Valkyrie Tiglon $855,129 1/30
18 Knowing WB $840,922 4/10
19 The Unborn (2009) UIP $781,125 1/9
20 Watchmen UIP $587,002 3/6

2008 Box office ranking based on Gross

Rank / Movie Title / Distributor / Gross / Release Date
Foreign films in Bold


1 Recep Ivedik Ozen Film $24,632,784 2/22
2 A.R.O.G UIP $19,403,566 12/5
3 Issiz adam Cinefilm $14,515,789 11/7
4 Muro: Nalet olsun içimdeki insan sevgisine Ozen Film $11,526,993 12/5
5 Osmanli cumhuriyeti UIP $7,334,710 11/21
6 Mustafa WB $5,589,390 10/29
7 Maskeli besler kibris UIP $5,575,199 1/11
8 Çilgin dersane kampta Ozen Film $5,284,100 1/11
9 O... Çocuklari Kenda $4,358,771 5/16
10 Journey to the Center of the Earth Medyavizyon $3,585,149 7/18

Alltime Turkish Box Office Ranking

Rank/ Film / (release) / Tickets
1 Recep İvedik (2008) 4,301,641
2 Kurtlar Vadisi-Irak (2006) 4,256,567
3 G.O.R.A (2004) 4,001,071
4 Babam ve Oğlum (2005) 3,837,876
5 A.R.O.G (2008) 3,457,966
6 Vizontele (2001) 3,308,120
7 Vizontele Tuba (2004) 2,894,802
8 Titanik (1998) 2,844,022
9 Hababam Sınıfı Askerde (2005) 2,586,132
10 Eşkiya (1996) 2,571,133
11 Organize İşler (2005) 2,558,069
12 Kahpe Bizans (2000) 2,472,162
13 Muro (2008) 2,165,199
14 Hababam Sınıfı 3.5 (2006) 2,068,165
15 Beyaz Melek (2007) 2,030,444
16 Issız Adam (2008) 2,012,780
17 Kabadayı (2007) 2,002,005
18 Asmalı Konak (2003) 1,791,396
19 Yüzüklerin Efendisi: Yüzük Kardeşliği (2001) 1,759,705
20 Truva (2004) 1,692,458

Turkish Provinces with no Movie Theaters


Turkish Provinces with no Movie Theaters: Gümüşhane, Bayburt, Ağrı, Iğdır, Ardahan, Muş, Mardin Kilis, Şırnak and Siirt.

Turkey has 1575 screens mainly in major cities like Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. 70% of the screens are operated by independant owners (mostly 1-2 screens) and 6 national chains operate the other 30%.

2008 Turkish Box office

Top 10 Box office (all Turkish films)
RANK/NAME/Ticket Sales

1 RECEP İVEDİK 4,301,641
2 A.R.O.G: BİR YONTMATAŞ FİLMİ* 3,457,966
3 MURO* 2,165,199
4 ISSIZ ADAM* 2,012,780
5 OSMANLI CUMHURİYETİ* 1,401,420
6 MUSTAFA 1,098,687
7 120 1,033,917
8 MASKELI BEŞLER: KIBRIS 95,141 960,979
9 ÇILGIN DERSANE KAMPTA 6,314,199 899,314
10 O… ÇOCUKLARI 713,546


[*] in current release Friday, December 19, 2008
in 2007 only 5 films in top 10 were Turkish productions.


Total films released in 2008: 256
Toal Turkish Films released in 2008 : 50 (19.53 %) [1]
Total tickets: toplam 38.465.046
Total Tickets sold for Turkish films: 23.074.291 (59.99 %) [2]
Total Box Office: 301.652.746 TL
Average Ticket Price: 7.84 TL [3]
Highest Box Office: Week 49
Best box office month : December 2008
[1] Not including the Turkish films released in 2007 that was still in release in 2008.
[2] Including ticket sales for the Turkish films released in 2007 that was still in release in 2008.
[3] January 1, 2008 parity with US$
TRY Turkey Lira 1.170 Units per USD
December 31, 2008 parity with US$

TRY Turkey Lira 1.540 Units per USD

Source:Haftalık Antrakt Sinema Gazetesi

Based on year-end Türkiye's Weekend Market Datas" chart by the Weekly Antrakt Cinema Newspaper

Sunday, April 19, 2009

IIFF 2009 | Men on the Bridge


MEN ON THE BRIDGE | KÖPRÜDEKİLER
Director: Aslı Özge
Cast: Fikret Portakal, Murat Tokgöz, Umut İlker
Germany-Turkey, 2009 | 35 mm / Colour / 90' | Turkish; English s.t.
ProductionFabian Massah for Endorphine Production GmbH

The illegal rose-seller Fikret, the shared-taxi driver Umut, and the traffic policeman Murat live in the suburbs of Istanbul and come to work to the centre of the city, the Bosphorus Bridge. Unknown to each other, their dreams intersect in the rush hour every day with millions of other Istanbulites on the so-called border between Asia and Europe. The film's stories are based on the real lives of the main characters, who act themselves in their original environments. Telling the stories of Berliners in her first fiction feature A Little Bit of April (2003), Aslı Özge this time tells about the dreams and aspirations of the young generation in Istanbul.

Filmography
Köprüdekiler (2009)
... aka Igne deligi (Turkey: Turkish title)
... aka Men on the Bridge (International: English title)
Ein bisschen April | A Little Bit of April | Biraz Nisan (2003) (TV) 99 min.
Cast: Thomas Gerber, Dagmar Gabler, Christian Wewerka, Anja Ressmer


Berlin in April. Luka spends his days looking for the house he has seen in his dreams since he was a child. At night he secretly returns to these houses to see if he can sleep there without having nightmares. One night he meets Vera with whom he once had an affair. His mysterious existence also attracts Tim, a failed writer who cannot accept that his glory days are over. And then there’s Cem who dreams of becoming a famous musician and the beautiful but naive Isa. For each of them, moving to a new house is an end in itself, but also a new beginning.

IIFF 2009 | The Awards

The Awards Ceremony and the Closing Gala of the 28th edition of the International İstanbul Film Festival was held on Saturday, April 19, at Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Lifetime Achievement Award of the Festival was presented to Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski. The other awards:

INTERNATIONAL GOLDEN TULIP COMPETITION
The International Jury of the 28th International Istanbul Film Festival presided over by director Goran Paskaljevic and composed of film critic Mike Goodridge, Managing Director of Holland Film, President of the European Film Promotion and member of the selection committee for the Competition Programme of the Berlin International Film Festival Claudia Landsberger, director Cristian Mungiu and director Ümit Ünal has decided to give the:

Golden Tulip to TONY MANERO directed by Pablo Larraín, which the jury felt was a highly original portrait of life under an oppressive political regime, and which is shocking, funn7px;y and moving.


Special Jury Prize to A FILM WITH ME IN IT directed by Ian Fitzgibbon, which the jury thought was that rare comedy which keeps you laughing from beginning to end with its unusual story and dark, dark humour.

NATIONAL COMPETITION
The National Jury of the 28th International Istanbul Film Festival presided over by director Kutluğ Ataman, and composed of consultant editor of the TimeOut Film Guide Geoff Andrew, author Ayşe Kulin, producer Zeynep Özbatur, Sarajevo Film Festival Director Mirsad Purivatra and actress Bennu Yıldırımlar has decided to give:
the Golden Tulip Best Film Award to KÖPRÜDEKİLER / MEN ON THE BRIDGE directed by Aslı Özge;
the Best Director Award to MAHMUT FAZIL COŞKUN for his film Uzak İhtimal / Wrong Rosary.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey gave a monetary prize of 50,000 TL to each of the above-mentioned winners.
the Best Actress Award to DERYA ALABORA for her performance in Pandora'nın Kutusu / Pandora's Box;
the Best Actor Award to NADİR SARIBACAK for his performance in Uzak İhtimal / Wrong Rosary.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey gave a monetary prize of 10,000 TL to each of the above-mentioned winners.
the Best Screenplay Award to TARIK TUFAN, GÖRKEM YELTAN, BEKTAŞ TOPALOĞLU for their screenplay for Uzak İhtimal / Wrong Rosary;
the Best Director of Photography Award to ÖZGÜR EKEN for his work in Süt / Milk;
the Best Music Award to NAİL YURTSEVER for his work for Ali'nin Sekiz Günü / Ali's Eight Days;
the Special Prize of the Jury to 11'E 10 KALA / 10 TO 11 by Pelin Esmer.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

IIFF 2009 |RED BRIDGE



RED BRIDGE | PIRDESUR (KIRMIZIKÖPRÜ)
Director: Caner Canerik
Cast: Ali Şanlı, Cevahir Şanlı, Metin Güler
Turkey, 2008 | miniDV / Colour / 90' | Turkish-Kurkish; English s.t.

The latest film from director Caner Canerik, who has switched to documentaries after a career in news reporting chronicles his observations from the Kırmızıköprü Village (Pırdesur in Kurdish) in Pülümür town in the east of Turkey where he was born, and his return years after he has left for college. Especially after 1990, internal migration caused big tragedies in the east and south east regions of Turkey. Three million people, according to unofficial statistics, left their homes and savings and migrated to cities they hardly knew. Kırmızıköprü now only has a population of 30 following emigration from the village, and the stories of these people who did not migrate, who continued to live there reflect the cultural and social transformation, life and struggle in the village.

IIFF 2009 | THE VOYAGE OF NÂZIM HİKMET TO CUBA



THE VOYAGE OF NÂZIM HİKMET TO CUBA
NÂZIM'IN KÜBA SEYAHATİ
Directors: Çağrı Kınıkoğlu & Gloria Rolando
Turkey-Cuba, 2008 | HD / Colour / 68' | Turkish-Spanish; English s.t.

The great poet of equality, freedom, and the Turkish language, Nâzım Hikmet had visited Cuba in 1961, on the invitation of his friend, the Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen. A member of the World Peace Council then, Nâzım went to Cuba in May 1961 for solidarity and also to observe the enthusiasm and the progress of the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Through the testimonies of Cuban intellectuals whom Nâzım had met in this joyous voyage, and through other documents and archive materials, such as the recording of Nâzım's poem the "Havana Interview", the film discovers how the Cuban Revolution influenced Nâzım and how Nâzım influenced the Cuban intellectuals. This is a story of compatriot brotherhood and hope.

Monday, March 30, 2009

MY CRETAN LEMON TREE by Tahsin İşbilen

Benim Giritli limon ağacım
Seni nerelere dikeyim
Dikeyim, dikeyim
Seni kalbime dikeyim


MY CRETAN LEMON TREE
Official Web Site
WATCH ONLINE
Türkei 2007 | 56 Min
Camera: Tahsin Isbilen Director: Tahsin Isbilen Editor: Tahsin Isbilen, Ebru AK Producer: Isin Turgut Score: Musfik Turgut Screenplay: Serkan Cabi

The story is about two immigrant women; Yurdanur and Malvina. Malvina's parents exchanged from Alacati, Izmir and settled on land of exchanged Turks in Heraklion-Crete. And Yurdanur's parents exchanged from Heraklion- Crete and settled on land of exchanged Greek in Izmir.
Yurdanur is in her 60's and she belongs to the second generation of a Cretan exchanged family. In all spheres of her life there lies the evidence of a Cretan culture. For instance, she mainly cooks Cretan dishes. If she is in a happy mood, she still sings Cretan songs in Greek.And she attends to the club of Cretans. They are talking about their native land in Cretan which is not visited so far. Malvina is same ages and her family was exchanged from Izmir (Smyrna)-Alacati. She has grown up with the stories about the Asia Minor. She does not know Turkish, and has been in Izmir for several times. They have established The Heraklion Alacati Association in 1982. She also attends to a club where she sings her ancestry land's songs. The construction of the film is formed by these two characters and the stories are told by the songs belonging to the other side. The main concern, traced in the second, third and forth generations is the appreciation of the current situation.The relationships between the forth generation and their parents are the tense points in the film. Though being in Crete seems unimportant for the children, in fact they live under the dominance of Cretan culture in certain aspects.

[In Greek and Turkish, with Greek and Turkish subtitles]

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Sonbahar at New Directors/New Films 2009

Autumn / Sonbahar
Series: New Directors/New Films 2009
Director: Özcan Alper, Country: Germany/Turkey, Release: 2008, Runtime: 99

This stunning elegy to lost youth and lost ideals follows Yusuf, just released from prison and headed to the majestic mountains of the eastern Black Sea region where he grew up. Without any friends or community left from his politically involved youth spent in the big city, he moves back into his mother’s small shack on the mountainside and tries to reconnect to the landscape of his childhood.

Sick and dispirited yet eager to believe in the possibilities of the future, he forges a tentative bond with a young local boy and an emotionally powerful connection with another outsider, a Georgian prostitute whose life is also waylaid by the shattered dreams of Socialist utopia. Özcan Alper’s debut is a powerfully realized inner journey that evinces an especially profound talent for the lyrical use of landscape to express belief in the human spirit.

Alper's Sonbahar at New Directors/New Films program

Film Festival: The City as Bane, Nature as Balm By A. O. SCOTT
Published: March 26, 2009

As usual the New Directors/New Films program, a joint presentation of the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center that runs through April 5, is a hotbed of stories: a few of them predictable, some of them elusive, many of them sad. But what might resonate longest in the mind, sampling this international gathering of first and second features, are not narratives but landscapes.

The plot of Ozcan Alper’s “Autumn,” [1] for example, might be described as a shard of Chekhov translated into Turkish. A former student radical, after serving time as a political prisoner, returns home to his village on the Black Sea coast of northern Turkey. In the nearby town he develops a wary, stricken infatuation with a prostitute from across the border in Georgia, who seems to return his interest with equal wariness. But their romance, if you can call it that, is framed, indeed overwhelmed, by the dour grandeur of the forested mountains, the crashing of the surf and the silence of the snow.

It’s not that the sublimity of the scenery distracts from the psychology of the characters, exactly. But the use of the natural world to bring a sense of unspoken meaning to their actions is the most interesting aspect of “Autumn.” The film’s themes of regret, spent passion and misdirected desire show the influence of Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey’s ambassador to the international festival circuit, but its creative energy resides in the way it captures nature.

[1]
Directed by: Ozcan Alpher
Cast: Nini Levaja, Serkan Keskin, Gulefer Yenigul

Rate It
[Poor] [Satisfactory] [Good] [Very Good] [Extraordinary]
Review Summary

When he was a student in Instanbul in the 1990s, Yusuf was sent to prison for political activism in the fight for democracy. Ten years later, he is released on the grounds of ill health and goes straight to his village, in the remote heights above the Black Sea, where the only person he finds is his sick mother. His father died during his imprisonment, and his eldest sister married and moved away. Apart from his childhood friend Mikhail, Yusuf is the only young man in the village. Economic problems have driven all the others into urban areas. One evening the two friends go to a bar in the nearest town and meet a Georgian prostitute, Eka, with whom Yusuf falls in love. The young man clings to this woman as his only hope. But for Eka, Yusuf is more like a character in one of the Russian novels she likes to read, a man from another world and another era. Ultimately, their relationship proves to be impossible.

Movie Details
Title: Autumn
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Status: Released
Country: Germany, Turkey
Genre: Drama, Foreign

Friday, March 20, 2009

7th Annual Turkish Film Week in Berlin

7th Annual Turkish Film Week in Berlin | 7. Türkischen Filmwoche Berlin
SONBAHAR - HERBST
PAZAR - DER MARKT
NOKTA - DER PUNKT
ARA - DAZWISCHEN
HAVAR - HILFESCHREI
DEVRİM ARABALARI - DIE WAGEN DER REVOLUTION
GİTMEK - MY MARLON & BRANDO
SICAK - WARM
ÜÇ MAYMUN - DREI AFFEN
HAYAT VAR - ES GIBT EIN LEBEN
BUNU GERÇEKTEN YAPMALI MIYIM? –SOLL ICH ES WIRKLICH MACHEN?
ISSIZ ADAM - EINSAM
YAŞAM ARSIZI - LEBENSSÜCHTIG
EVET, ICH WILL!

(March 26-April 4, 2009, various cinemas, Berlin)
A wide range of the latest feature films and documentaries from Turkey will be screened at the 7th Turkish Film Week in Berlin. The programme will showcase current trends, themes and developments shaping Turkey's film landscape. For more information, please visit www.tuerkischefilmwoche-berlin.de.



''Sonbahar'', ''Pazar'', Gitmek - My Marlon ve Brando'', ''Issız Adam'', ''Üç Maymun'', ''Havar'', ''Dilber'in sekiz günü'', ''Nokta'', ''Ara'', ''Devrim Arabaları'', ''Sıcak'', ''Hayat var'', ''Yaşam Arsızı'' ve ''Evet, ich will''.

During the week MEDIA Antenne and Medienboard are organizing a get-together for producers from Germany and Turkey to commemorate the 20-year city partnership between Berlin and Istanbul and to mark the launch of the 7th Turkish Film Week in Berlin. By invitation only. For more information, please visit www.medienboard.de.

German-Turkish Delight: The First
German-Turkish Coproduction Meeting
(March 25-26, 2009, Brandenburg State Representative Building, Berlin)