Interview | Film director Hüseyin Karabey

Film director Hüseyin Karabey
Claims that the film "Gitmek" (known in English as "My Marlon and Brando") was too "divisive" have led to its screenings in Switzerland being halted earlier this month. But on Friday, 20 copies of the cross-border love story hit the big screen in Turkish movie theaters.


This film, which has already collected such prizes as best film, best director and best actress at a variety of international film festivals, has a total of eight awards to its name. And this can be said about the work: "Gitmek" is absolutely not divisive; to the contrary, it highlights Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood.

The film is based on the story of a journey taken to Iraq during the war by a young Turkish woman named Ayça, who risks her life to see her Iraqi Kurdish love, Hama Ali. The fact that the screenplay is based on the real lives of the leading actors makes this film all the more interesting. This is the first feature-length film by director Hüseyin Karabey; the shooting of this film occurred over a total of 6,000 kilometers in Turkey, Iran and Iraq. We, of course, discussed Turkish-Kurdish tension with Karabey when we talked about his latest film. As a last point before moving on to our interview, it would be fair to note that though "My Marlon and Brando" is an art film, it is certainly neither boring nor slow.

What do you make of the statement from Minister of Culture Ertuğrul Günay, who said that the showings of "Gitmek" at the Swiss Culturescapes Art Festival had been banned because the film was divisive?

Well, actually, this was not the statement made by the minister. But that was what people inferred from that statement. In news about this incident, these were the words attributed to the minister, though.

Well, actually, the minister said: "We do not have a problem with this film. This film is already a part of the festival program." But some articles that appeared in Swiss newspapers carried quotes from different people in various regions of Turkey who said that they would not have allowed the film to be shown, which is why I never took any of this to be aimed at me. There is definitely no such divisiveness in this film. This is, after all, a film that received support from the Ministry of Culture and has passed through the most detailed inspections. In fact, there was not even any age limit placed on this film.

In any case, these recent developments have helped formed certain preconceptions about this film. How are you going to transcend these preconceptions?

I have spoken with high-placed authorities at the Ministry of Culture, who have assured me that in fact Ertuğrul Günay will be attending our gala showing in Ankara. This gala will be on either Nov. 24 or 26.

You say, "If only there were 10 films made like 'Gitmek,' the Kurdish problem in Turkey would be solved." As a cinematographer, how do you think the Kurdish problem could be solved?

Television series tend to portray Kurds as terrorists, narcotics smugglers or people who carry out honor killings. We need to talk about the Kurdish problem on a more real, human level. We need films that show Kurds and Turks living in equal conditions, so that people understand that both sides are people who can fall in love, who have senses of humor, who miss their children, who want the warring to end. All Kurds really want to achieve the same level of life they see others enjoying when they watch television; they really don't want anything else.

The people in the main roles are not types we are accustomed to seeing in films. One is a quite heavy woman, while the other is a bald man. Why did you make these choices for actors?

I wanted to turn all the clichés upside down. For me, the real heroes in life are us, the real people. I try to remind people of this, convince people of this. I am not going to create false heroes in my films. To wit, you notice that during the film, Ayça becomes more and more beautiful, and in fact you begin to become jealous of her love affair, and you begin to wish that you too could experience something like it.

Right up to the end of the film, the viewer doesn't see the conditions of war in which Hama Ali lives. Was this because of the difficulties in filming in that region, or for some other reason?

There is a different reason, actually. In the film, we always view Hama Ali through Ayça's screen. This is actually a criticism of our perception of reality these days. … These days, we make do with what we see on our monitors. We no longer seem to say, "Let me go and see what actually happened there." Also, I wanted to make the action of Ayça going to Iraq form some question marks in the viewers' minds. Like, "Is it worth it for this man? Is this man really giving it his best effort? Is it really difficult to get from Turkey into Iraq?" Because if the man awaiting her on the other side had been some sort of Brad Pitt type, I have no doubt everyone would have jumped at this journey! I think what is important in life is not who you love, but how you love.

In the news, we read that while people pass from the north of Iraq into Turkey, that the reverse is impossible. While Ayça attempts the impossible, Hama Ali says in his video to her that as soon as the borders are opened, he will walk all the way to be by her side. Is this a mistake in the plot? Or are we to understand that Hama Ali does not love her as much as she loves him?

Actually, there is not enough information provided in the film at that point. I should have underscored this more clearly. You are not the first person to ask this question, and you are clearly a careful viewer. It is impossible for Iraqis to go back and forth between Iraq and Turkey. As for Turks, they do have permission to pass from Iraq back into Turkey. But Turks do not have permission to go from Turkey into Iraq.

In one part of the film, we hear the words, "The Americans are killing the Arabs, and the Arabs are killing each other and the Kurds. The Kurds are afraid of being killed as Saddam did to them in 1991." Are the Kurds as pure as all this?

No, definitely not. In fact, the film contains criticism of Kurdish leadership because there is no meaning to savior and freedom that comes from another's hand. In the end, forces may come and stay for a while in your land, but the same pressures put on by Saddam will be exerted by another this time around. Hama Ali is living out these conflicts on his insides. He is afraid that what happened to the Kurds in 1991 will happen again. In the end, this is the result of mistaken decisions taken by their politicians.

A chauffeur from Diyarbakır is talking to Ayça as though he knows absolutely nothing about Istanbul, and asks her "Do they ask for passports in İstanbul?" Then he adds: "I am from Diyarbakır, but they ask us for our identification. It's a crime if you have one and crime if you don't!" What is it that you are trying to explain here? I understand how not carrying your identification around with you could be a crime, but how could it be a crime to have your ID with you?

With these words, I wanted to portray some of the pressures that Kurds experience in daily life. There is no one who doesn't know that when certain [violent] incidents take place in Istanbul, police stop people to check their identity cards and that it is always the citizens from the East who are taken under arrest. In this sense, whether or not you have your identity card with you, there is no way to avoid being arrested. If what we are talking about divisiveness, this derives directly from the fact that the state itself does not treat its citizens equally. The anger of the chauffeur is this: "You come and go from over there. But did you know, around here, it's not so easy. No matter what we do, it's difficult. No matter what we do, we are guilty!" Automatically seeing certain factions as potentially guilty in a number of situations opens the way to great anger. And what I am most afraid of is this anger exploding. That anger, which still hasn't exploded despite all the provocation that has occurred, if it does in fact explode one day, there will be very bad things that happen here in Turkey. Because some people no longer have anything left to lose: no village, no home, no work, belittled every day … With this film, I am saying, "Be a little different from the others, try to understand the spiritual state your brothers and sisters are in, support them." This film really says "The real problem facing the people living in the East is how they are supposed to live dignified daily lives. There is really no other request on the table, be aware of this." I believe that the moment people really become aware of this, peace will settle permanently in Turkey.

When he sees images of mountains in his video, Hama Ali says, "The mountains are the friends of Kurds." After that, he shows a photograph of himself from when he was 23 years old, saying that at that time he was a peshmerga. Won't these things disturb Turkish viewers?

Well, I think that if a viewer is determined to find something wrong or disturbing about the film, they will find it in the end, no matter what. We need to allow an approach which is on the side of friendship, peace and talking about the brotherhood between these two peoples. If you are trying to prove a certain point, of course you can perceive certain things I say, or certain things you see in the film, as proving your point. But of course, this should not be my goal, nor yours either.

It is quite clear that this film is not in fact divisive. But there are unsettling details in this film.

Well, for 92 minutes, this film does talk about gigantic topics. You are not, for example, mentioning the words spoken by the Kurdish mother. If you put the spotlight on these words, which are about peace, then this is what the viewer will watch out for. I am defending this film, which is why I have invited the Ministry of Culture to attend the gala opening.

Is the love between Ayça and Hama Ali, who risk death for this love, still ongoing?

The war does not allow this love to live on. Their relationship turns into a very close friendship. If they weren't such good friends, we would never have been able to make this film.

That whole "I don't want a Kurdish son-in-law" or "I can't imagine having a Turkish daughter-in-law" mentality continues in Turkey even today. Why? How do we get over this?

Well, to prevent peace just because certain people don't want it is stupid. This is actually a kind of special wealth; it's from God that we have become so intertwined. If it weren't for the rising tides of nationalism we have seen over these past five years, no one would even be thinking these things. We need to share with each other the richness that our mutual existences provide. Actually, I do believe that an incredible level of peace and brotherhood really does exist on this soil.

16 November 2008, Sunday

SERKAN KARA İSTANBUL

Thessaloniki 49 | Three Monkeys by Nuri Bilğe Ceylan

Three Monkeys / Nuri Bilğe Ceylan
A family dislocated when small failings blow up into extravagant lies, battles against the odds to stay together by covering up the truth... In order to avoid hardship and responsibilities that would otherwise be impossible to endure, the family chooses to ignore the truth, not to see, hear or talk about it. But does playing Three Monkeys invalidate the truth of its existence?
Director:	Nuri Bilğe Ceylan
Script:	Ebru Ceylan, Ercan Kesal, Nuri Bilğe
Photographer:	Gökhan Tiryaki
Montage:	Ayhan Ergürsel, Bora Gökşingöl, Nuri Bilğe Ceylan
Sound:	Murat Şenürkmez
Art Direction:	Ebru Ceylan
Actors:	Yavuz Bingöl (Eyüp), Hatice Aslan (Hacer), Ahmet Rıfat Şungar (İsmail), Ercan Kesal (Servet), Cafer Köse (Bayram), Gürkan Aydın (child)
World Sales:	Pyramide Films, France T. + 33 1 4296 0101 F. +33 1 4020 0221 www.pyramidefilms.com
Distribution in Greece:	Rosebud T. +30 210 6786505 F. +30 210 6755067 fint@hvh.com.gr www.odeon.com
Producer:	Zeynep Özbatur, Fabienne Vonier, Valerio De Paolis, Cemal Noyan, Nuri Bilğe Ceylan
Production:	Zeyno Film & Pyramide Films & Bim Distribuzione NBC Film & IMAJ
Production Country:	Turkey, France, Italy
Type:	35mm Color
Duration:	109'
Production Year:	2008

Nuri Bilğe Ceylan

Director

Nuri Bilğe Ceylan

Filmography 1995 Koza/Cocoon (short) 1997 Kasaba/Small Town 1999 Mayis sikintisi/Clouds of May 2002 Uzak/Distant 2006 Iklimler/Climates 2008 Üç Maymun/Three Monkeys Biography He was born in Istanbul in 1959, but grew up in the country. He studied Filmmaking at Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul. "Small Town", was screened at festivals around the world and won numerous awards. "Distant" won many national and international awards, including the Grand Jury Prize and the Best Actor Award at the Cannes IFF. "Climates", won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes IFF 2006, while "Three Monkeys" won the award for Best Director at Cannes IFF 2008.

Thessaloniki 49 | Süt by Semih Kaplanoğlu

Süt / Semih Kaplanoğlu
Young Yusuf, 18-years-old, is disconcerted when he learns that his mother Fatma, 40- years-old, is having a secret affair with the town’s railroad stationmaster. Should he behave in accordance with the traditional male-dominated culture and traditions of the town or should he develop a new perspective that goes along with the new modernization process that is on-going in the area?
Director:	Semih Kaplanoğlu
Script:	Semih Kaplanoğlu, Orçun Köksal
Photographer:	Özgür Eken
Montage:	François Quiqueré
Sound:	Marc Nouyrigat
Art Direction:	Naz Erayda
Actors:	Melih Selçuk (Yusuf), Başak Köklükaya (Zehra), Şerif Erol (Station Master), Rıza Akın (professor), Saadet Işıl Aksoy (Semra)
World Sales:	The Match Factory Germany T. +49 221 539 709-0 F. +49 221 539 709-10 info@matchfactory.de www.the-match-factory.com
Producer:	Semih Kaplanoğlu
Production:	Kaplan Film Production
Production Country:	Turkey, France, Germany
Co-production:	Arizona Films, Heimatfilm
Type:	35mm Color
Duration:	102'
Production Year:	2008

Semih Kaplanoğlu

Director

Semih Kaplanoğlu

Filmography 1984 Mobapp (short) 1993 Asansör/Elevator (short) 2000 Herkes kendi evinde/Away From Home 2004 Meleğin Düşüşü/Angel’s Fall 2007 Yumurta/Egg 2008 Süt/Milk Biography Hewas born in Smyrna, Turkey in 1963 and received a degree in Film and Television from Dokuz Eylül University, Smyrna in 1984. His debut feature film, "Away From Home", has won many awards. His second feature film, "Angel’s Fall", had its World Premiere at the 55th Berlin FF, and was screened at the Thessaloniki IFF in 2005. "Egg" is the first part of a trilogy called "Egg-Milk-Honey". "Egg" was invited to the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes IFF 2007, while the second part of his trilogy, "Süt", received production support from the World Cinema Fund of the Berlinale.

Thessaloniki 49 | Shell by Uygar Asan

Shell / Uygar Asan
Burhan a young man in his mid-twenties, works at the post office. His job is allocating the incoming letters according to their addresses. He lives alone. His mother and sister are dead. His father is a retired army officer who is now a senile and lives in a clinic. He likes a girl that he has never disclosed his feelings to. He has his own way of building a relationship with her that causes him trouble. Despite the troubles he faces, he manages to go on with his life thanks to a letter addressed to someone else. Burhan will start behaving in an strange manner and he will pose as someone else through this letter. What will this new situation bring? Will the “shell” that Burhan lives in break? Will he find a way out from his alienated life?
Director:	Uygar Asan
Script:	Uygar Asan
Photographer:	Uygar Asan
Montage:	Uygar Asan
Sound:	Tolga Çelik
Music:	Tolga Çelik
Art Direction:	Anita Sezgener, Nilay Kacar
Actors:	Sezgin Cengiz (Burhan), Ayşe Bayramoğlu (the girl working in the laundry), Tolga İskit (Burhan’s friend at the post office)
World Sales:	Yeşil Karinca Video Düş Laboratuvari, Turkey Uygar Asan T. +90 216 550 1142 yesilkarinca@yahoo.com www.yesilkarinca.com
Producer:	Uygar Asan
Production:	Yeşil Karinca Video Düş Laboratuvari
Production Country:	Turkey
Type:	Digibeta Color
Duration:	100'
Production Year:	2007

Uygar Asan

Director

Uygar Asan

Filmography 1995 13 (short) 2003 Where is the House of the Wind? (short) 2003 Perpetuum Immobile (short) 2003 Leap into the Void: İlhan Usmanbaş 2005 Winter Garden 2007 Kabuk/Shell Biography He was born in Isparta in 1967 and studied at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts Faculty Cinema-TV Department for two years. From 1995 until 2002, he worked in various jobs except cinema. During these years he was only interested in literature, and published poems and writings. By the year 2003 he started to write and direct his own films. He lives in Istanbul.

Thessaloniki 49 | Pandora’s Box by Yeşim Ustaoğlu

Pandora’s Box / Yeşim Ustaoğlu
When three forty-something siblings in Istanbul receive a call one night that their aging mother has disappeared from her home at the western Black Sea coast of Turkey, the three set out to find her, momentarily setting aside their problems. As the siblings come together, the tensions between them quickly become apparent, like Pandora’s box spilling open. They come to realize that they know very little about each other and are forced to reflect on their own shortcomings.
Director:	Yeşim Ustaoğlu
Script:	Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Selma Kaygusuz
Photographer:	Jacques Besse
Montage:	Franck Nakache
Sound:	Bernd von Bassevitz
Music:	Jean-Pierre Mas
Costumes:	Gülname Eşsiz
Actors:	Tsilla Chelton (Nusret), Derya Alabora (Nesrin), Onur Ünsal (Murat), Övül Avkiran (Güzin), Osman Sonant (Mehmet)
World Sales:	The Match Factory, Germany T. +49 22 153 9709-0 F. +49 22 153 9709-10 info@matchfactory.de www.matchfactory.de
Distribution in Greece:	2-1-0 Films T. +30 210 3303433 F. +30 210 3303432 leo@2-1-0.gr www.2-1-0.gr
Production Design:	H.F. Farsi, Elif Taşçioğlu, Serdar Yilmaz
Producer:	Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Muhammet Çakıral, Serkan Çakarer, Behrooz Hashemian, Setareh Farsi, Natacha Devillers, Catherine Burniaux, Michael Weber, Tobias Pausinger
Production:	Ustaoglu Film Yapim
Production Country:	Turkey, France, Belgium, Germany
Co-production:	Silkroad Production & Les Petites Lumières & Stromboli Pictures & The Match Factory
Type:	35mm Color
Duration:	112'
Production Year:	2008

Yeşim Ustaoğlu

Director

Yeşim Ustaoğlu

Filmography 1994 Iz/The Trace 1999 Günese yolculuk/Journey to the Sun 2004 Bulutlari beklerken/Waiting for the Clouds 2008 Pandoranin kutusu/Pandora’s box Biography She was born in Sarikamis, in eastern Turkey, in 1960. After making several award-winning shorts in Turkey, she made her feature film debut with 1994’s "The Trace" which was presented at numerous international festivals. Her second feature film, "Journey to the Sun", won the Blue Angel Award for Best European Film at the Berlin IFF and the Best Film and Best Director prizes at the Istanbul IFF in 1999. "Waiting for the Clouds" won the Special Jury Award and the Best Actress award at the Istanbul IFF and was screened at the Thessaloniki IFF 2004.

Thessaloniki 49 | My Marlon and Brando by Hüseyin Karabey

My Marlon and Brando / Hüseyin Karabey
Hama Ali, a charismatic B movie actor from Iraq, and Ayça, a similarly rotund but charming actress from Turkey, met on a film-set. Their love affair continued across borders through video love letters and broken phone calls until the Americans invaded Iraq and hellish violence engulfed the country. As most people fled from East to West seeking safety, Ayça decided to make the journey from West to East, seeking her lover. This dramatic feature film is the true story of her extraordinary, and ultimately tragic, experiences in such mad times...
Director:	Hüseyin Karabey
Script:	Hüseyin Karabey, Ayça Damgaci
Photographer:	A. Emre Tanyildiz
Montage:	Mary Stephen
Sound:	Mohammed Mokhtari
Music:	Kemal S. Gürel, Erdal Güney, Hüseyin Yildiz
Costumes:	Yasemin Taşkin
Actors:	Ayça Damgaci (Ayça), Hama Ali Khan (Hama Ali), Cengiz Bozkurt (Azad), Savaş Emrah Özdemir (Soran), Ani İpekkaya (Mrs Ariknas)
World Sales:	Insomnia World Sales, France T. +33 1 4358 0804 F. +33 1 4358 0932 contact@insomnia-sales.com www.insomnia-sales.com
Producer:	Lucinda Englehart, Hüseyin Karabey, Sophie Lorant
Production:	A-si Film Yapim & Motel Films & Spier Films
Production Country:	Turkey, The Netherlands, UK
Type:	35mm Color
Duration:	92'
Production Year:	2008

Hüseyin Karabey

Director

Hüseyin Karabey

Filmography 1996 Etruch Camp (doc.) 1999 Boran (short) 2003 Gift to Nazim Hikmet Ram (doc.) 2001 Silent Death (docu-drama) 2004 Breath (Pina Bausch) (doc.) 2007 I Cheated Death at the Meeting Point (doc.) 2008 My Marlon and Brando (Gitmek) Biography He is regarded as one of Turkey’s new directing talents. His previous works, "Boran" and "Silent Death", both won numerous awards and have been shown at film festivals worldwide. His documentary "Breath", has been shown everywhere from Japan to Cuba. Apart from filming, he also lectures at universities and cultural organizations in Turkey. "My Marlon and Brando (Gitmek)", his first feature film, was selected for Cinemart 2006 and IFP No Borders in New York in 2006.

Thessaloniki 49 | Lost Songs of Anatolia by Nezih Unen

Lost Songs of Anatolia / Nezih Unen
As the fruit of 350 hours of footage and 5 years of labor and creative study, "Lost Songs of Anatolia" may be the first example of its kind as a documentary-musical film. The cultural riches of Anatolia are sung in authentic performances recorded live on location, spontaneously. Through the modern arrangements, an incomparable musical is formed. While this journey shows how music and culture is derived from life, geography and work, an exploration of Anatolia’s versatile cultures takes place on the basis of music, dance and rituals. The staggering environment surrounding these people and influencing their lifestyles contributes to the lyric flow of the film.
Director:	Nezih Unen
Photographer:	Aras Demiray, Behic Gulsacan
Montage:	Nezih Unen
Sound:	Sarp Ozdemiroglu
Art Direction:	Ceyda Caba
Actors:	featuring: Cemile Yildirim, Cetin Icten, Osman Turan, Osman Efendioglu, Cevahir Serbetci, Mustafa Metin, Cevdet Oztopal, Halil Er, Mehmet Bedel, Mehmet Celer, Kirtil Folk Music Ensemble, Muhammet Demir, Ceyhun Demir, Ismail Ozdemir, Denizli Zeybek Dancers, BehzatYurt, Ali Kara,Mehmet Demir, Madine Ozen, Orhan Karadagoglu, Mahmut Karatas, Sabri Yokus, Herkul Boncuk, Ali Bilgis, et al.
World Sales:	Nezih Unen Productions, Turkey T. +90 212 257 4562 F. +90 212 263 4930 mail@nezihunen.com www.nezihunen.com
Producer:	Nezih Unen
Production:	Nezih Unen Productions
Production Country:	Turkey
Type:	Digibeta Color
Duration:	97'
Production Year:	2008

Nezih Unen

Director

Nezih Unen

Filmography 2008 Anadolu’nun kayip sarkilari/Lost Songs of Anatolia (doc.) Biography He graduated as an Engineer from Bogazici University. Always interested in music, photography and drama, he pursued his career in music as a composer, producer, arranger and singer. The most common aspect of his works has been the fusion of music from different genres and cultures in a unique personal style. In his 20-year music career, he produced music videos and made music for films. These experiences gave him the courage to start his first film, "Lost Songs of Anatolia".

Thessaloniki 49 | Dot by Derviş Zaim

Dot / Derviş Zaim
Dot is the story of a man tormented by a crime he once committed, who now seeks to redeem himself. The action, which advances along an axis of crime and punishment, organically incorporates one of Turkey’s traditional art forms, calligraphy, into the story. One of the most striking ways in which calligraphy marks both language and content is the film’s structure as a single, fluid shot.
Director:	Derviş Zaim
Script:	Derviş Zaim
Photographer:	Ercan Yılmaz
Music:	Mazlum Çimen
Art Direction:	Natali Yeres
Actors:	Mehmet Ali Nuroğlu (Ahmet), Serhat Kılıç (Selim), Settar Tanrıöğen (Mumin), Şener Kökkaya, Mustafa Uzunyılmaz, Nadi Güler
World Sales:	Sarmaşık Sanatlar, Turkey Baran Seyhan T. +90 212 219 5335 F. +90 212 219 5334 baranseyhan@sarmasiksanatlar.com www.sarmasiksanatlar.com
Producer:	Derviş Zaim, Baran Seyhan
Production:	Marathon Film & Sarmaşık Sanatlar
Production Country:	Turkey
Type:	35mm Color
Duration:	58'
Production Year:	2008

Derviş Zaim

Director

Derviş Zaim

Filmography 1996 Tabutta Rövaşata/Somersault in a Coffin 2000 Filler ve Çimen/Elephants and Grass 2003 Çamur/Mud 2006 Cenneti Beklerken/Waiting for Heaven 2008 Nokta/Dot Biography He was born in Famagusta, Cyprus in 1964, graduated from Warwick University in England and studied Film Production in London. In 1995, his first novel, "Ares in Wonderland", won the prestigious Yunus Nadi literary prize in Turkey. A year later he made an auspicious debut as a director with "Somersault in a Coffin", which won various awards, including the Silver Alexander at the Thessaloniki IFF 1997. All of his films have received honors and awards in film festivals around the world.

Thessaloniki 49 | Autumn by Özcan Alper

Autumn / Özcan Alper
Sentenced to prison in 1997 as a university student at the age of 22, Yusuf is released on health grounds 10 years later. He returns to his village in the Black Sea region, where he’s welcomed only by his sick and elderly mother. It turns out that his father died while he was in prison and his older sister got married and moved away to the city. Economic factors mean that it’s almost exclusively old people who live in the mountain villages, and the only person Yusuf sees is his childhood friend Mikhail. As autumn slowly gives way to winter, Yusuf meets Eka, a beautiful Georgian hooker. Neither the timing nor the circumstances are right for these two people from different worlds. Even so, love becomes a final desperate attempt to grasp life and elude loneliness.
Director:	Özcan Alper
Script:	Özcan Alper
Photographer:	Feza Çaldiran
Montage:	Thomas Balkenhol
Sound:	Mohammed Mokhtary
Music:	Yuri Rydahencko, Ayşenur Kolivar, Sumru Agiryürüyen, Onok Bozkurt
Art Direction:	Canan Çayir
Actors:	R. Gulefer Yenigül (mother), Serkan Keskin (Mikail), Onur Saylak (Yusuf), Megi Koboladze (Eka)
World Sales:	Media Luna Entertainment GmbH, Germany T. +49 221 801498 F. +49 221 80149821 info@medialuna-entertainment.de www.medialuna-entertainment.de
Producer:	F. Serkan Acar, Kadir Sözen
Production:	Kuzey Film Production
Production Country:	Turkey, Germany
Co-production:	Filmfabrik Spiel-und Dokumentarfilmproduktion
Type:	35mm Color
Duration:	106'
Production Year:	2008

Özcan Alper

Director

Özcan Alper

Filmography 2001 Grandmother (short) 2002 Voyage in Time with a Scientist (short doc.) 2005 Rhapsody and Melancholy in Tokai City (short doc.) 2008 Sonbahar/Autumn Biography He was born in Artvin, Turkey in 1975 and studied Physics and History of Science at the University of Istanbul. Since 1997 he has been working as assistant director and production manager on a variety of feature filmand TV productions. He directed a short fiction, "Grandmother", and two short documentaries, "Voyage in Time with a Scientist" and "Rhapsody and Melancholy in Tokai City".

2007 Fall |GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY REES-465

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY REES-465
I LOST IT AT A TURKISH MOVIE

LECTURE (David Cuthell) WED 4:15-6:05 ICC 205B
SCREENING (Erju Ackman) TUE 6:15-8:15PM ICC 118

Week 1. Introduction. Modern Turkey before the collapse of the Soviet Union

Week 2. Nationalism, Poverty and Oppression in the 1970’s:
Film: Yol (click for synopsis) Yilmaz Guney Bio
An Interview with Omer Kavur: Constructing a Cinema of the City
Omer Kavur; Miriam Rosen Middle East Report, No. 160, Turkey in the Age of Glasnost. (Sep. - Oct., 1989), pp. 19-21.

Week 3. Honorable Bandits and the Big City:
Film: Eşkiya (click for synopsis) Yavuz Turgul Bio
Old Culture-New Culture: A Study of Migrants in Ankara, Turkey
Ned Levine Social Forces, Vol. 51, No. 3. (Mar., 1973), pp. 355-368.

Week 4. Constructed Ties and the Quality of Mercy:
Film: Tabutta Röveşata
Interview with Dervis Zaim on Somersault in a Coff...
Tabutta Rovasata
Somersault in a Coffin 1996
Review:Somersault in a Coffin (1997)
Derviş Zaim Bio (1964- )

Week 5. Imagined Communities and Boundaries:
Film: Bulutlari Beklerken
Yesim USTAOGLU Bio ( 1960- )
Interview with Yesim Ustaoglu on Waiting for the C...
Waiting for The Clouds (6:32 min. clip)
Waiting for The Clouds Film Poster

Week 6. Village Life: Family Ties:
Film: Beş Vakıt
Poster and a review
More Reviews

Week 7 Turks as Euro-Citizens?: The Lives of Women
Film: Oyun Official website Information

Week 8 Art and Social Aspirations:
Film: Karpuz Kabuğundan Gemiler Yapmak

Week 9. Social Equity, Justice and Change:
Film: Uzak
Film Notes 8
Official website Information

Week 10 Democracy, Law and Central Authority: Koker; Local Politics and Democracy in Turkey. Keyder; Chs.1-5

Film: Babam ve Oğlum Soundtrack Award Turkish Cinema Newsletter Link

Week 11. On the Road Turkey Today; Fathers and Sons:
Film: Hokkabaz

Week 12 Globalization and the Media:
Film: Head-On
Fatih Akin Interview Fatih Akin Bio German Cinema and immigration
Young Turks of German Cinema (Download Power Point presentation)
as presented at Goethe Institute in Washington DC

Week 13. Between Two Worlds: Istanbul at the Crossroads:
Film: Crossing the Bridge
Crossing the Bridge
Week 14 Summary. Final Papers due.

Contemporary Turkey Politics and Culture through the Constructed Lens of Cinema

Fall 2007

Turkey today is a nation of seventy three million people occupying a space on the globe that is squarely in the middle of East and West. The Turkish economy has been one of the world’s top performers during the past five years. Literacy among the young is universal and contemporary Turks are connected to their peers and the outside world through cell phones, the internet as well as the traditional media. The result has been an explosion of creative energy in art, music and especially in film. Turkish film is in the vanguard of the many societal debates of the present, the role of Islam, women’s rights, economic and social justice and the question of weather or not Turkey is of the East or the West to name a few.

This course will examine a series of Turkish films in an effort to explore the many issues and debates in Turkish society. It will aim to strip away the constructed artifice of the directors and examine the social and political debates that underlie these works. To do so the course will also involve a series of readings that will examine film and film criticism as well as those that will supply a contemporary and historical background of Turkey.

Antalya Golden Orange 2008 | 3 Apples Fell From the Sky

3 Apples Fell From the Sky
Raşit Çelikezer
Orginal Title:
Gökten 3 Elma Düştü
Turkish Title:
Gökten 3 Elma Düştü
Director:
Raşit Çelikezer
Screenplay:
Raşit Çelikezer
Cast:
Köksal Engür, Bennu Yıldırımlar, İsmail Hacıoğlu, Kürşat Alnıaçık
Country:
Turkey
Year:
2008
Duration:
119'
Production:
Defne Film Prodüksiyon
Producer:
Raşit Çelikezer
Photography:
Mustafa Nuri Eser
Editing:
Serdar Çakular
Music:
Tamer Çıray
Young Ali who is a small time thief runs away from home, from his mother and his father whom he rarely sees. Without knowing how he will be received, he takes an awkward trip to his grandfather in Istanbul, whom he has never seen before.

San Sebastian winner is Pandora's Box

Turkish film wins top award in San Sebastian. Nineteen films vied for San Sebastian awards at the 10-day festival held in the northern Basque coastal city facing the Bay of Biscay. Donostia is San Sebastian’s name in the locally spoken Basque language. This year was the 56th edition of Spain’s top film festival.


Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf’s film "Two-legged Horse" took the festival jury’s special prize. The best actor award went to Argentina’s Oscar Martinez for his role in "El Nido Vacio" (The Empty Nest). The best cinematography award went to Hugo Colace for his camera work in "El Nido Vacio." Benoit Delphine and Gustave Kervern shared the award for best screenplay for the French movie "Louise-Michel."

Festivals annual New Director award went to Chinese filmmaker Cao Baoping for his film "The Equation of Love and Death." American director, Paul Thomas Anderson, was awarded the Fipresci prize - a subordinate category - for his film "There Will Be Blood." American actress Meryl Streep and Spanish actor Antonio Bandera’s were honored on Friday with the Donostia Prize for a lifetimes work.


[1] The Match Factory has sold Greek rights to San Sebastian Film Festival winner "Pandora's Box" to 2-1-0 Films after Spain's Karma Films acquired it for Spain at the beginning of the fest.

Cologne-based Match Factory said Trigon Film will release the pic in Switzerland. It will also be broadcast on the NHK web in Japan.

Fatih Akin gets funding for new projects

The upcoming financing slate for the Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Film Fund provides subsidies for both features and TV productions that promise high-quality content as well as showcasing the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The institution has funneled $1.26 million into Fatih Akin’s upcoming comedy Soul Kitchen. That represents the largest single contribution of a $4.8 million initiative to fund new films by local auteurs Tom Tykwer (left), Hans Weingartner (center), and Akin (right).

Of most interest is the $310,000 given to the Herbstfilm produced omnibus Deutschland 09. Featuring segments by Akin/Tykwer/Weingartner along with Isabella Stever (Gisela) and Dominic Graf (The Red Cockatoo), the project is a platform for the filmmakers to experiment with the form as they offer their personal insights on the current political and social climate in Germany. The film is a nod to 1978’s Germany in Autumn featuring shorts by Sinkel and Fassbinder.

Türkischer Film vor "internationalem Durchbruch"

28.09.2008

REGISSEUR FATIH AKIN
Türkischer Film vor "internationalem Durchbruch"

Nach Hollywood und Bollywood kommt jetzt "Türkeiwood" - zumindest ist Kultregisseur Fatih Akin davon überzeugt, dass der türkische Film kurz vor dem internationalen Durchbruch stehe. In einem Beitrag für SPIEGEL special lobt er dessen enorme Themenvielfalt.

Hamburg - Tabu-Themen gäbe es im türkischen Film keine mehr, schreibt der in Hamburg aufgewachsene Regisseur und Produzent Fatih Akin ("Gegen die Wand", "Auf der anderen Seite") in einem Gastbeitrag für die aktuelle Ausgabe von SPIEGEL special: "Es gibt großartige Filme über junge Frauen, die gegen die Tradition aufbegehren, oder über Männer, die als ertappte Liebhaber Ehrenmordopfer werden."

Der Kultregisseur sieht den türkischen Film "kurz vor dem internationalen Durchbruch". Akin, selbst Sohn türkischer Einwanderer: "Die Themenvielfalt meiner türkischen Mitstreiter für ein Kino, das sich als visuelle Reflexion unserer Gesellschaft versteht und dennoch unterhalten will, ist enorm."

Zu seinem Bedauern jedoch würden diese Werke "noch immer viel zu wenig beachtet".

Book | Turkish Cinema Identity, Distance and Belonging by Gönül Dönmez-Colin

Turkish Cinema
Identity, Distance and Belonging by Gönül Dönmez-Colin [1]


'A much needed book, Gönül Dönmez-Colin’s Turkish Cinema offers challenging and innovative perspectives on this rich national film tradition. Thoroughly researched, fluently written and always thought-provoking, Turkish Cinema is an indispensable work for anyone interested in the complex and persistent role of film in defining identities.'
–Alberto Elena, Professor of Film History at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Turkish Cinema: Identity, Distance and Belonging is the first comprehensive study of the cinema of Turkey to be published in English. A recurring theme in the book is the Turkish quest for a modern identity in a world where borders, attitudes and people themselves are shifting and relocating. Turkey is a society striving to reconcile modern attitudes to morals with traditional values and centuries-old customs and its films reflect these contradictions.

Against this background Gönül Dönmez-Colin evaluates contemporary Turkish filmmakers, as well as the films of those who have left and those who have been exiled from Turkey. Themes of internal and external migration, as well as the voices of the 'denied identities' such as the Kurds are integral to the book. Gender and sexuality, taboo subjects that only the new generation of filmmakers dare to expose are also discussed – homosexuality, lesbianism, honour killings, and incest are some of the ground-breaking points of the author's account.

Written by a film scholar familiar with Turkish language and culture who has undertaken extensive research both in Turkey and its neighbouring countries, this is an indispensable reference for students of cinema and Middle Eastern studies, as well as the general reader interested in this dynamic, rich and thoroughly modern national cinema.

[1] Gönül Dönmez-Colin is a film scholar specializing in the cinemas of the Middle East and Central Asia. Among her recent books are Women, Islam and Cinema (Reaktion Books, 2004), Cinemas of the Other: A Personal Journey with Filmmakers from the Middle East and Central Asia (2006) and The Cinema of North Africa and the Middle East (ed.) (2007).

Toronto 08 | Un Giorno perfetto by Ferzan Ozpetek

A Perfect Day |Un Giorno perfetto by Ferzan Ozpetek

Country: Italy
Year: 2008
Language: Italian
Runtime: 100 minutes
Format: Colour/35mm
Rating: 14A

Production Company: Fandango srl/Rai Cinema
Producer: Domenico Procacci
Screenplay: Sandro Petraglia, Ferzan Ozpetek, based on the novel by Melania G. Mazzucco
Production Designer: Giancarlo Basili
Cinematographer: Fabio Zamarion
Editor: Patrizio Marone
Sound: Marco Grillo
Music: Andrea Guerra
Principal Cast: Valerio Mastandrea, Isabello Ferrari, Stefania Sandrelli, Valerio Binasco, Monica Guerritore

International Sales Agent: Fandango Portobello Sales

TIFF Tags: Family Violence Women

Tapping into the terrors surrounding a messy divorce, Ferzan Ozpetek's A Perfect Day is a skilfully directed, eerily effective nightmare. Ozpetek delves deep into this common reality, touching on the pain of a husband who is not prepared to accept his wife's decision to end their marriage. The film balances this premise with the fear that envelopes a woman having to face an ex-husband who is not prepared to let go. Ozpetek's camera is used more as a self-conscious aesthetic instrument than a tool to create anxiety, and the evident elegance of his filmmaking provides us with an eloquent investigation into different states of mind.

Antonio has a job as a bodyguard and Emma, struggling to support their two children, works at a call centre. Despite the fact that life is gruelling, she is unwilling to reconstitute her failed marriage. Antonio pines for Emma and shadows her movements, and although the children want them to reunite, Emma has moved on, convinced that she has made the right decision.

But A Perfect Day is more than just a portrait of one troubled couple, and Ozpetek expands his film to provide us with a competing narrative. Juxtaposed against the disintegration of Antonio and Emma's marriage is the tale of Antonio's employer Elio Fioravanti, a politician who is trying to get re-elected. He has his own problems: an unhappy wife and a rebellious son who despises him.

Both men are tested, and both react in different ways. Children are often the battle-ground, and Antonio becomes more and more desperate as Emma's intransigence proves unshakable. Meanwhile, Elio is confronted with a different set of challenges. The denouement is disturbing and powerful. As the drama progresses toward its conclusion, a highly emotional tour de force plays out before our eyes, testing all of Ozpetek's skills as a filmmaker.

Piers Handling


Ferzan OzpetekFerzan Ozpetek was born in Istanbul and studied the history of cinema at La Sapienza Università di Roma. He also attended the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica “Silvio D'Amico” in Rome before working as an assistant director. His films include Hamam (97), Harem suaré (99), Ignorant Fairies (01), Facing Window (03), Sacred Heart (05), Saturn in Opposition (07) and A Perfect Day (08).

Fatih Akin also says "New York, I Love You"

New York, I Love You
Directed by: Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Randy Balsmeyer, Allen Hughes, Shunji Iwai, Scarlett Johansson, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner, Jiang Wen, Andrey Zvyagintsev

Country: USA
Year: 2008
Language: English
Runtime: 112 minutes
Format: Colour/and Black and WhiteHDCAM
Rating: PG

Principal Cast: Eva Amurri, Kevin Bacon, Jacinda Barrett, Justin Bartha, Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom, James Caan, Hayden Christensen, Julie Christie, Bradley Cooper, Chris Cooper, Andy Garcia, Taylor Geare, Carla Gugino, Ethan Hawke, John Hurt, Irrfan Khan, Shia LaBeouf, Cloris Leachman, Blake Lively, Heather Matarazzo, Drea de Matteo, Emilie Ohana, Natalie Portman, Nicholas Purcell, Maggie Q, Shu Qi, Christina Ricci, Olivia Thirlby, Goran Visjnic, Eli Wallach, Saul Williams, Robin Wright Penn, Anton Yelchin, Burt Young, Ugur Yücel

International Sales Agent: QED International

And who doesn't love The Big Apple? In a series of overlapping love stories all set in New York City, thirteen directors and a huge, star-studded cast range from Central Park to Chinatown, the Village, the Upper East Side and Coney Island, all in search of what makes the heart beat faster. It turns out the city that never sleeps never stops pining either.

In the Diamond District, a young Hasidic bride (Natalie Portman) negotiates with a Jain man from India (Irrfan Khan) over a diamond purchase, each flirting with the other's culture and finding surprising common ground. In a cramped downtown apartment, a musician (Orlando Bloom) rushes to finish a soundtrack for an animated film. The director, through an intermediary, keeps pushing him to read Dostoevsky. And when that intermediary (Christina Ricci) turns up on his doorstep, Russian literature suddenly comes alive.

And so it goes, one lovely sliver of love after another, some of them overlapping. Ethan Hawke turns in a firecracker performance as a sidewalk romancer, trying to lure a gorgeous woman (Maggie Q) from the curb to his apartment. Two lovers rush to meet for the first time after a one-night stand, each anxious with nerves. Anton Yelchin plays a guy who finds his last-minute prom date (Olivia Thilby) to be full of surprises. And in one of the film's most haunting stories, the magnificent Julie Christie plays a famous opera singer who returns to her favourite Manhattan hotel. She's brought not just her luggage, but her baggage too.

Like a collection of New Yorker stories, some of the sequences in New York, I Love You carry gratifying twists, while others simply capture telling moments. The directors of this omnibus film are a global bunch, including Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin, Shunji Iwai, Brett Ratner and Scarlett Johansson, as well as Shekhar Kapur, who stepped in to complete a contribution by the late Anthony Minghella. New York has never had it so good.

Cameron Bailey

Fatih Akin‘s films include Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (05) and The Edge of Heaven (07). Yvan Attal recently made the film Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants (04). Randall Balsmeyer has directed episodes for the series Between the Lions (00) and On the Record with Bob Costas (01). Allen Hughes has co-created Menace II Society (93) and From Hell (01). Shunji Iwai is the award-winning writer and director of All About Lily Chou-Chou (01). Scarlett Johansson has appeared in such films as Ghost World (01) and Lost in Translation (03). Shekhar Kapur directed Elizabeth: The Golden Age (07), a Gala presentation at last year's Festival. Joshua Marston is the writer and director of Maria Full of Grace (04). Mira Nair wrote and directed Monsoon Wedding (01) and The Namesake (06). Natalie Portman has has starred in numerous films including Closer (04) and V for Vendetta (05). Brett Ratner directed the films Red Dragon (02) and X-Men: The Last Stand (06). Jiang Wen's films include Devils on the Doorstep (00) and The Sun Also Rises (07). Andrey Zvyagintsev directed The Return (03) and The Banishment (07).

48th Thessaloniki International Film Festival

İki Çizgi (Two Lines) by was presented at 48th Thessaloniki International Film Festival - Agora - "Balkan Works in Progress" Screenings.

Un giorno perfetto by Ferzan Özpetek

Un giorno perfetto by Ferzan Özpetek – Italy, 95’

Isabella Ferrari, Valerio Mastandrea, Valerio Binasco, Nicole Grimaudo, Stefania Sandrelli
(Venezia 65)

Emma and Antonio, married with two children, have been separated for nearly a year. Antonio is living alone in the house where he used to live with his wife, while Emma has gone back to her mother, taking the children with her. Then, one night, a flying squad is called to the palazzo and the police burst into the apartment where gunshots have been heard. In a rapid succession of events, Un giorno perfetto describes the twenty-four hours before this moment, the simple but “unique” life of a group of people who are shadowed every step they take. Camilla turns seven, her brother Aris is sitting an exam at university, Emma loses her job in a call-center, her daughter Valentina meets a boy she likes, the honorable Elio Fioravanti is doing the round of election rallies, Maja, his beautiful wife finds out she is pregnant, young Kevin is invited to an extravagant party, the teacher, Mara, is meeting her lover and Antonio sees his wife for the last time. The stories interweave on the great stage of a frenetic, disquieting Rome that seems to be heading towards tragedy, although the slightest gesture, just one word, would be enough to change the path of destiny. Un giorno perfetto describes a passionate love, separating and uniting Emma and Antonio – with irony, emotion and compassion. It portrays worlds diverse and distant, that then meet, as if in an unrelenting thriller.

Emma e Antonio, sposati con due figli, sono separati da circa un anno. Antonio vive da solo nella casa dove abitava con la moglie, mentre Emma è tornata da sua madre, portando con sé i bambini. Poi, una notte qualunque, una volante viene chiamata nel palazzo e la polizia si accinge a fare irruzione nell’appartamento da cui qualcuno ha sentito provenire degli spari. Un giorno perfetto, in un serrato rincorrersi di avvenimenti, racconta le ventiquattro ore che precedono questo momento, la vita semplice eppure “unica” di un gruppo di personaggi pedinati passo dopo passo: Camilla compie sette anni, il fratello Aris fa un esame all’università, Emma perde il lavoro in un call-center, sua figlia Valentina incontra un ragazzo che le piace, l’onorevole Elio Fioravanti è in giro per comizi elettorali, Maja, la sua bella moglie, scopre di essere incinta, il piccolo Kevin viene invitato a una festa lussuosa, la professoressa Mara ha un appuntamento col suo amante e Antonio vede la moglie per l’ultima volta. Le storie si incrociano sul grande palcoscenico di una Roma frenetica e inquietante che sembra portare alla tragedia, anche se un minimo gesto, una sola parola, potrebbe deviare la traiettoria del destino. Un giorno perfetto racconta con ironia, commozione e pietà una feroce storia d’amore, quella che separa e unisce Emma e Antonio. E mette in scena mondi diversi e lontani, che si incrociano come in un giallo inesorabile.

Two lines / Iki Cizgi by Selim Evci

IKI ÇIZGI (Due linee) | Turchia,2008 |93 min.
Regia: Selim Evci
Produzione: Evci Film Production Company
Interpreti: Gülcin Santircıoğlu, Kaan Keskin
Sceneggiatura: Selim Evci
Fotografia: Meryem Yavuz
Scenografia: Mediha Didem Türenem
Musica: Samet Evci
Montaggio: Selim Evci

Starting in a big city and turning into a dramatic road story, the movie is based on a man and a woman's different identities in their own lines.

Selin is a business woman who is living with her younger boyfriend at a metropole, Istanbul. During the summer time, they decide to go to the south by their car and a long vacation starts

Director's Note Two Lines is initially a movie that provides a rather aloof portrait of Istanbul with its unique metropolitan formation. In today's Turkey, the overwhelming force of traditional codes and values is felt in every aspect of our lives. The clash between this traditional force and the inherited values of the west becomes increasingly problematic within the sphere of sexuality, identity and freedom; even harder as miscommunication and confusion sets in.

Two Lines focuses on this influence through the filter of two young protagonists striving to know one another. Their journey into the unknown will give the characters the possibility to break away from the roles given, encountered and transmitted. However, it is a mystery whether this path will make them closer, or farther.

Una giovane coppia convive ad Istanbul senza entusiasmi e senza una vera comunicazione reciproca. Lui è fotografo, lei fa l’attrice. Dopo aver subito l’intrusione di un ladro, i due decidono di partire per un viaggio in macchina, durante il quale incontrano due giovani vicine di casa, rimaste ferme senza benzina. Lui si ferma ad aiutarle, flirtando con loro, e così, per vendetta, la giovane compagna, dopo che anche la loro macchina s’è bloccata priva di carburante, sale sull’auto di uno sconosciuto per cercare aiuto. Le gelosie del giovane condurranno il loro rapporto lungo un pericoloso crinale teso a svelarne drammaticamente il non detto reciproco.

La Turchia contemporanea è divisa fra il ricordo della cultura passata, le cui costrizioni sono peraltro ancora presenti nel tessuto sociale, ed un presente non proprio di stampo “occidentale”, in cui l’apparente libertà ha incredibilmente generato dei nuovi tabù. “İki Çizgi” è il racconto di questa scissione che le società europee hanno invece dovuto affrontare già negli anni ’70. Il vuoto dei paesaggi e degli ambienti, come il silenzio fra le persone, fanno pensare ad Antonioni, mentre l’uso dei colori e una sorprendente sensibilità figurativa creano un’atmosfera allo stesso tempo composta ed urlante. “Due linee”, folgorante esempio della nuova ondata del cinema turco, è così una raffinata messa in scena di un gioco al massacro silenzioso ma non meno crudele, fotografando l’universale situazione di incomunicabilità di una coppia moderna, ancora raggelata dalla paura di confessarsi desideri ed impulsi condannati dalle regole sociali.

Selim Evci, 33 anni, è nato a Istanbul. Dopo la laurea ed un master in cinema, ha realizzato due cortometraggi e due documentari che hanno partecipato a numerosi festival internazionali. Insegna all’università di Istanbul ed è direttore dell’International Annual Akbank Short Film Festival. Nel 2006 ha fondato la Evci Film Production Company, con la quale ha prodotto in piena indipendenza İki Çizgi.

Original Title, İKİ ÇİZGİ |English Title, TWO LINES |Running time, 93 min. |Production Year, 2008 |Country of Production, Turkey |Color |Shooting Format, High Definition |Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 |Original Language, Turkish |Sub, English, Italian |Formats available, 35 mm print / 1:1.85 , HDCAM SR, Digital Betacam |Turkey Release , October 2008 |Laboratory, Sinefekt |Sound Studio, IMAJ |Production, Evci Film Production |www.evcifilm.com
Evci Film Production Company.

OFFICE ADDRESS İstiklal cad. Mis Sokak. Tan Apt. No:6 Daire:6. Beyoğlu/İSTANBUL

TELEPHONE: 0212 249 58 35

FAX: 0212 249 58 34

E-MAİL : info@evcifilm.com

Venice Biennale | Introduction by the Director

Biennale Cinema 65th Venice Film Festival
Introduction by the Director of the 65th Mostra, Marco Müller

"What is new is unforgettable"Gilles Deleuze

We resolved, for this new-four years mandate of the Cinema Section of La Biennale (for this 65th Venice Mostra), to stop, once and for all, looking at the cinema as if it were an infallible compass. No longer did we want to ask the cinema to rescue us from a problematic, ambivalent, ambiguous present: it was up to us, instead, to stay in there, not to pass over the new problems (artistic and beyond) that are being posed by the age in which we have to live. An age characterized by an evershifting profusion of images, but also without, when all is said and done, there being all that much to see.

If the cinema is no longer (or almost) the cinema, this may also bring to light aspects whose positive nature is not immediately discernible. The cinema has become a whole series of ideas, forces, properties, capacities, myths and stories. And, above all, it has turned into a new way of thinking, and an original and powerful one. So that, fortunately, when we set out to track down what, in the cinema, has come after the modern, we are always exposed to the danger of contagion, from the risk of hybridization.

For over a century the cinema has been the most fertile and relevant medium, and the most inventive; one of the constituent elements of modernity (it has never been a spare part, replaceable, interchangeable). The part of modern cinema that we have experienced as necessary, almost definitive, has had a fine set of progeny. A progeny which, in its turn, has claimed the right to persist, not to disappear gracefully once its own time has passed (as so many movements in the visual arts, architecture and literature have done); it has even claimed, instead, to be the absolute reading of the cinema, its profundity, its essence. But the idea of a modern cinema that has lasted for over half a century is a true oxymoron.

While it did last, the historical modernity of the cinema soaked up everything that was contemporary, so that the contemporary ended up aspiring to be able to coincide with an ideal of the “modern.” Now that modernity is ready to find its place in genealogy and in history, the very notion of “modern cinema” daunts us – so hard have we squeezed it, ground it up, in order to extract what might still be of use to us. And the new classifications? “Contemporary” cinema: contemporary with what? The term, in any case, designates nothing permanent or stable.

The cinema is entertainment too, and it is undoubtedly industry that organizes entertainment (Malraux’s old aphorism remains valid: the first art to have been invented from scratch is in any case an industry). Yet it is no longer the mass spectacle with enchanting effects that it once was, capable of continually renewing its own mythology and, more rarely, its own works of reference. Many of the movies that are being made, in fact, bore people rather than entertain them. They promise moviegoers the latest in aesthetic techniques (special effects: of screenplay, performance, direction, visual wizardry), but then leave them frustrated, hungry for that stimulation of the imagination and for those illusions which the cinema had been able, in other times, to guarantee them, and of which it now offers them frozen shadows (perhaps someone left the air-conditioning on, and turned up too high...).

So who will take us toward new (different) territories, unlikely continents?
While they are certainly not unprecedented or surprising, at least two hints can be found in the program of the 65th Mostra.

a) If we look beyond reflexivity, negativity and historicity, some responses to the end of modernity and the “grand narratives” can perhaps be found in the worlds (in the South, to the East) where “necessary modernity” has never really arrived.

b) Even in worlds nearer to us (in the West, in the North), the passion for the new has not vanished: a “new” which is not novelty for the purposes of publicity, but creation, the sort with a signature, which has an author and so will not disappear with the fading of the latest “new” fashion. An author of the kind who can still allow him or herself the luxury of being untimely – who believes in the new but is conscious that the future is an art of transmission (and, at times, of tradition).

The (provisional) goals of our work are these.

We have reaffirmed the futility of the consecration of Art (pet subject of the festival since the end of the Thirties) and Geography (the pointless ecumenism of a festival as “atlas of the nations and the planet”). Rather, it is now a question of putting to use our knowledge of the route covered in former times in order to come up with new tracks, helping to renew the systems of mapping.

In order to put on a 65th Festival that will be pluralistic, and therefore intentionally contradictory, we could not but place the emphasis, as a glue that would hold the works together, on the intuition of the truth that is concealed in them.
Purity, uniformity and absoluteness appeared unfeasible (because unproductive), and so we have pursued authenticity through its opposite.

Quality has counted, but even more the non- coincidence of the expressive phenomena: narrative freedom; the splendor of the forms; the pleasure of the screen; the challenge to the “common sense of the real” – the continual questioning of the idea of fiction (or of non-fiction...) and of the limits of the point of view permitted to the moviegoer.

Shuffling the cards has meant: taking unexpected risks, trying out untested solutions; recapitulating the recent phases of the “new” in cinema in order to reassess them, to relocate them in the territories to which they belong (but without covering our backs with ideology).
The variety of propositions and options, models and schemes – even of genres (we have not foregone our midnight showings) – has revived the possibility of addressing very different kinds of viewers, particularly keen to explore, to reflect and to enjoy the diverse trajectories of the program. Once again this year it is questions that we must ask of them rather than providing them with answers.

As a result of these programming choices, we like to picture the “Venice International Film Festival” as a place with a richer range of individualities, which can be formed not by assimilation but by comprehension, through an active gaze and through comparison. The future of the Festival, in the shadow of the emerging new complex of movie theaters, is undoubtedly in need of it.