MWFF 2011 | HAYDE BRE

MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL August 18 to 28, 2011HAYDE BRE
Turkey
Focus on World Cinema2011 / Colour / 115 min


Production company : Yasemin Kuçukçavdar Guler, Kardes Sanatlar Film Produksiyon, Bakrac Sok. Nº 6/6, Cihangir, Istanbul
Director : Orhan Oguz Script : Orhan Oguz
Photography : Adnan Guler Editor : Murat Bor
Cast : Sevket Emrulla, Nilufer Açikalin, Ilker Inanoglu, Mustafa Yasar, Perihan Ahmeti, Suzan Kardes, Ayberk Koçar


HAYDE BRE
Sabanaga lives in a small Macedonian village with his wife and friends while his stepdaughter Saadet lives in Istanbul with her three children and invalid husband whom she has to take care of. The lives of Sabanaga and Saadet intersect unexpectedly after Saadet returns to the village for her son's circumcision ceremony. When his wife dies, Sabanaga accepts Saadet's invitation to move to Istanbul, but it soon becomes apparent to him that big city life is intimidating and alien to him. It has rules that he can't get used to and he feels like a captive. Sabanaga longs to return to the smalltown life he remembers so fondly. Or thinks he remembers. Does that life still exist?

Orhan Oguz
Born in Kirklareli, Turkey in 1948, Orhan Oguz came to the cinema via a childhood interest in photography and painting. He apprenticed as an assistant director at 16, then began directing his own shorts and worked as a cinematographer for many established directors before making his own feature debut in 1987 with HERSEYE RAGMEN. Among his other films: UCUNCU GOZ (1989), IKI BASLI DEV (1991), SARA (1999), KARA KENTIN COCUKLARI (2000), DARK SPELLS (2004), AURA (2007).

MWFF 2011 | MERRY-GO-ROUND

MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL August 18 to 28, 2011MERRY-GO-ROUND | ATLIKARINCA
Turkey
Focus on World Cinema2010 / Colour / 93 min

Director : Ilksen Basarir Script : Ilksen Basarir, Mert Firat
Photography : Hayk Kirakosyan Editor : Erkan Ozekan
Cast : Mert Firat, Nergis Ozturk, Zeynep Oral, Sema Çeyrekbasi, Sercan Badur


MERRY-GO-ROUND
Erdem, Sevil and their children Edip and Sevgi live in a small town. Their lives begin to change when they have to move to Istanbul because Sevil's mother has had a stroke. Ten years pass and by this time Edip is at a boarding school away from the family and Erdem is still pursuing the dream he's always had of becoming a good writer. Sevil is aware that Sevgi's behaviour has suddenly changed, that she's become introverted and unhappy, so she sets about to find out what the trouble is. She discovers that their family has some dark secrets hidden behind closed doors.

Ilksen Basarir
Born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1978, Ilksen Basarir graduated in communications from Marmara University then worked in the production of commercials and features. She made her directorial debut in features in 2009 with LOVE IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE, winner of prizes at festivals in Turkey and Ukraine.

MWFF 2011 | BODY

MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL August 18 to 28, 2011VUCUT | BODY

Turkey
First Films World Competition2011 / Colour / 104 min

Director : Mustafa Nuri Script : Mustafa Nuri
Photography : A. Emre Tanyildiz Editor : Eray Ilhan
Cast : Hatice Aslan, Hakan Kurtas, Cengiz Bozkurt, Sayla Halis, Sebnem Dilligil, Neslihan Yeldan, Ilayda Suren


BODY
Leyla, in her 40s, is an occasional porn actress. Several years ago she moved to Germany with Yilmaz and they worked together in the porn film industry. Now back in Istanbul, Yilmaz breaks up with Leyla. While Leyla is trying to get used to live without Yilmaz, he approaches her with a final request; one last movie. Reluctantly Leyla agrees to act in the picture. And it is through this movie that handsome young Izzet enters her life. Because of a traumatic childhood experience, Izzet is unlike others in the business. During the shooting of the film, an unexpected fight breaks out and Izzet runs away, though Leyla remains in his mind. Izzet follows Leyla for days, begging to reconcile. Leyla isn't fully convinced, but she can't say no to him. She enjoys someone's interest in her after all these years. Can she make it work? Meanwhile, Yilmaz's love life takes a turn for the worse. Without telling his girlfriend he records themselves while having sex. When Yilmaz's girlfriend comes home unexpectedly, she catches Yilmaz showing the tape to his friends. She reacts furiously...

Mustafa Nuri
Born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1973, Mustafa Nuri graduated in communications from Istanbul University and he also has a master's in Turkish culture. He directed numerous commercials, many of which won prizes in the Crystal Apple competition. BODY marks his directorial debut in features.

MWFF 2011 | SEPTEMBER

MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL August 18 to 28, 2011SEPTEMBER | EYLUL
Turkey
First Films World Competition 2011 / Colour / 90 min

Director : Cemil Agacikoglu Script : Cemil Agacikoglu
Photography : Ali Olcay Gozkaya Editor : Taner Sarf
Cast : Turgay Aydin, Gorkem Yeltan, Elena Polyanskaya


SEPTEMBER
Yusuf, a young goldsmith in the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, is having a hard time. His wife Asli is in the hospital, in mortal fear of cancer, and there isn't much he can do to cheer her up. Far from her hometown, Asli has no one in Istanbul but Yusuf and she cannot share her fear of death and her loneliness with him. Meanwhile Yusuf, who is shy and introverted himself, lacks the life experience with which to comfort his wife and he is doubly depressed because of it. As time passes, their inability to communicate widens the gap between them. That's when Elena enters Yusuf's life. Temporarily sharing Asli's room at the hospital, Elena is an attractive foreign woman who was victim of abuse at the hands of her violent partner. Having witnessed Yusuf's demeanor at the hospital, his kindness and compassion for Asli, Elena decides to confide in him when she is discharged from the hospital. She, too, is in trouble and has no one else to turn to in Istanbul. Yusuf agrees to help. But in a macho society where women are stereotyped, Yusuf's friendship with Elena is easily misjudged. Yusuf befriends Elena but he can't convince the people at work that he is just being altruistic. And, indeed, their relationship soon goes beyond altruism. The inevitable intimacy between them leads to a feeling of guilt. But the heart has its own reasons.

Cemil Agacikoglu
Born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1959, Cemil Agacikoglu began his career as a photographer in 1990, winning several domestic and international prizes for his work. He made his directorial debut in 1997 with a short film and graduated to music videos. Among his recent shorts: It Was White (2005), Rope (2008) and Police (2008). SEPTEMBER is his first feature.

TIFF 2011 | Future Lasts Forever by Özcan Alper

TIFF The Toronto International Film Festival is the leading public film festival in the world, screening more than 300 films from 60+ countries every September.Contemporary World Cinema
Future Lasts Forever Gelecek Uzun Surer by Özcan Alper

Özcan Alper’s second feature film is many things. Visually, it is a stunning work, featuring some of the finest cinematography I have seen this year and capturing the unique Turkish countryside in its many moods. It is also a love story with a twist, as one half of its central couple is absent for virtually the whole narrative. And to give the film an extra dimension and edge: it confronts the Kurdish reality within Turkey.

Future Lasts Forever is an achingly reflective road movie (with a few inside references to one of the masters of this form, Wim Wenders), tracing a young Turkish woman’s voyage to find her Kurdish lover, who has left to take up the fight of his people. Sumru (Gaye Gürsel), an ethnomusicologist armed with a tape recorder, decides to find and record the elegies, or testimonies, of Kurdish survivors of Turkish atrocities. These are eloquently delivered, mostly by women whose men have been killed — often right before their eyes. But the underlying reason for Sumru’s trip is to find the man who claimed her heart.

At her first stop, the city of Diyarbakir, Sumru meets another man who shares her interests, and soon the two find themselves spending more and more time together. But Alper confounds narrative expectations: even as this new couple continues their voyage together, romantic involvement is not his focus. Instead, his attention rests on people trapped in the past, fumbling to make sense of events that have changed their lives. The silent, enduring landscape is always there, a kind of mute witness to the living and the dead. How can such tragedy exist amid so much beauty?

A film of memories — personal, collective and historic — Future Lasts Forever marks the maturation of an exciting new Turkish talent. Alper pauses and observes, creating quiet emotional moments of devastating power as his heroine moves closer and closer to solving the mystery of her lover’s disappearance.
Piers Handling

Özcan Alper was born in Artvin, Turkey. He studied physics and history of science at Istanbul University. His feature films are Autumn (08) and Future Lasts Forever (11).


Country: Turkey/France/Germany
Year:2011
Language: Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Hemshince
Runtime: 108 minutes ; Format:DCP(D-Cinema)
Executive Producer: C. Asli Filiz ;Producer: Ersin Celik, Soner Alper
Production Company: Nar Film[1] /Unafilm/Arizona Films
Principal Cast: Gaye Gursel, Durukan Ordu, Sarkis Seropyan, Osman Karakoc, Erdal Kirik
Screenplay:Özcan Alper; Cinematographer:Feza Caldiran; Editor: Ayhan Ergursel, Thomas Balkenhol, Özcan Alper, Umut Sakallioglu; Sound: Mohammed Mokhtary; Music: Mustafa Biber; Production Designer:Tolunay Turkoz

A film of memories, we follow a young ethnomusicologist who leaves Istanbul in search of her Kurdish lover. Along the way she records testimonies of Kurdish survivors, meets a young man who shares her interests and gradually gets closer to resolving what has happened to her friend.

[1] Nar Film was founded in 2009 by Özcan Alper, Ersin Çelik and Soner Alper. 'Autumn', the previous film of Özcan Alper was also included in the line-up of Nar Film after its foundation. Nar Film produced the new project of Özcan Alper, 'Future Lasts Forever'.

Nar Film plans to continue to produce feature and documentary films and intends to provide production services to the international projects as well as bringing art-house international films to a Turkish audience.
NAR FILM
Caferağa Mah. Sarraf Ali Sok.
Kaan Apt. No:25 / 3, Kadıköy / İST / TR
T (+90) 216 418 42 06 | F (+90) 216 336 26 34 | info@narfilm.com

Imdat Serhat Karaaslan

Imdat Serhat Karaaslan was born 1984 in Varto. He graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Istanbul University. He studies towards a master degree on Film and Drama at Kadir Has University since 2009. He works as a pharmacist and he professionally makes his own movies.

Beş Lira - 2009
Araf - 2009

Bisqilet (Bisiklet) - 2010
Xwin (Kan) - 2010

Xwin / Blood ,Short Film by Serhat Karaaslan from Serhad Karaaslan on Vimeo.

Short Film | BISQILÊT by Serhat Karaaslan

Serhat Karaaslan was born 1984 in Varto. He graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Istanbul University. He studies towards a master degree on Film and Drama at Kadir Has University since 2009. He works as a pharmacist and he professionally makes his own movies.

Written and Directed by I. Serhat Karaaslan Cast: Baran Salman, Mehmet Unal, Musa Karagoz | Short / 2010 / 17’ 14”

Bisqilêt / Bisiklet / Bicycle Serhat Karaaslan from serhat karaaslan on Vimeo.

AWARDS
- 43th Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD) Turkish Cinema Awards in the 2010 The Best Short Film
- 47th Antalya ‘Golden Orange’ International Film Festival, Digital Film Academy Award,2010
- 8th Golden Apricot - Yerevan International Film Festival in Armenia,Special Mention Prize,2011
- 22th Ankara International Film Festival,The Best Short Film,2011
- 15th Boston Turkish Film Festival, The Best Short Film Juri Award,2010
- 15th Boston Turkish Film Festival, The Best Short Film Audience Award,2010
- 16th Nurnberg Film Festival ,Juri Special Mansion Prize,2011
- 10th Vannes European Film Meetings ,Coop Breizh Prize,2011
- 1st Yilmaz Güney Kurdish Film Festival,The Best Short Film Award,2010
- 8th Metro Short Film Festival ,The Best Short Film Award,2010
- 3th Rotary Short Film Competition, The Best Short Film Award,2011
- 11th Kısaca Student Short Film Festival, The Best Short Film,2011
- 1st Psychiatric Association Of Turkey Short Film Festival,The Best Short Film Award,2011
- 4th Kristal Klaket Short Film Festival, Juri Special Award,2011
- 3th İstanbul Technical University Short Film Festival,The Best Film,2011
- 7th Yildiz Techical University Short Film Festival,Winner of 2nd Prize,2010
- 1st Okan University Student Short Film Competition, The Best Film, 2011
- 1st Eskisehir King Midas International Short Film Festival,Winner Of 2 nd Prize,2011
- 2nd Lions International Short Film Festival,The Best Short Film,2011
- 2nd Lions International Short Film Festival,The Best Director Prize,2011
- 2nd Lions International Short Film Festival,Winner 3th Cinematographer,2011

FESTIVALS
- 64th Cannes Film Festival, Short Film Corner,2011
- Hisar Short Film Selection ( 10 Best Short Film of Turkey) ,2011
- 17 th Sarajevo Film Festival,Section,2011
- 8th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival,Short Film Competition Section,2011
- 22nd Trieste International Film Festival, Short Film Competition Section,2011
- 14th Brussels International Short Film Festival, Short Films Competition Section,2011
- 17th International Film Festival Della Lessinia Bosco Chiesanuova, Short Films Competition Section,2011
- 19 th Yasujiro Ozu International Short Film Festival,Section,2011
- 11th Fluxus International Film Festival,Section,2011
- 7th Detmold International Short Film Festival ,Section,2011
- 7th Athens International Short Film Competition, Section,2011
- Canadian Sport Film Festival, Section, 2011
- Poland ‘KAN’ International Short Film Festival, Short Films Competition Section,2011
- India 3rd CMS International Children’s Film Festival, Short Films Competition Section,2011
- 1st Kurdish Film Festival In Carrick On Shannon,Republic of Ireland,Section,2010
- 7 th Almaty International Film Festival titled “Shaken’s Stars-2011,Short Films Competition Section, 2011
- Greece Artfools International video Festival,Short Films Competition Section, 2011
- 6th International Labor Film Festival, 2011
- 22 th İstanbul International Short Film Festival,Section,2010
- Bulgaria "Flowers of the Quran" Film Festival, Section, 2011
- International Teen Short Film Festival, Section, 2011
- 7 th Akbank Short Film Festival,Section, 2011

New Turkish Cinema: The Third Wave By Mariana Hristova

New Turkish Cinema: The Third Wave By Mariana Hristova

Interview | Belma Baş

Interview Belma Baş director of Zephyr SOURCE
TURKEY


Belma Baş was born in Ordu, Turkey in 1969. After moving to Istanbul to study English literature, she developed an interest in being a director. Her first short, Poyraz, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006. Zephyr, about a troubled 11 year old girl who is spending the summer living with her grandparents on their isolated farm, awaiting the return of her absent mother, is her debut feature.

Since when has cinema been a part of your life?

For a long time (laughs). In my childhood there was only one TV channel, and I strongly remember seeing images of Bergman’s The Seventh Seal without really knowing what they were. Throughout my childhood, European films were shown: it wasn’t all mainstream Hollywood things. So you could see very good examples of European cinema.

When I moved from my small town to Istanbul, there was a little film festival, which is now the biggest film festival in all Turkey, and I saw things like Tarkovsky’s Stalker, and I became aware that a different style of cinema exists. I was fascinated by this. I was most interested in the mavericks of their own countries.

Zephyr addresses similar themes to your earlier short film. Is this by design?

Yes, my short film was a prelude to Zephyr. I used many of the same non-professional actors. Also, because there is a lack of heroines in cinema, I want to make a series of films from a female point of view. The male perspective is very different from the female perspective, so I’m trying to capture new traits.

Is Zephyr an autobiographical film?

The storyline is fictional, but otherwise everything is real. I started with experiences I had growing up. I wanted to go back to the roots of everything. I gained a new perspective coming to a big city, Istanbul, and it’s a kind of nostalgia that takes me back to my home town. There are also references to the 70s period in the music. Somehow, I’m a little fixated with the 70s, my childhood. But the situation of the movie is fictional; I am not like Zephyr. Well, I was kind of autistic, maybe! Zephyr is kind of autistic too. She lives in her own world, and she has different reactions to everybody else about life.

Is it fair to say the style of the movie is indebted to classic European cinema?

Yes, and it’s not only Tarkovsky. Look at the cow’s eye; it’s like Bunuel! I was also influenced by Bresson, and the mother’s face is framed as a tribute to Bergman. All those influences form the pieces of a puzzle: childhood, family history, my relationship with English literature, the masters of contemporary cinema, like Haneke and Van Sant. They are handling delicate issues in a deadpan style and with frightening starkness. I believe there is no creation without tradition. Every influence I have makes its way into the formation of my own filmmaking.

Zephyr’s mother is a very mysterious character. Why do you think she has abandoned her daughter?

I just gave a little hint, because if it’s very obvious, then people’s focus will go. It’s just a part of the bigger picture. At the end we see there is a UNICEF file which falls out of the backpack. It is about children who are under threat. She knows she can leave her child in a safe environment. So, she cares about other children for very idealistic reasons. She feels more of a social responsibility than a political one.

The movie was shot on film; what do you think of digital production methods?

I am still a conservative in this respect. I love film stock. I can’t think of using digital, because it makes things look unsophisticated. The advantages of film are still much higher than the advantages of digital. My DP is also very fond of film. But, in terms of budget, I may have to move to digital for the next project.

Do you learn about yourself making films?

Of course. I confront my secret fears. I have big questions about life and the dark side. This film can be summed up as a ‘coming of age’ story about growing up, and I myself need to be a more grown-up person, maybe. Making films helps me to solve my issues (laughs).

By Michael O’Regan

Short Film | Poyraz by Belma Baş

Watch Poyraz
Belma Baş was born in Ordu, Turkey in 1969. After moving to Istanbul to study English literature, she developed an interest in being a director. Her first short, Poyraz, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006. Zephyr, about a troubled 11 year old girl who is spending the summer living with her grandparents on their isolated farm, awaiting the return of her absent mother, is her debut feature.

Poyraz from Altyazı Aylık Sinema Dergisi on Vimeo.

35th MWFF | The Turks

MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL August 18 to 28, 2011
Jury presided over by Spanish director Vicente Aranda
383 FILMS FROM OVER 70 COUNTRIES | 230 features and medium-length films | 153 short films

FIRST FILMS WORLD COMPETITION
BODY - Mustafa Nuri (Turkey)
SEPTEMBER - Cemil Agacikoglu (Turkey)

HORS CONCOURS / WORLD GREATS
SHADOWS AND FACES - Dervis Zaim (Turkey)

FOCUS ON WORLD CINEMA
HAYDE BRE – Orhan Oguz (Turkey)
MERRY-GO-ROUND – Ilksen Basarir (Turkey)
PRESS – Sedat Yilmaz (Turkey)
THE SUN – Atilla Cengiz (Turkey)

Ceylan's Latest Slated for Cannes

Writer, Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's latest film, BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU'DA was selected for the main sectionn of the 64th Cannes Film Festival running May 11-22, 2011. Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (TR: Bir Zamanlar Anadolu) is Turkish film, starring Yılmaz Erdoğan as a doctor living on the Anatolia. Also starring: Taner Birsel, Ahmet Mumtaz Taylan and Muhammet Uzuner. Gokcecan Gursoy (Av mevsimi, Ask Tesadüfleri Sever, GORA)provided post production visual effects.

Jury Presidents along with all the films were also announced.

JURY Main Competition: Robert DE NIRO, JURY CINEFONDATION and Short Films: Michel GONDRY, JURY UN CERTAIN REGARD : Emir KUSTURICA, JURY CAMERA D’OR: BONG Joon-Ho

"So far, the surprising omissions from the list are Andrei Zvyagintsev's Elena, about an old woman attempting to rescue her alcoholic son from poverty, Yorgos Lanthimos's Alps, about a night nurse who runs a bizarre psycho-therapeutic bereavement service, and Brillante Mendoza's Prey, starring Isabelle Huppert as a woman abducted by an Islamist separatist group. But the whispers are that at least one of these films – probably Alps – will be added to the competition list in the coming weeks." Guardian

"Mavi Boncuk |Opening Film |

Out of Competition
Woody ALLEN | MIDNIGHT IN PARIS 1h40

Competition
Pedro ALMODÓVAR LA PIEL QUE HABITO 2h00
Bertrand BONELLO L'APOLLONIDE - SOUVENIRS DE LA MAISON CLOSE 2h02
Alain CAVALIER PATER 1h45
Joseph CEDAR HEARAT SHULAYIM (Footnote) 1h45
Nuri Bilge CEYLAN | BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU'DA (Once upon a time in Anatolia) 2h30
Jean-Pierre et Luc DARDENNE LE GAMIN AU VÉLO 1h27
Aki KAURISMÄKI LE HAVRE 1h43
Naomi KAWASE HANEZU NO TSUKI 1h31
Julia LEIGH SLEEPING BEAUTY - First Film - 1h44
MAÏWENN POLISSE 2h01
Terrence MALICK THE TREE OF LIFE 2h18
Radu MIHAILEANU LA SOURCE DES FEMMES 2h15
Takashi MIIKE ICHIMEI (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samuraï) 2h06
Nanni MORETTI HABEMUS PAPAM 1h42
Lynne RAMSAY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN 1h50
Markus SCHLEINZER MICHAEL - First Film - 1h34
Paolo SORRENTINO THIS MUST BE THE PLACE 1h58
Lars VON TRIER MELANCHOLIA 2h10
Nicolas WINDING REFN DRIVE 1h35

Behzat Ç | A New Ankara Based Police TV Serial

Bio | Beren Yüce

Seren YÜCE (1975, Turkey) studied archaeology and then worked as directing assistant on various television programmes. Yüce then made the transition to the film world as assistant director on respectively A Man’s Fear of God (Özer Kiziltan, 2006), The Edge of Heaven(Fatih Akin, 2007) and Pandora’s Box (Yesim Ustaoglu, 2008). Majority is his feature debut.

Çogunluk/Majority (2010)

Bio | Belma Bas

Belma Bas
Belma BAS (1969, Ordu, Turkey) received her BA in English Literature from Istanbul University in 1992. A literary translator since 1990, she also worked full-time for Turkish film institutes as an international relations and festival manager from 1991 to 1998. Her debut short film Poyraz (Boreas) premiered in the official competition at the 59th Cannes Film Festival. Zephyr is her first feature length film.

Poyraz/Boreas (2006, short) WATCH, Zefir/Zephyr (2010)

Rotterdam IIFR | Zephyr

Zephyr BF-2011

Teenage girl Zephyr spends her youth in the house of her grandparents, in the stunningly beautiful countryside. Every day she awaits the return of her mother. A deep look into the psyche of the girl and her discoveries about love, life and nature.

This minimalistic, beautifully photographed debut tries to fathom the actions of the 11-year-old Turkish girl Zephyr. Her globe-trotting mother has been away for years and this has deeply damaged Zephyr emotionally. She lives with her grandparents in a beautiful hilly area, where she is especially interested in the dead animals that she respectfully buries.
The fact that her mother keeps leaving has made her suspicious. She does not bond, because this only leads to saying farewell. Her grandparents lead a simple, self-sufficient life, with mushrooms and berries they pick themselves and fresh milk. Snails and spiders surround them and it looks as if Zephyr feels more at home with the animals than in the world of adult people. The soundtrack meanwhile heralds the approaching disaster.
Together with Bas' short-film debut Poyraz, the film Zephyr, made with an almost entirely non-professional cast, forms the start of the film series The Heroine's Journey Beyond Winds.

Director Belma Bas
Producer Birol Akbaba, Seyhan Kaya, FC Istanbul
Sales Medit GmbH
Print source FC Istanbul
Scenario Belma Bas
Cast Seyma Uzunlar, Vahide Gordum, Sevinc Bas, O. Rustu Bas, Fatma Uzunlar, Harun Uzunlar
Photography Mehmet Y. Zengin
Editor Berke Bas
Production design Canan Cayir
Sound design Ismail Karadas
Length 93'
Website www.zephyrfilm.com

Rotterdam IIFR | Majority

Majority BF-2011

A wonderful portrait of a rural family and modern city existence, told through the life (and its problems) of a teenage boy, his relatives and friends. The director tackles present day Turkish society in a subtle and attractive way.

Mertkan (21) is a passive young man who still lives with his parents and works in the office of his father’s building company. In his spare time, he hangs round with friends and visits clubs in Istanbul. His life is stable but empty, until he meets the Kurdish Gül. His dominant, uncompromising father is very negative about Kurds and opposes their contact. The question is whether Mertkan can shake off all expectations and make his own decision.
In this powerful debut, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Lion of the Future, Seren Yüce examines Turkish taboos in a delicate manner, using a complex father-son relationship, growing up, and the position of women in a society dominated by men.
There’s an important role in Majority for the architecture of the city, as a metaphor for the complexities of life. Yüce regards his film drama as self-criticism, criticism of Turkish society, of which he is himself part.

Programmer Note by Ludmila Cvikova:

If you ask me for my favourite film of 2010 then I will tell you I have got two: the Turkish film Majority and the Romanian one Tuesday, After Christmas. The former because of its seemingly uncomplicated look into complicated, modernizing society in Turkey. The latter because of its virtuosity in directing and acting of a few long shots that the film consists of.
I still freshly remember the excitement of the Majority-crew in Venice, after the premiere. They were standing there, on the stage, the whole group on the background of red colour and trying to get control over their excitement while one of them was translating into English what was being said. I followed the whole discussion and was amazed once again by the excellent work of the director with the actors. You would not recognize them outside the film - as they totally amalgamated with their characters.
When we got out of the cinema I knew: this is one of the strongest Turkish films of the year. Also for its sublime reflection of the subjects like family traditions and their hierarchy, modern youth within the society, military service and more.

TURKEY 2010
Director Seren Yüce
Producer Sevil Demirci, Önder Çakar Yeni Sinemacilik
Sales The Match Factory GmbH
Print source The Match Factory GmbH
Scenario Seren Yüce
Cast Bartu Kücükcaglayan, Settar Tanriögen, Nihal Koldas, Esme Madra
Photography Baris Özbicer
Editor Mary Stephen
Production design Meral Efe
Sound design Mustafa Bölükbasi
Music Gokce Akcelik
Length 102'

Audience Award for Feo Aladag's Die Fremde

Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers 2011

DIE FREMDE by Feo Aladag, Germany | AUDIENCE AWARD EUROPEAN FEATURE FILMS | 20 000 € (Ville d’Angers, Fondation Groupama Gan pour le Cinéma et Le Monde) to the French distributor for the promotion of the film. 2 000 € offered to the director by the Fondation Groupama Gan pour le Cinéma

WHEN WE LEAVE | DIE FREMDE | Feo Aladag | 2010 - Allemagne - 99mn

Germans-born Umay flees her oppressive marriage in Istanbul, taking her young son Cem with her. She is hoping to find a better life with her family in Berlin, but her unexpected arrival creates intense conflict. Her family is trapped in their conventions, torn between their love for her and the values of their community. Ultimately they decide to return Cem to his father in Turkey. To keep her son, Umay is forced to move again. She finds the inner strength to build a new life for her and Cem, but her need for her family’s love drives her to a series of ill-fated attempts at reconciliation.

Born in 1972 in Vienna, Feo Aladag studied acting in Vienna and London and also completed studies in communication sciences and psychology at the University of Vienna. She then worked as a freelance editor for daily newspaper in Austria, writing mainly about film and TV. After having written several scripts for television, she started studying in directing at the DFFB (Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie, Berlin) in 2004. The next year she founded the film production company Independent Artists Filmproduktion, based in Berlin, together with Züli Aladag. Die Fremde is the company’s first cinema feature film.

CAST AND CREW

Interprétation : Sibel Kekilli, Settar Tanriögen, Derya Alabora, Florian Lukas, Tamer Yigit, Serhad Can, Nizam Schiller
Scénario : Feo Aladag
Image : Judith Kaufmann
Son : Jörg Kidrowski
Montage : Andrea Mertens

Production : Independant Artists Filmproduktion, Joseph-Haydn-Str.1, 10557 Berlin, Allemagne / Tel : +49 30 39 74 22 12 / Email : office@independent-artists-filmproduktion.de

Ventes internationales : Telepool, München Sonnenstrasse 21, 80331 Munich, Allemagne / Tel : 49-(0)89-55-876-0 / Email : telepool@telepool.de

Mavi Boncuk: Faith, Family, Immigration and Homicide

Jan 23, 2011

The conflict between Umay's love for her traditional family and her need to run her own modern life drives “When We Leave.” Yet the film is notable for its empathetic attention to the multiple points of view that separate Umay from her ...

http://maviboncuk.blogspot.com/

Mavi Boncuk: A Second Lola for Sibel Kekilli

Apr 24, 2010

But the star of the evening was Sibel Kekilli, who won the best actress Lola for Feo Aladag's "Fremde/When We Leave." Kekilli, who won the Lola for her debut in Fatih Akin's "Head-On" (2004) had nearly vanished from the German film ...

http://maviboncuk.blogspot.com/

Die Fremde Wins Grand Prize for Best Film on 37th Film Festival Ghent

Oct 22, 2010

The jury about Die Fremde: “This touching story about a turkish young woman (Sibel Kekilli) in Berlin is about the new neighborhoods in which we live, in the same world, at the same place, and yet not at the same time. ...

http://maviboncuk.blogspot.com/

Tribeca | Hat Trick for Turkish Expats

Apr 30, 2010

Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Sibel Kekilli as Umay in When We Leave (Die Fremde), directed and written by Feo Aladag. (Germany). Sponsored by Delta Air Lines. Winner receives two BusinessElite ticket vouchers for anywhere ...

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A French Award for Majority by Seren Yüce

Young European filmmakers are invited to Angers to present their first films (competition of 9 full length European films) to the audience, industry professionals, and press. More than 80 films are screened in 6 official categories: European and French short and feature films, European student films and European animated films. 200,000 Euros in awards are given out by juries and the public at the end of the festival.

Jury of Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers 2011. Left to Right from the top Claude-Eric POIROUX(Délégué général), Clémence POESY, Nater T. HOMYOUN, Wen WU, Xavier KAWA-TOPOR, Yannick RENIER. (Bottom left) Carmen MAURA, Robert GUEDIGUIAN, et Tonie MARSHALL. Mardi 25 janvier 2011. (Photo: Thierry BONNET/Ville d'Angers)


GRAND JURY PRIZE EUROPEAN FEATURE FILMS (Equal)
ÇOGUNLUK (Majority) by Seren Yuce, Turkey -and- OBRATNOE DVIZHENIE (Reverse Motion) by Andrey Stempkovsky, Russia
10 000 € (Ville d’Angers, Fondation Groupama Gan pour le Cinéma, Le Monde) to the French distributor for the promotion of the film. 1 000 € to the director by the Fondation Groupama Gan pour le Cinéma. Free subtitling offered by LVT for the distribution of the film in France
Mavi Boncuk |

MAJORITY | ÇOGUNLUK | Seren Yüce | 2010 - Turquie - 102mn

Twenty-one-year-old Mertkan has a stable but unfulfilling life in Istanbul: living at home with his parents, working as an office boy in his father‘s construction company, hanging out with his buddies in shopping malls and discos. When he meets Gül, a Kurdish girl from eastern Turkey, awkward Mertkan starts to become a bit more self-confident. But Mertkan‘s father opposes any association with “those people who only want to divide our country”.

Seren Yüce was born in Istanbul in 1975. He graduated from Bilkent University of Ankara, Archeology Department. Between 1999- 2005 he worked as 1st AD on television series. In 2006, he was the 1st AD in Özer Kiziltan’s Takva / A Man’s Fear of God and 1st AD in Fatih Akin’s The Edge of Heaven. Recently, he was the 1st AD for Yesim Ustaoglu in Pandora’s Box. Çogunluk is his first feature length film.

Çogunluk is a piece of self-criticism: of myself, and of the Turkish society. […] The film is set in Istanbul, which has the typical silhouette of any developing country’s metropole, littered with a dusty mixture of yellow and grey concrete. I feel that Architecture is the clothing of a society. This “clothing” is therefore very important to me when thinking of the visual composition of the film. The way the city is clothed tells a lot about the place, its inhabitants, and affects their lifestyle, their interactions with fellow inhabitants. […] My aim is to take a look at “us” through the story of a family. It would be wrong and inadequate to generalise and summarise Turkish society by Mertkan and his family’s story. Turkey is built on many economic and cultural levels, it is composed of many diverse ethnic groups. The mentality of the ruling class is perpetuated widely into the society. Mertkan and his father are examples of this mentality and products of this perpetuation. At the moment there are numerous movements in Turkey which must be reckoned with in order to break this oppressing mentality. Through the film Çogunluk, I sincerely hope to create some awareness among today’s youth and the upcoming generations, reminding all of us that education and social change start, first and foremost, in the family.

CAST AND CREW
Cast : Bartu Küçükçaglayan, Settar Tanriögen, Nihal Koldas, Esme Madra
Scénario : Seren Yüce
Image : Bari Özbiçer
Son : Mustafa Bölükba
Montage : Mary Stephen

Production : Yeni Sinemacilik, Sevil Demirci, Önder Çakar

Ventes internationales : The Match Factory
Balthasarstr. 79 – 81
50670 Cologne Allemagne
Tel : +49 221 539 709-0 / Email : info@matchfactory.de

Turkish Film Cliche Dialogues (Humor)

güzel oldugunuz kadar küstahsiniz da.
annecigim, ben bu amcayi cok sevdim. ona baba diyebilir miyim?
bana annemi tekrar anlatir misin babacigim?
senin annen bir melekti yavrum.
neden agliyorsun annecigim?
hayir yavrum aglamiyorum. gözüme toz kaçti.
benim de senin yaslarinda bir oglum vardi evladim.
seni sevmiyorum, seninle oyun oynadim, bunu anlamadin mi hala. ( aktor veya aktrist amansiz
bir hastaliga -genellikle ince hastaliga- tutuldugu zaman sevgilisine soyledigi ilk cümle.)
annen sen dogarken öldü yavrum.
nolur gerçegi söyleyin doktor yasayacak miyim?
o kizla evlenirsen, seni mirasimdan mahrum, evlatliktan menederim.
nayir necla, nolamaz.
hayir siz kovmuyorsunuz, ben vazifemden istifa ediyorum.
tanrim, bu resim... bu resim...
ben fakir bir gencim, sen ise zengin bir fabrikatorun kizisin.
biz ayri dünyalarin insaniyiz.
aman tanrim, göremiyorum... göremiyorum.. kör oldum.
görüyorum... görüyorum..
evlenince pembe pancurlu bir evimiz olacak.
aman allahim, ne kadar mesudum.
hayir.. durun.; kemal suçsuzdur.. aradiginiz suçlu benim;
bizim bu dünyada yasamaya hakkimiz yok mu be hakim bey abicim. ha?
bu ses.. bu ses.. olamaz, git.. git buradan..
vücuduma sahip olabilirsin ama ruhuma asla.
üstlendigin vazife çok mühim kemal, bu görevi layikiyla yapacagindan eminim.
ben kör bir gencim, hayatimi keman çalarak kazanirim. rica ederim duygularimla oynamayin.
sen arkadasimin askisin.
sizi ebediyete kadar bekleyecegim.
lütfen haddinizi biliniz.
metanetinizi muhafaza ediniz. tanridan ümit kesilmez.
tanrim ne kadar bedbahtim.
bana yillar önce çilgincasina sevdigim bir kadini hatirlattiniz...
babanin kanini yerde koma ogul.
iste bana yazmis oldugun ask dolu mektuplar. meger hepsi yalanmis. al bunlari.
hayir tamer... olaylar sandigin gibi degil.
fakirsin sen.. fakir.. fakir..
beni paranla satin alabilecegini mi sandin?
bu resimdeki amca kim anne
sen kaç yigidim, ben onlari oyalarim.
hayir.. hayir.. tertemiz hislerimle oynadin benim.
biliyordum.. ölmedigini biliyordum rifat.
oh ne saadet.
yaa justinyanus, iste buna osmanli tokadi derler.
yettim yigidim.
yavrum istanbul sana neler etmis?
saadet dolu yuvamiza kara bir gölge düsürdün.
bizim gibi insanlar serefleri icin yasarlar, namuslari icin ölürler. ama sen bunu anlayamazsin.
ben artik yarim bir insanim.
çocugumun ameliyat parasi icin yaptim herseyi.
aglamak istiyorum.
demek ikimiz de ayni kadini sevdik.
olmadi neriman, yapamadim.. seni unutamadim.
ben sirtimda tas tasir, yine seni okuturum yavrum.
söyleyemedim anne, babamin simitçi oldugunu yine söyleyemedim;
son nefesimde herseyi itiraf etmek istiyorum. katil benim.
demek askimiz bir yalandi.
parayla saadet olmaz evladim, bunu sakin unutma.
tanrim neden, neden ben;
allahim...sen sen ...bu ses;olamaz...

nayir nolamaz benimle nastik nop gibi oynayamassin

artik muhitime geldim.. insem diyordum

anne.. anneciğim

- vaziyet ne merkezde ?
- berkemal.
- ala, taharriye devam edin. emirlerimi bilahare alacaksınız

Süt Kardeşler:

Şener Şen: terbiyesiz herif;
Şener Şen: bu ne laubalilik heee, hülleci, çık dışarı
Hale Soygazi & Kemal Sunal: çok naziksiniz/ ıhhhı, öyleyimdir/üstelik de çok küstahsınız/ aman efendim, iltifat ediyosunuz, ıhıhhıı
Şener Şen: küçüklüğünü bilirim senin, sümüklünün tekiydin, babanı da sevmezdim zaten
Şener Şen: ne bağırıp duruyosun lan, sütoğlan
Kemal & Ayşen Gruda: emine, ne diyon? / aggaagubugu /...
Şener & Kemal: baban benim/ sahi mi?/ hıı/ yok canıım/ hııhıı/ allaalla/ hıııı
Şener & Kemal: bu sütoğlanı hiç sevmiyorum/ ben de sevmiyorum/ babasını da sevmezdim/ babamı karıştırma/ bu ne laubalilik? hülleci

Çiçek Abbas:

Şener Şen: ne bakıyosunuz lan
Şener Şen: yaktın beni lan, ulan çiçek abbaas
Minibüsçü: şu güzelliğe bak cüneyt arkın halt etmiş hey yavrum hey, şakir abiim evde mi, evde mi?
Şener Şen: müslüman mahallesi diil mi lan burası, hee?
Şener Şen: sana buralarda gözükme demedim mi lan?
Şener Şen: niye öptün lan beni? su getirin yüzümü yıkıycam
Şener Şen: allahın fordçusu


Battal Gazi:

Cüneyt Arkın:
cahille budalanın ne yapacağı belli olmaz
bu bir, onaltı yerinden daha deliciim pis gövdeni
bana delibaş alyon derler elenora/ ben öküzbaş alyon diye duymuştum şövalye, yanlış mı söylemişler
hoşçakal düşman beldenin yaman güzeli
ben senin kancık kelleni ödlek bedeninden ayırmaya geldim
ooo, bizans kargasi pelamon da burda demek
ben de senin kelleni almaya niyetliyim bizans kargası
hele davran bizans kargası