142. MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL TO SHOWCASE NOWHERELAND BY PIRSELIMOGLU AND HEJAR BY IPEKCI
Nowhereland is included in the Competitive Section of the Festival. Director Tayfun Pirselimoglu his producer Zeynep Ozbatur and Istanbul Film Festival Director Hulya Ucansu will be attending the Festival.
FESTIVAL DES FILMS DU MONDE DE MONTRÉAL /AUGUST 22- SEPTEMBER 2, 2002
CONTACT: 1432, rue de Bleury Montréal, Québec Canada, H3A 2J1
Tel: 514-848-3883 / Fax : 514-848-3886 / E-Mail : info@ffm-montreal.org
Serge Losique, President and General Director / Céline Montpetit, Assistant
Danièle Cauchard, Vice-president / Johanne Tremblay, Assistant
OFFICIAL COMPETITION 2002
HIÇBIRYERDE (AU PAYS DE NULLE PART) Turquie - Allemagne - 2001 / 35 mm / Color / 105 min Directed by: Tayfun Pirselimoglu
Sükran a perdu son mari d'origine kurde, persécuté par les autorités pour des raisons d'ordre politique. Depuis ce tragique événement, elle a élevé Veysel, son fils unique, à l'écart de toute activité politique. Et puis, un jour, Veysel, devenu adolescent, a disparu. Au début, Sükran ne peut se résoudre à croire que son fils a suivi les pas de son père. Mais très vite, elle s'aperçoit que la police représente beaucoup plus un obstacle à la recherche de Veysel qu'un véritable appui. Bien que tout semble indiquer le contraire, elle demeure convaincue que son fils est bien vivant. Elle décide de partir toute seule à sa recherche. Dans sa quête, elle commence par employer des méthodes légales, croyant que toute digression pourrait avoir de graves conséquences. Sükran se trouve maintenant à Mardin, au sud-est de la Turquie.
OTHER COMPETITION FILMS
PEAU D'ANGE France / 2002 / 35 mm /Color Directed by:Vincent Perez
VOINA (LA GUERRE) Russie / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 115 min / Directed by: Alexei Balabanov.
LA BALSA DE PIEDRA (LE RADEAU DE PIERRE) Pays-Bas - Espagne / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 117 min Directed by: George Sluizer.
IL CONSIGLIO D'EGITTO (LE CONSEIL D'ÉGYPTE) Italie - France - Hongrie / 2001 / 35 mm / Color / 134 min / Directed by: Emidio Greco.
SERAFIN SVJETIONICAREV SIN (SERAFIN, LE FILS DU GARDIEN DE PHARE) Croatie - Autriche / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 103 min / Directed by: Vicko Ruic.
IL PIÙ BEL GIORNO DELLA MIA VITA (LE PLUS BEAU JOUR DE MA VIE) Italie / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 102 min / Directed by: Cristina Comencini.
ISTGAH-E MATROUK (LA GARE ABANDONNÉE) Iran / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 100 min / Directed by: Alireza Raisian.
CASOMAI / Italie / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 114 min / Directed by: Alessandro D'Alatri.
MEIN ERSTES WUNDER (MON PREMIER MIRACLE) Allemagne / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 90 min / Directed by: Anne Wild.
I AM DINA (JE SUIS DINA) Norvège - Danemark - Suède - Allemagne – France / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 124 min / Directed by: Ole Bornedal.
INOCHI / Japon / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 111 min / Directed by: Tetsuo Shinohara.
UN HONNÊTE COMMERÇANT (UN HONNÊTE COMMERÇANT) Belgique – Luxembourg / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 93 min / Directed by: Philippe Blasband.
O DELFIM (LE DAUPHIN) Portugal-France / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 83 min / Directed by: Fernando Lopes.
SALOMÉ / Espagne / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 86 min / Directed by: Carlos Saura.EL ÚLTIMO TREN (LE DERNIER TRAIN) Uruguay - Espagne - Argentine / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 90 min / Réal. Diego Arsuaga
PARLEZ-MOI D'AMOUR / France / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 98 min / Réal. Sophie Marceau
BLUE CAR / États-Unis / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 96 min. / Réal.Karen Moncrieff
IGBY GOES DOWN / États-Unis / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 97 min/ Réal. Burr Steers
LA TURBULENCE DES FLUIDES / Canada – France / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 115 min / Réal./ Manon Briand
EL VIAJE DE CAROL (LE VOYAGE DE CAROL) Espagne / 2001 / 35 mm / Color / 120 min. / Réal. Imanol Uribe
HEAVENLY GRASSLAND / Chine / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 110 min / Directed by: Sai fu et Mai Lisi
VÄTER / Allemagne / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 102 min / Directed by: Dani Levy
LEAVING METROPOLIS / Canada / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 88 min / Réal. Brad Fraser
RAPSODIE CHILIENNE / Chili / 2002 / vidéo / Color / / Réal. Raul Ruiz
AM ANDEREN ENDE DER BRÜCKE (DE L'AUTRE CÔTÉ DU PONT) / Chine – Autriche / 2002 / 35 mm / Color / 100 min / Réal. Hu Mei
WORLD CINEMA:REFLECTION OF OUR TIMES / CINÉMA DU MONDE: REFLETS DE NOTRE TEMPS
"World Cinema: reflection of our times "is the section whichbrings together the greatest number of creations from all horizons. A panorama of the current film production, this section by itself is a true festival. It presents an eclectic selection of fiction and the documentary films presenting cultural and social realities of various parts of the world.
«Cinéma du monde : reflet de notre temps» est la section qui réunit le plus grand nombre d'œuvres de tous horizons. Panorama de la production actuelle, cette section est à elle seule un véritable festival. On y présente une sélection éclectique de films de fiction et de documentaires présentant des réalités culturelles et sociales de différentes parties du monde.
BÜYÜK ADAM KÜÇÜK ASK (HEJAR) Turquie - Grèce - Hongrie / 2001 / 35 mm / Couleur / 120 min / Réal. Handan Ipekçi
Les rapports difficiles entre un juge à la retraite Turc et une jeune enfant Kurde deviennent de plus en plus solidaires à mesure qu'ils apprennent à se connaître et à surmonter leurs différences ethniques. More...
141. FILM FESTHAMBURG 2002 TO OPEN WITH FATIH AKIN'S SOLINO More...
Filmfest Hamburg 2002 will take place from September 23rd – September 29th
Contact:Filmfest Hamburg GmbH Friedensallee 44 22765 Hamburg Germany | Fax .+49-40-3991900-10
Festival Directors: Josef Wutz wutz@filmfesthamburg.de | Jana Darmstadt: j.darmstadt@filmfesthamburg.de
140. VENICE TO SCREEN THIRST FOR REVENGE BY MEHMET OZCELIK
The 59. Venice Film Festival / 59th Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica to screen the short film by Mehmet Ozcelik
More...
139. THE IMPLIED MESSAGE OF ARARAT AND ITS INTENDED AUDIENCE
Armenian Studies Magazine / Ermeni Arastirmalari Dergisi / June 2002, Ankara by Prof. Dr. Nedret Kuran-Burçoglu
See Full Article
138. EIGHT NEW TURKISH FILMS
Variety reviews on 8 new Turkish films | Wish Me Love | Summer Love | Maruf | The Waterfall | 9 | The Photograph | Innowhereland | Away From Home See Articles from Variety
137. FERZAN OZPETEK TO SHOOT A NEW FILM
Following his 2001 Italian hit "Ignorant Fairies," director Ferzan Ozpetek will start shooting in August on"Le Finestre di fronte" (The Windows Opposite) for Rome-based R&C Produzioni, which was in Cannes negotiating international presales and co-production involvement.
Contact: R&C Produzioni Via del Commercio 32 00154 Roma Italy |Tel: 0039-6-57288 591 | Fax: 0039-6-5730 3328. See Article from Variety
136. " ARARAT" SCREENED IN CANNES 2002 \ OUT OF COMPETITION
See Todd McCarthy Variety Review - May 20, 2002
135. "CONFESSION" AND "DESTINY" BY ZEKI DEMIRKUBUZ IN CANNES 2002 \ UN CERTAIN REGARD
For the first time in Cannes Film Festival history, two features by one director have been selected and will screen in festival sidebar, Un Certain Regard. In 1986, Jane Campion's feature "Two Friends" screened in Un Certain Regard along with three of her shorts.Fest organizers added "Yazgy" (Fate), a film by Turkish director Zeki Demirkubuz to the lineup, which already included his "Itiraf" (Confession), after both films won Fipresci awards at the Istanbul Film Festival April 28. Demirkubuz also copped the Istanbul fest's director of the year award in the Turkish section.
"Demirkubuz was thrilled," Sera Films head of sales Arzu Bolukbasi told Daily Variety. "He loved ("Fate"), which is part of a trilogy." Sera will sell international rights to the films at Cannes, and the two pics will screen May 24.The 35-year-old helmer shot "Fate," which was inspired by Albert Camus's "The Stranger," and "Confession," a tale of marital infidelity, back to back. The third flick in the trilogy will be adapted from "Crime and Punishment."
Cannes Festival Screening: Friday 24, 2002 11:00 CONFESSION | 16:30 YAZGI
Cannes Sales | Sera Film Services : Ms. Arzu Bolukbasi, General Yazgan Sokak, Mehtibey Apt. 10/15 80050, Tünel-Beyoglu Istanbul Turkey
T:+90 212 292 76 93 / +90 212 292 76 94 |F: +90 212 292 36 11
134. ARARAT TO SCREEN OUT OF COMPETION IN CANNES 2002
133. AWARDS ANNOUNCED| ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
132. IN MEMORIAM| ORHAN ELMAS, DIRECTOR (1927- 2002)
Orhan ELMAS: Born in Istanbul. Former journalist and stage actor. Entered the movies as an actor (1945) then moved to screen-writing and directed his first feature in 1957. Selected filmography: Kanli Firar / Bloody Escape (1960), Bos Besik / The Empty Cradle (1969), Ezo Gelin / Ezo, the Bride (1973), Metres / Mistress (1983), Kayip Kizlar / Lost Girls (1984).
Turkish Portal
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
144. MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENS HOME BY GREEK-TURKISH FILMMAKER PHYLLIS KATRAPANI
144. MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENS HOME BY GREEK-TURKISH FILMMAKER PHYLLIS KATRAPANI
Home Panorama Canada /2002 / 35 mm / Colour / 70 minDirected and Written by : Phyllis Katrapani; Cinematography by:Michel Lamothe, Phyllis Katrapani
Edited by : Louise Dugal; Cast : François Papineau, Jacinthe Laguë, Atanas Katrapani
Mixing fiction and documentary, this film offers a poetic and philosophical reflection on the notion of "hme" in our imagination. What exactly is a "home", that unspoiled paradise, that land of eternal childhood, that land of a bygone time? How can we find the "home" that belongs only to "us"? Fictional documentary, documented fiction, real or imagined country -- various characters journey back into memory and encounter one another through words. Faces of six men and six women who recount their personal stories to the camera, individual voices telling a unique, scarcely invented story, describing a single country, with a single name, but with widely different meanings.
Phyllis Katrapani
Born in Montreal in 1967 to a Turkish mother and a Greek father, Phyllis Katrapani graduated from the University du Québec à Montréal with a B.A. in communications and studied at FAMU, the Prague film school, where she directed her first film, Zatisi (Still Life), in 1992. Three years later she founded her own production company Ile blanche and produced and directed Ithaka (1997), which was shown at several international festivals. HOME is her first feature.
Ithaque / Ithaka
Phyllis Katrapani, Québec 1997 35mn en français
Ithaque, an allegory on the voyage inspired by the poem Ithaque de Constantin Cavafie (Alexandria 1863. Athens 1933). This poem, known as in voice off, evokes the return d.Ulysse towards its native island and conveys l.idée in the voyage, this n.est not so much the destination which imports, but the voyage itself and this qu.il offers like experiment. The poet invites Ulysses to delay the return. A man makes the long voyage by train. In the pane of its compartment, the landscapes ravel like different moment from its life, without chronology. Dream and reality merge, the voyage d.Ulysse and its own physical and interior voyage. In counterpoint, the inexorable movement towards l.avant and the certainty which each day qu.il cross-piece will n.aura more place.
Ithaque, une allégorie sur le voyage inspirée du poème Ithaque de Constantin Cavafie (Alexandrie 1863 - Athènes 1933). Ce poème, dit en voix off, évoque le retour d'Ulysse vers son île natale et véhicule l'idée dans le voyage, ce n'est pas tant la destination qui importe, mais le voyage lui-même et ce qu'il offre comme expérience. Le poète invite Ulysse à retarder le retour.
Un homme fait le long voyage en train. Dans la vitre de son compartiment, les paysages défilent ainsi que différents moment de sa vie, sans chronologie. Rêve et réalité se confondent, le voyage d'Ulysse et son propre voyage physique et intérieur. En contrepoint, le mouvement inexorable vers l'avant et la certitude que chaque jour qu'il traverse n'aura plus lieu.
Entretien avec Phyllis Katrapani
ITHAQUE
par Julien Belleteste
C'est en 1994 que Phyllis Katrapani, forte d'un premier court métrage de 7 minutes réalisé à Prague dans le cadre d'un stage à l'école de cinéma FAMU, décide de mettre en oeuvre Ithaque, un moyen-métrage en noir et blanc d'une très grande sensibilité inspiré d'un poème grec du début du siècle. Bachelière en communication à l'UQAM (profil cinéma) c'était avant tout la direction photo qui l'intéressait jusqu'au jour où...
Julien Belleteste: Pourquoi Ithaque et qu'est-ce que c'est ?
Phyllis Katrapani: A l'origine, Ithaque c'est l'île natale d'Ulysse, île qu'il a mis 15 années à rejoindre après la guerre de Troie, faisant face à toute une série d'obstacles. J'avais en tête un film où un personnage fait une action continue, soit marche ou soit se rende d'un point A à Z et, durant ce voyage, différentes images de sa vie referaient surface, comme le voyage intérieur de quelqu'un qui se retourne sur sa vie. Aussi, mon père m'avait recopié le poème Ithaque de Constantin Cavafy, poète grec né à Alexandrie en Égypte. Ce poème a été écrit en 1911 et évoque le retour d'Ulysse sur son île natale et le poème est à la deuxième personne du singulier sur un ton assez impératif. Il dit à Ulysse et sous-entendu à chacun de nous, que lorsqu'on repart pour Ithaque, de souhaiter que la route soit longue et de profiter au maximum des différentes expériences et des choses qui se présentent à nous. Et, les démons et les monstres que l'on rencontrera sur notre passage, on les verra seulement si on les porte en nous, thème universel. C'est un poème que mon père aime beaucoup et qu'il m'avait fait partager. Alors je me suis inspiré de ce poème pour faire le film. J'ai choisi le train, car il implique une progression ; la fenêtre du train permettant de faire une association avec les images qui défilent. Au début le film devait être muet, le poème étant une inspiration pour moi. Plus tard, puisque le projet s'est échelonné sur plusieurs années, j'ai décidé de mettre le poème en trame sonore pour accompagner ce personnage dans son voyage physique et intérieur.
J.B.: Comment ton père est venu s'intégrer dans le projet ?
P.K.: Au début, je lui parlais beaucoup de cette idée de film et c'est un peu avec lui qu'on a décidé que le personnage principal soit dans un train plutôt que d'être en train de marcher. Pourtant, je ne savais pas que cela allait être lui (mon père) qui jouerait dans le film, mais peu à peu cela c'est... peut-être parce que le poème je le connaissais par lui... cela s'est imposé tout seul. Et puis je savais qu'il aimait jouer, il faisait des tragédies grecques à Loyola (Université Concordia), il était dans une troupe de théâtre pendant qu'il étudiait. Il aimait le jeu et aussi l'idée de faire le voyage en train ; on a traversé l'Europe, nous nous sommes rendus à Athènes ensemble et on a tourné juste nous deux, avec une Bolex et un trépied. Cela nous a beaucoup rapproché. Même si à l'époque l'idée de l'utiliser comme personnage central ne m'avait pas effleurée l'esprit, c'est devenu comme évident, sa physionomie étant très classique, presque grec ancien.
J.B.: Quand-est-ce que tu as commencé le tournage de ce film ?
P.K.: Les premières images ont été faites vers le début 1994.
J.B.: Ton financement ?
P.K.: Une bourse Exploration au CAC ensuite l'aide ACIC de l'ONF, ensuite une bourse en production au CAC et enfin le CALQ et la SODEC.
J.B.: Est-ce que ce film ressemble à ce que tu veux faire en cinéma et sais-tu à quoi ressemblera ton prochain projet ?
P.K.: J'ai déjà en tête un projet qui est à un état embryonnaire qui ressemblera au film précédent (Ithaque), car c'est définitivement ce langage que je pense développer, c'est à dire un cinéma peu narratif par les mots. Même si ici il y a le poème de Cavafy, on l'associe vraiment avec le personnage, à la limite cela pourrait être dans sa tête quand il est dans le train, mais ce n'est pas un poème qui illustre ce qui se passe dans le film, c'est à un autre niveau et c'est cet aspect là du cinéma qui m'intéresse. C'est de vraiment réussir à raconter des choses par des images, des associations d'images, tout ce langage poétique... je ne suis pas très intéressée par la parole, par la littérature au cinéma. Je trouve que l'on a assez de littérature pour ne pas être obligé d'illustrer toujours des livres ou bien de supporter par des images des choses très narratives, très claires... j'aime bien quand le spectateur est un peu plus actif quand lui peut faire ses associations, ses liens et quand l'expérience est plutôt émotive, sensuelle plutôt que cérébrale. Qu'on se demande pourquoi il (le personnage) fait ça, est-ce que c'est vraiment ça qu'il vit, est-ce que c'est dans sa tête, est-ce-qu'il a déjà vécu ça ? A la limite ce n'est pas important.
J.B.: Donc, tu as plus une démarche artistique que narrative ?
P.K.: Ce film a pris du temps à faire et j'avais une liberté totale, c'est moi qui ai tourné les images pour la plupart, et qui ai monté le film et cela a aussi pris du temps car il fallait que je travaille afin de pouvoir réussir à vivre, ce qui repoussait mon travail sur le film. Je trouvais que mon travail, pour ce film, ressemblait beaucoup plus aux arts plastiques qu'au cinéma comme tel... beaucoup de solitude face au médium, toujours en train de retrancher, rajouter, avec le temps que cela nécessite, cela ne s'est pas fait dans des conditions nécessairement rapide avec une structure clairement établie. D'ailleurs cela m'a pris beaucoup de temps de trouver la structure parce que je luttais les premiers mois de montage. Pour moi, il était clair que le tronc (du scénario), c'était l'homme qui voyage en train et les branches étaient les images inspirées de sa vie, du poème et de l'Odyssée (d'Homère)... il y a quelques allusions à l'Odyssée, comme les cochons...
J.B.: Est-ce que ce film est une de tes premières expériences artistiques, ou as-tu touché à d'autres domaines comme les arts plastiques ainsi que tu l'évoquais plus tôt ?
P.K.: Je n'ai pas touché à d'autres domaines dans les arts à part la photo qui est étroitement liée ; tu tournes les images du film et forcément les tics du photographe ressortent, cette façon de s'arrêter sur les choses, de les laisser bouger dans le cadre plutôt que d'être en train de bouger et de chercher ailleurs ce que l'on a devant soi. Cette façon de regarder vient de la photo, j'ai toujours été attirée par l'image, image qui pourrait raconter des choses sans avoir besoin de légende.
J.B.: Je suppose que c'est un goût qui se retrouve dans tes goûts personnels au cinéma ?
P.K.: Je suis attirée par les films où l'image est presque un personnage et je trouve que ce langage n'est pas assez exploité. Il y a des très bon cinéastes qui développent cette idée et c'est le genre de cinéastes dont j'aime le travail et qui malheureusement sont trop rares. Par contre, je peux aussi aimer les choses tout à l'inverse de ce que j'ai envie de faire, les films très verbomoteurs, du très très bon dialogue, mais je vais quand même avoir tendance à aimer les films très intimistes, les environnements à huis clos, je ne suis pas du genre à aimer les grandes épopées, j'aime les choses beaucoup plus contemplatives comme les premiers films d'Antonioni et les films d'Angelopoulos.
J.B.: Quelle a été l'implication de MAIN FILM dans ce projet ?
P.K.: Au départ je pensais utiliser l'équipement de MF et puis finalement je suis partie avec mon équipement et c'est surtout au niveau des dernières étapes que MF a été impliqué et particulièrement au niveau du montage sonore. Je n'avais pas de son synchro à part une scène qui avait été tournée avec une autre caméra (scène que je n'ai même pas utilisée). Esther Auger allait faire le montage sonore et elle n'était plus tellement intéressée à monter sur une Steenbeck, et j'étais au courant du nouvel équipement de montage sonore numérique de MF. On y a donc travaillé pendant 5 semaines au début de l'année, et l'équipement m'a permis d'essayer beaucoup de combinaisons et d'être en mesure de les entendre instantanément.
J.B.: Comment as-tu intégré le poème sur lequel tu t'es basée, est-ce ton père qui fait la narration dans le film ?
P.K.: Au début je n'étais pas sûre d'utiliser le poème en grec et sous-titrer le film, ou bien enregistrer la voix qui dit la traduction en français et éventuellement en anglais. Au moment de l'enregistrement on a fait les trois versions (grec, anglais et français) et suite au premier montage, j'ai décidé que c'était mieux d'avoir le texte en grec. Il n'y avait que le texte en grec sans sous-titre et les quelques personnes qui ont vu le film ont dit que même si elles ne comprenaient pas ce que le texte disait, la sonorité, la voix étaient très musicales et le fait que cela soit une langue que l'on connaît moins allait aussi avec les images. Mais moi c'était plus parce que j'avais envie de garder le texte original, la traduction ne rendant pas toujours le résultat escompté. Et finalement c'est ça, mon père a fait la narration en grec et j'ai fait sous-titré le film en français et en anglais. Le poème n'est pas très long, a peu près six paragraphes et il est presque dit en entier au début du film et ensuite certains passages sont repris. Je suis finalement très contente de ce choix, surtout avec la musique, les deux se mariant très bien.
J.B.: Pourra-t-on voir ton film bientôt ?
P.K.: Pour l'instant on n'a rien décidé quant à une sortie, une chose est sûre c'est que le film sera vu la première fois au Festival des films du monde. J'ai aussi envoyé le film en Grèce dans un festival de courts métrages à Drama près de Salonique qui a lieu fin septembre, j'aimerais beaucoup que le film soit montré en Grèce. Je l'envoie aussi à Mannhein en Allemagne, éventuellement faire une petite sortie ici à Montréal pendant quelque jours, probablement à l'automne, et le proposer à la télévision. C'est dur de savoir quelle réception il va avoir.
J.B.: Ton prochain projet ?
P.K.: Je voudrais commencer à écrire quelque chose dans les semaines qui suivent, j'aimerais faire quelque chose de court, vraiment court. Pas un court de 35 minutes, mais un court de 10 minutes. Je ne suis pas encore sûre, ce n'est même pas une idée
mais plus un sentiment, je sais ce que j'ai envie d'illustrer, maintenant...
(posted September 01,2002)
Copyright ©1996 - 2002 Turkish Cinema Newsletter, Washington D.C. / Powered by Nerede? Turkish Portal
Home Panorama Canada /2002 / 35 mm / Colour / 70 minDirected and Written by : Phyllis Katrapani; Cinematography by:Michel Lamothe, Phyllis Katrapani
Edited by : Louise Dugal; Cast : François Papineau, Jacinthe Laguë, Atanas Katrapani
Mixing fiction and documentary, this film offers a poetic and philosophical reflection on the notion of "hme" in our imagination. What exactly is a "home", that unspoiled paradise, that land of eternal childhood, that land of a bygone time? How can we find the "home" that belongs only to "us"? Fictional documentary, documented fiction, real or imagined country -- various characters journey back into memory and encounter one another through words. Faces of six men and six women who recount their personal stories to the camera, individual voices telling a unique, scarcely invented story, describing a single country, with a single name, but with widely different meanings.
Phyllis Katrapani
Born in Montreal in 1967 to a Turkish mother and a Greek father, Phyllis Katrapani graduated from the University du Québec à Montréal with a B.A. in communications and studied at FAMU, the Prague film school, where she directed her first film, Zatisi (Still Life), in 1992. Three years later she founded her own production company Ile blanche and produced and directed Ithaka (1997), which was shown at several international festivals. HOME is her first feature.
Ithaque / Ithaka
Phyllis Katrapani, Québec 1997 35mn en français
Ithaque, an allegory on the voyage inspired by the poem Ithaque de Constantin Cavafie (Alexandria 1863. Athens 1933). This poem, known as in voice off, evokes the return d.Ulysse towards its native island and conveys l.idée in the voyage, this n.est not so much the destination which imports, but the voyage itself and this qu.il offers like experiment. The poet invites Ulysses to delay the return. A man makes the long voyage by train. In the pane of its compartment, the landscapes ravel like different moment from its life, without chronology. Dream and reality merge, the voyage d.Ulysse and its own physical and interior voyage. In counterpoint, the inexorable movement towards l.avant and the certainty which each day qu.il cross-piece will n.aura more place.
Ithaque, une allégorie sur le voyage inspirée du poème Ithaque de Constantin Cavafie (Alexandrie 1863 - Athènes 1933). Ce poème, dit en voix off, évoque le retour d'Ulysse vers son île natale et véhicule l'idée dans le voyage, ce n'est pas tant la destination qui importe, mais le voyage lui-même et ce qu'il offre comme expérience. Le poète invite Ulysse à retarder le retour.
Un homme fait le long voyage en train. Dans la vitre de son compartiment, les paysages défilent ainsi que différents moment de sa vie, sans chronologie. Rêve et réalité se confondent, le voyage d'Ulysse et son propre voyage physique et intérieur. En contrepoint, le mouvement inexorable vers l'avant et la certitude que chaque jour qu'il traverse n'aura plus lieu.
Entretien avec Phyllis Katrapani
ITHAQUE
par Julien Belleteste
C'est en 1994 que Phyllis Katrapani, forte d'un premier court métrage de 7 minutes réalisé à Prague dans le cadre d'un stage à l'école de cinéma FAMU, décide de mettre en oeuvre Ithaque, un moyen-métrage en noir et blanc d'une très grande sensibilité inspiré d'un poème grec du début du siècle. Bachelière en communication à l'UQAM (profil cinéma) c'était avant tout la direction photo qui l'intéressait jusqu'au jour où...
Julien Belleteste: Pourquoi Ithaque et qu'est-ce que c'est ?
Phyllis Katrapani: A l'origine, Ithaque c'est l'île natale d'Ulysse, île qu'il a mis 15 années à rejoindre après la guerre de Troie, faisant face à toute une série d'obstacles. J'avais en tête un film où un personnage fait une action continue, soit marche ou soit se rende d'un point A à Z et, durant ce voyage, différentes images de sa vie referaient surface, comme le voyage intérieur de quelqu'un qui se retourne sur sa vie. Aussi, mon père m'avait recopié le poème Ithaque de Constantin Cavafy, poète grec né à Alexandrie en Égypte. Ce poème a été écrit en 1911 et évoque le retour d'Ulysse sur son île natale et le poème est à la deuxième personne du singulier sur un ton assez impératif. Il dit à Ulysse et sous-entendu à chacun de nous, que lorsqu'on repart pour Ithaque, de souhaiter que la route soit longue et de profiter au maximum des différentes expériences et des choses qui se présentent à nous. Et, les démons et les monstres que l'on rencontrera sur notre passage, on les verra seulement si on les porte en nous, thème universel. C'est un poème que mon père aime beaucoup et qu'il m'avait fait partager. Alors je me suis inspiré de ce poème pour faire le film. J'ai choisi le train, car il implique une progression ; la fenêtre du train permettant de faire une association avec les images qui défilent. Au début le film devait être muet, le poème étant une inspiration pour moi. Plus tard, puisque le projet s'est échelonné sur plusieurs années, j'ai décidé de mettre le poème en trame sonore pour accompagner ce personnage dans son voyage physique et intérieur.
J.B.: Comment ton père est venu s'intégrer dans le projet ?
P.K.: Au début, je lui parlais beaucoup de cette idée de film et c'est un peu avec lui qu'on a décidé que le personnage principal soit dans un train plutôt que d'être en train de marcher. Pourtant, je ne savais pas que cela allait être lui (mon père) qui jouerait dans le film, mais peu à peu cela c'est... peut-être parce que le poème je le connaissais par lui... cela s'est imposé tout seul. Et puis je savais qu'il aimait jouer, il faisait des tragédies grecques à Loyola (Université Concordia), il était dans une troupe de théâtre pendant qu'il étudiait. Il aimait le jeu et aussi l'idée de faire le voyage en train ; on a traversé l'Europe, nous nous sommes rendus à Athènes ensemble et on a tourné juste nous deux, avec une Bolex et un trépied. Cela nous a beaucoup rapproché. Même si à l'époque l'idée de l'utiliser comme personnage central ne m'avait pas effleurée l'esprit, c'est devenu comme évident, sa physionomie étant très classique, presque grec ancien.
J.B.: Quand-est-ce que tu as commencé le tournage de ce film ?
P.K.: Les premières images ont été faites vers le début 1994.
J.B.: Ton financement ?
P.K.: Une bourse Exploration au CAC ensuite l'aide ACIC de l'ONF, ensuite une bourse en production au CAC et enfin le CALQ et la SODEC.
J.B.: Est-ce que ce film ressemble à ce que tu veux faire en cinéma et sais-tu à quoi ressemblera ton prochain projet ?
P.K.: J'ai déjà en tête un projet qui est à un état embryonnaire qui ressemblera au film précédent (Ithaque), car c'est définitivement ce langage que je pense développer, c'est à dire un cinéma peu narratif par les mots. Même si ici il y a le poème de Cavafy, on l'associe vraiment avec le personnage, à la limite cela pourrait être dans sa tête quand il est dans le train, mais ce n'est pas un poème qui illustre ce qui se passe dans le film, c'est à un autre niveau et c'est cet aspect là du cinéma qui m'intéresse. C'est de vraiment réussir à raconter des choses par des images, des associations d'images, tout ce langage poétique... je ne suis pas très intéressée par la parole, par la littérature au cinéma. Je trouve que l'on a assez de littérature pour ne pas être obligé d'illustrer toujours des livres ou bien de supporter par des images des choses très narratives, très claires... j'aime bien quand le spectateur est un peu plus actif quand lui peut faire ses associations, ses liens et quand l'expérience est plutôt émotive, sensuelle plutôt que cérébrale. Qu'on se demande pourquoi il (le personnage) fait ça, est-ce que c'est vraiment ça qu'il vit, est-ce que c'est dans sa tête, est-ce-qu'il a déjà vécu ça ? A la limite ce n'est pas important.
J.B.: Donc, tu as plus une démarche artistique que narrative ?
P.K.: Ce film a pris du temps à faire et j'avais une liberté totale, c'est moi qui ai tourné les images pour la plupart, et qui ai monté le film et cela a aussi pris du temps car il fallait que je travaille afin de pouvoir réussir à vivre, ce qui repoussait mon travail sur le film. Je trouvais que mon travail, pour ce film, ressemblait beaucoup plus aux arts plastiques qu'au cinéma comme tel... beaucoup de solitude face au médium, toujours en train de retrancher, rajouter, avec le temps que cela nécessite, cela ne s'est pas fait dans des conditions nécessairement rapide avec une structure clairement établie. D'ailleurs cela m'a pris beaucoup de temps de trouver la structure parce que je luttais les premiers mois de montage. Pour moi, il était clair que le tronc (du scénario), c'était l'homme qui voyage en train et les branches étaient les images inspirées de sa vie, du poème et de l'Odyssée (d'Homère)... il y a quelques allusions à l'Odyssée, comme les cochons...
J.B.: Est-ce que ce film est une de tes premières expériences artistiques, ou as-tu touché à d'autres domaines comme les arts plastiques ainsi que tu l'évoquais plus tôt ?
P.K.: Je n'ai pas touché à d'autres domaines dans les arts à part la photo qui est étroitement liée ; tu tournes les images du film et forcément les tics du photographe ressortent, cette façon de s'arrêter sur les choses, de les laisser bouger dans le cadre plutôt que d'être en train de bouger et de chercher ailleurs ce que l'on a devant soi. Cette façon de regarder vient de la photo, j'ai toujours été attirée par l'image, image qui pourrait raconter des choses sans avoir besoin de légende.
J.B.: Je suppose que c'est un goût qui se retrouve dans tes goûts personnels au cinéma ?
P.K.: Je suis attirée par les films où l'image est presque un personnage et je trouve que ce langage n'est pas assez exploité. Il y a des très bon cinéastes qui développent cette idée et c'est le genre de cinéastes dont j'aime le travail et qui malheureusement sont trop rares. Par contre, je peux aussi aimer les choses tout à l'inverse de ce que j'ai envie de faire, les films très verbomoteurs, du très très bon dialogue, mais je vais quand même avoir tendance à aimer les films très intimistes, les environnements à huis clos, je ne suis pas du genre à aimer les grandes épopées, j'aime les choses beaucoup plus contemplatives comme les premiers films d'Antonioni et les films d'Angelopoulos.
J.B.: Quelle a été l'implication de MAIN FILM dans ce projet ?
P.K.: Au départ je pensais utiliser l'équipement de MF et puis finalement je suis partie avec mon équipement et c'est surtout au niveau des dernières étapes que MF a été impliqué et particulièrement au niveau du montage sonore. Je n'avais pas de son synchro à part une scène qui avait été tournée avec une autre caméra (scène que je n'ai même pas utilisée). Esther Auger allait faire le montage sonore et elle n'était plus tellement intéressée à monter sur une Steenbeck, et j'étais au courant du nouvel équipement de montage sonore numérique de MF. On y a donc travaillé pendant 5 semaines au début de l'année, et l'équipement m'a permis d'essayer beaucoup de combinaisons et d'être en mesure de les entendre instantanément.
J.B.: Comment as-tu intégré le poème sur lequel tu t'es basée, est-ce ton père qui fait la narration dans le film ?
P.K.: Au début je n'étais pas sûre d'utiliser le poème en grec et sous-titrer le film, ou bien enregistrer la voix qui dit la traduction en français et éventuellement en anglais. Au moment de l'enregistrement on a fait les trois versions (grec, anglais et français) et suite au premier montage, j'ai décidé que c'était mieux d'avoir le texte en grec. Il n'y avait que le texte en grec sans sous-titre et les quelques personnes qui ont vu le film ont dit que même si elles ne comprenaient pas ce que le texte disait, la sonorité, la voix étaient très musicales et le fait que cela soit une langue que l'on connaît moins allait aussi avec les images. Mais moi c'était plus parce que j'avais envie de garder le texte original, la traduction ne rendant pas toujours le résultat escompté. Et finalement c'est ça, mon père a fait la narration en grec et j'ai fait sous-titré le film en français et en anglais. Le poème n'est pas très long, a peu près six paragraphes et il est presque dit en entier au début du film et ensuite certains passages sont repris. Je suis finalement très contente de ce choix, surtout avec la musique, les deux se mariant très bien.
J.B.: Pourra-t-on voir ton film bientôt ?
P.K.: Pour l'instant on n'a rien décidé quant à une sortie, une chose est sûre c'est que le film sera vu la première fois au Festival des films du monde. J'ai aussi envoyé le film en Grèce dans un festival de courts métrages à Drama près de Salonique qui a lieu fin septembre, j'aimerais beaucoup que le film soit montré en Grèce. Je l'envoie aussi à Mannhein en Allemagne, éventuellement faire une petite sortie ici à Montréal pendant quelque jours, probablement à l'automne, et le proposer à la télévision. C'est dur de savoir quelle réception il va avoir.
J.B.: Ton prochain projet ?
P.K.: Je voudrais commencer à écrire quelque chose dans les semaines qui suivent, j'aimerais faire quelque chose de court, vraiment court. Pas un court de 35 minutes, mais un court de 10 minutes. Je ne suis pas encore sûre, ce n'est même pas une idée
mais plus un sentiment, je sais ce que j'ai envie d'illustrer, maintenant...
(posted September 01,2002)
Copyright ©1996 - 2002 Turkish Cinema Newsletter, Washington D.C. / Powered by Nerede? Turkish Portal
HEJAR FILES (English / German / Turkish)
HEJAR FILES (English / German / Turkish)
Hejar Files and links are provided as a resource without editing and commentary.
Links: The Guardian Article
Hejar / Büyük Adam Küçük Ask (2001) 120 min. Turkish-Greek-Hungarian Co-Production Directed and Written by: Handan Ipekçi; Handan Ipekçi; Cinematography by: Erdal Kahraman.Art directed by:M. Ziya Ülkenciler,Natali Yeres Cast: Sükran Güngör (Rifat), Dilan Erçetin (Hejar), Füsun Demirel (Sakine), Yildiz Kenter(Müzeyyen), Ismail Hakki Sen (Evdo). Produced by:Yeni Yapim Film ve Reklamcilik Org. San. Tic. Ltd. Sti., Hyperion S.A.,Focus Film Ltd.; Release Date: Oct 19 2001 Turkey
Originally funded by Eurimages as "Cumhur Bey", the story is set between a retired and lonely judge (Güngör) preparing himself for a move to a retirement home and a 5 years old Kurdish girl Hejar (Erçetin) who lost all her family members during an operation. Their roads cross in Istanbul and they experience language barriers and initial mistrust. . First they have to learn each others language and than develop a friendship.
Monsieur Rifat, un juge à la retraite d'environ 75 ans, est prêt à aller vivre dans une maison pour personnes âgées. Ayant perdu sa famille au cours d'une opération militaire, Hejar, une jeune villageoise, est conduite par Abdülkadir, un habitant du même village, chez son oncle. Les chemins de Rifat et de Hejar se croisent à Istanbul. Mais la police fait une rafle dans la nouvelle maison de Hejar. Par miracle, la petite survit en se cachant dans l'armoire de la salle à manger. Sakine, la femme de ménage de Rifat, est en train de placer le sac d'ordures à l'entrée de l'appartement lorsqu'elle voit Hejar sortir de chez elle couverte de sang. Prise de panique, Sakine s'aperçoit quelques instants plus tard que Rifat est avec elle. Hejar est dans un tel état de choc que le vieil homme renonce à la livrer à la police. Il constate que la petite ne parle pas le turc. Elle est kurde. Il apprendra aussi que Sakine, sa femme de ménage depuis dix ans, en qui il a toujours eu confiance, est également kurde. À partir de ce moment, il défend à toutes les deux de parler leur langue. Mais à mesure que le temps passe, les rapports entre le vieil homme et la jeune fille deviennent plus solides. Chacun apprendra les rudiments de la langue de l'autre. Jusqu'au jour où une voisine de Rifat, du même âge et secrètement amoureuse de lui, pique une crise de jalousie et dénonce la petite à la police...
Biography
Born 1956 in Ankara she studied Broadcasting at Gazi Üniversity (Basin Yayin Yüksek Okulu Radyo Televizyon Yüksek Okulu),
Ipekci had her first experience of directing in 1993, when she made the documentary Kemencenin Turkusu' ('Song of the Kemence') scripted by the poet Yasar Mirac The following year, in 1994, she shot her first feature 'Babam Askerde' ('My Father's In The Military) which examined the 1980 military coup from the perspective of children. Unable to find a commercial distributor, lpekci took on the task herself and even then managed to score some 10,000 admissions. In her latest feature Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask- ('Hejar') feature once more takes up the themes of children and politics. With her choice of subject matter, the actors she works with and the style she has developed, Handan has has created her own breed of cinema - and one that is free of commercial concerns.
Après des études dans le domaine de la radio et de la télévision à la faculté de journalisme de l'Université Gazi, Handan Ipekçi tourne le documentaire Song of the Kemence (1993), suivi, un an plus tard, de DAD IS IN THE ARMY, son premier long métrage. Ses films, incluant HEJAR, ont obtenu de nombreuses récompenses cinématographiques en Turquie.
Filmography
1993 Song of the Kemence (Kemencenin Turkusu) Documentary
1994 Babam Askerde (Dad is in the Army) 86 min Feature Written by: Handan Ipekçi;Cinematography by: T. Firat Senol;Set Design by: Ayse Akillioglu Editing by: Nevzat Disiaçik; Music by: A. Sinan Hatipoglu; Cast:Yunus Gencer,Gülnihal Yazici,Ali Sürmeli,Ceylan Öcal, Füsun Demirel, Mehmet Atak, Yasemin Alkaya .
Berlin Film Festival
Screened in the Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival, 1995 (Vater ist beim Militär)
2001 Hejar / Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask (Great Man Little Love) 120 min. Feature
Awards
7th Ankara International Film Festival, 1995 Most Promising Director / Most Promising New Screenwriter,
Film Critics' Association, 1995 Best Screenplay / Best Supporting Actress,
'Accomplishment Award'of the Turkish Ministry at Culture, 1995
38th Antalya Film Festival, 2001 Best Film/ Best Screenplay/ Best Supporting Actress/ Best Supporting Actor Special Jury Award for the lead actress
13th Ankara Film Festival, 2001 Best Actor/ Best Supporting Actress/ Most Promising New Actress/
Film Critics' Association, 2002 Best Actor/ Best Supporting Actor/ Best Supporting Actress
Turkey's Best Foreign Film nominee for the 2002 Oscar Awards
WINNER OF BEST FILM AWARD OF 38th GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL "HEJAR/ BUYUK ADAM KUCUK ASK" IS OSCAR BOUND
Big Man Small Love /Büyük Adam Küçük Ask a Turkish-Greek-Hungarian Co-Production, directed by Handan Ipekçi was recently nominated by a unanimous decision to represent Turkey at the Academy Awards (Oscars) by:
Kadri Yurdatap, Union of Professional Owners of Cinema Works/ Sinema Eseri Sahipleri Meslek Birligi (SESAM);
Atilla Dorsay, The Association of Film Critics/Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi(SIYAD);
Biket Ilhan Belgin, Film Directors' Association/Film Yönetmenleri Dernegi (FILMYÖNDER);
Reis Çelik, Association of Film Producers/Film Yapimcilari Dernegi (FIYAP);
Selda Alkor, Cinema Actors' Association/Sinema Oyunculari Dernegi (SODER);
Kutay Köktürk, Cinema Actors' Association/Çagdas Sinema Oyunculari Dernegi (ÇASOD) -and-
Ahmet Servidal, Progressive Cinema Workers' Union / SINESEN
Academy President Frank Pierson announced that fifty-one countries have submitted films to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Academy Award® consideration as Best Foreign Language Film of 2001, It is the largest number of films ever entered in the competition, besting last year's record by five films.Films from Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania and Uruguay qualified this year for the first time.
See...the list of the Foreign Language Films
(February 12, 2002 / Hejar did not make the final nomination list.)
Turkey funds award-winning film... then bans it
Jonny Dymond in Istanbul / Tuesday March 5, 2002 / The Guardian
The Turkish ministry of culture has banned a film it partly funded, and which had been Turkey's hope to pick up an Oscar for best foreign film. Buyuk Adam, Kucuk Ask (Big Man, Small Love) has won a number of awards. But it has now been banned on the grounds that it highlights Kurdish nationalism and portrays the Turkish police in a poor light.
At the film's heart is the relationship between a nationalist, authoritarian judge and a five-year-old Kurdish orphan. The judge, who is the girl's neighbour, takes her in following a botched raid on her home by police who kill her guardian while looking for two Kurdish rebels hiding in the house.
Through their relationship the film explores the difficulties Turkey has living with its Kurdish minority of 12 million.
For 15 years in the 1980s and 1990s Turkey fought a bloody civil war in the south-east of the country with the Kurds. A ceasefire is in operation, but the Turkish state refuses to allow Kurds to broadcast in their own language or to educate their children in Kurdish.
The Turkish culture ministry partly funded the film with a grant of £20,000, and Turkey had put it forward as its candidate for the best foreign film in the Academy awards - although it was not selected.
The ministry said police had asked for the revocation of the film's licence because the film promoted a "chauvinistic" approach towards Kurdish iden tity and created the impression that police carried out extra-judicial killings.
Attila Dorsay, head of the Turkish film critics association, said: "The whole world will know that Turkey, which is trying to be a democratic country, has come down on this little film."
The Guardian Useful link Turkish Cinema Newsletter
Director slams Turkish film ban By the BBC's Johnny Dymond in Istanbul Wednesday, 6 March, 2002, 15:35 GMT
The director of a film banned by the Turkish government has condemned what she called a "prohibitive attitude against art" and called the decision to ban her film "unjust". The ban looks like a spectacular own goal: Handan Ipekci's Big Man, Small Love was partly funded by the Turkish Culture Ministry and was Turkey's official nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. It has also been released outside Turkey under the title Hejar. The film was ordered to be withdrawn from Turkish cinemas on Sunday. Big Man, Small Love tells the story of how a five-year-old Kurdish girl is taken in by a retired Turkish judge when a police raid on her home goes wrong, killing her guardian. She speaks no Turkish, and he speaks no Kurdish. Their evolving relationship is a metaphor for the relationship that Turkey has with its 12 million strong Kurdish community. Turkey fought a 15-year civil war over Kurdish autonomy in the 1980's and 1990's, during which between 30,000 and 40,000 were killed as Kurdish paramilitaries clashed with Turkish security forces.
Handan Ipekci: Decision "unjust"
The Turkish government still refuses to grant Kurds the right to broadcast or teach in their own language. Big Man, Small Love has been on general release for six months and more than 100,000 people have seen it in Turkey. But it was banned on Sunday because it portrayed the police in a poor light and because it is "chauvinistic" about Kurdish nationalism. At the beginning of the film the police are shown carrying out a cold-blooded killing. The police complained about the scene. The film has won a string of awards in Turkey, including some of the country's most prestigious prizes.
'Ethnic differences'
It was named as Turkey's candidate for an Oscar nomination, although it wasn't selected for the final shortlist. Handan Ipekci, the film's director, said on Wednesday that the film "underlines the fact that people can live together on this land despite all ethnic differences". She was careful not attack Turkey's culture minister, who is sympathetic to the creative community. But she did say that had he seen the film, then "he'd not be in a position to support this prohibitive mentality". Fusun Demirel, the lead actress in the film, was more damning. She asked: "How can a work of art harm society, provoke crime or encourage separatism? "What kind of a system is this that does not let its artists open their eyes?"
Harm
Attila Dorsay, the head of the Turkish Film Critics Association said he was surprised by the ban, given that so few films had been banned for political reasons over the past ten years, even when the war with Kurds was at it's most difficult.
The ban could only harm Turkey, he said. "From now on it will be an international matter - the whole world will know that Turkey, which is trying to be a democratic country, has come down on this little film." The committee which decides whether or not art should be censored in Turkey has seven members - three drawn from the artistic community and four from the government. At the news conference - which doubled as an open meeting of Istanbul's creative community - one committee member announced that she was resigning - and said that another colleague of hers was also going to resign.
Interview with the director of "Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask" Handan Ipekci "In spite of differences we described our dream of living together in peace like brothers."
Mustafa Ustun (Turkish Daily News)
At the 38th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Handan Ipekci's "Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask" (Big Man, Small Love) film took the best film, best scenario, best supporting actress, and best supporting male prizes, and also the jury special award for the small actress Dilan Ercetin.
Handan Ipekci who described the pains in the aftermath of September 12 coupe with her first film "Babam Askerde" from a child's eye, reflected her views about the "love or leave it" period in the 90's Turkey again from a child's eye with her second film "Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask". The film is about a 5 year old girl, Hejar (Dilan Ercetin), who doesn't know any language other than Kurdish and lost all her family during an attack to their village. Hejar is later brought to the house of one of her family's friend in the city and luckily survives from an attack made on the house while the rest of the people in the house die. Hejar who is left with no one, calls for help from the neighbour, a retired judge Mr. Rifat (Sukran Gungor) and starts to live with him. Life of Mr. Rifat who is waiting for death, living alone and making preparations to live in an old peoples home, changes with this compulsory guest. The period which shows how Mr. Rifat doesn't let the small girl to talk Kurdish in the house but later starts to learn his small friend's language is told in the film. The film presents the dream of people who want to live in peace as brothers in the same country.
IPEKCI: We held an interview with Handan Ipekci who is the scenarist, producer and director of this beautiful film.
TDN: First of all what made you write a scenario like this ?
IPEKCI: In spite of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, the situation in Turkey was very saddening. There was the Susurluk Scandal on one hand, and on the other people were killing each other in the East and Southeastern Anatolia. These forced me to write a scenario like this.
TDN: How do you explain the being of your film on the problem of language? Do you believe that all the problems of the period belong to language?
IPEKCI: If a language can't be destroyed through the years, I believe that this is an important clue. Turkish never died although the Ottoman rulers were using Arabic and Persian , and Kurdish is still a live language today like Turkish. Millions of people use Kurdish. As those people use Kurdish to represent themselves and show their identities with it, Kurdish is an important factor in this film.
TDN: I guess this is the first film about native language problems in Turkey. What you mean here is not the same with the film "Fotograf" which concentrates on the production language.
IPEKCI: Yes, it is the first example.
TDN: Seven out of 11 films which attended the 38th Golden Orange Film Festival take place in the East or Southeast Anatolian region or are related to that geography. I thought that making films about these regions is more interesting and brings more money to the producers. Am I right?
IPEKCI: Cinema is a commercial sector. When you produce a film you create an art work, but you receive the money which you've spent. If the money doesn't come in you'll have difficulties in making a new film. I am talking as a producer not as a director. So, you may be right. If Turkey has suffered those problems, I believe that those should be shown to the audience. Some of the films will be honest, some of them will be for just earning money, but the audience knows the truth. This is important.
TDN: The audience understands it by feeling it. Most of the people who watched your film couldn't help crying.
IPEKCI: Actually I didn't produced that film to make people cry. I wrote it by feeling it, it is directly reflected to the audience.
TDN: What kind of a duty does your film carry in uniting people who differ in language and culture?
IPEKCI: If after watching the film people will start to think that they may live together in peace, this will be important for me. When writing the film that was what I thought. If my view can be understood by the audience this means I've achieved my aim. There will be people who won't like the film and react. I presented the film to people who are nearly at the point of hate against each other. How many people will watch the film, will it achieve its aims or would it mean anything to people? Time will give the answers to those questions.
TDN: What should be done to create the living conditions with people different from us? Or do all of us have to wait for a "Hejar" in front of our doors?
IPEKCI: I -- as a director -- brought Hejar to your doors. You saw her, the audience will also see her. All I can do is that. We saw that neither saying "Love it or leave it" nor taking the weapons and going to the mountains is the solution. So we should discuss what can we do for living in peace, how can we understand each other and think about it.
TDN: Is the reason for your meeting Hejar with Mr. Rifat to give political messages by using emotional relations?
IPEKCI: Actually this seems easy but it is not in reality. When you make a political film it is hard to make it basic. You are trying to say something without using the slogans. But you try to do it by using daily relations. Of course the child makes everything easier but also makes it a little harder in my opinion.
TDN: What does the "Kucuk Ask" (Small Love) reflect in the name of the film?
IPEKCI: Here I wanted the name of the film a bit attractive. This is our aim. I both explained the film in its name and also wanted it to be attractive. Small love presents the relation between Hejar and Mr. Rifat.
TDN: After watching the film I thought that if we take the parts which show the relation between Mr.Rifat and his neighbour Mrs. Muzeyyen, the film wouldn't loose anything.
IPEKCI: It is an ornament. The film takes place in the city, it shows how lonely people are. Mr. Rifat is alone, he is planning to live in an old peoples home and is waiting for his death. I wanted to reflect the loneliness of Mr. Rifat while showing his relation with Mrs. Muzeyyen. But of course, the film wouldn't lose anything without her.
TDN: Dilan Ercetin is very successful in her first experience in acting. Sukran Gungor and her were a very harmonized couple.
IPEKCI: I warned Sukran Gungor in the beginning; there will be a child in front of you and 90 percent of the scenes will be shot with her. Children act naturally, they don't exaggerate. Gungor also had to play naturally. Because of being a professional actor he quickly concentrated, but he had a hard job, he showed great patience. In this way it was a hard production, when you say "action!" the child leaves you suddenly by saying "I'm going, I have stomachache, I am bored etc....." It is hard to motivate the children.
TDN: Is it an advantage you being a mother also in motivating and directing child actors?
IPEKCI: In my first film my being of a mother helped me a lot because one of the stories in the film carried examples from my life and my son's life. It makes my job easier to have children in both of my films. I am using the advantage of being a mother. I know how to deal with children both in cinema and in daily life.
TDN: How does your son see you as a director, does he like your films?
IPEKCI: After watching the first film he told me that if the same film had been made in the United States it would of definitely won Oscars. This was right. Under those circumstances it was a successful film.
TDN: What will be the next step for this film?
IPEKCI: The film will start to be shown in Turkey on October 19. Also I will apply to the Berlin and Ankara Film Festivals.
TDN: What was the cost of this film?
IPEKCI: The film was made with contributions from the Greek Film Center, Eurimaje and Culture Ministry. It cost 960,000 Euros.
TDN: Finally, what do you think about the reactions to your film?
IPEKCI: Many congratulated me. People celebrate me from the heart, even one of the audience couldn't talk because of crying. The reaction of the audience was very good at the opening. This is more important than to win a prize. This is the most enjoying part.
Scandal: The film "Big Man, Little Love" Apparent Metaphor for Kurdish Resistance
A film is again causing a commotion in Turkey. This time it concerns the film "Big Man, Little Love" about the love of a retired judge for a Kurdish girl. Scandal No. 1: two college teachers who were the authors of an English text of a brochure for a film festival in Antalya referred to "a five year old girl from Kurdistan", and lost their jobs as a result. "Kurdistan" is a taboo word in Turkey! The festival committee, who traced the oversight back to pressure of time, immediately stopped the distribution of the brochures. The film won the "Golden Orange" in 5 categories at the 38th Film Festival in Antalya.
Scandal No. 2: the Culture Ministry had granted the film a subsidy of 45 billion Lira. The film has already been successful at the cinema. The Turkish media had promoted the film.
Scandal No.3: the film only superficially deals with the love of the retired judge Rifat Beny for the 5-year-old Kurdish girl Hejar. The film, its characters and their treatment is a metaphor for the situation of the Kurdish people, symbolised by Hejar, and their resistance to the Turkish state, symbolised by Rifat Bey. The film's message is: acknowledge the reality of the Kurds! Following this somewhat late appreciation of the film, the newspaper "Star" has called on culture minister Istemihan Talay to make a statement on the scandals. (sources: Cumhuriyet, 05.12.01; NRZ, 06.12.01; Star, 11.12.01)
Film on Turkish- Kurdish language divide is a hit in Turkey
Hejar, a 5-year old Kurdish girl, escapes a bloody police raid on a relative's home and ends up under the protection of a 75-year-old retired Turkish judge. The girl cannot speak Turkish, and the authoritarian judge objects to the use of Kurdish in his house. Partly sponsored by the government, the movie about their tense relationship and the old man's gradual questioning of Turkey's strict one-language policy has won over moviegoers here. "Big Man, Small Love" reflects a more relaxed attitude toward Kurdish language and cultural expression, and is Turkey's selection to compete for the foreign-film category of the Oscars. The movie includes bits of dialogue in Kurdish with Turkish subtitles. Kurdish is still banned in formal settings and in education in Turkey; a recent plea by Kurdish university students that the government allow the language to be taught on campus has landed on deaf ears. But things have loosened up since the days when Turkey's estimated 12 million Kurds - nearly a fifth of the population - were banned from speaking Kurdish under a policy enforced from 1983 to 1991. The film won five awards at the Antalya Film Festival, Turkey's leading film awards, including best film and best screenplay. Turkey's top movie critic, Atilla Dorsay, calls it "the most important production of contemporary Turkish cinema. I don't recall ever seeing such a Turkish film." (ap/ie)
Film on Turkish-Kurdish language divide is a hit in Turkey Associated Press Jan 4, 2002
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Hejar, a 5-year old Kurdish girl, escapes a bloody police raid on a relative's home and ends up under the protection of a 75-year-old retired Turkish judge.
The girl cannot speak Turkish, and the authoritarian judge objects to the use of Kurdish in his house.
Partly sponsored by the government, the movie about their tense relationship and the old man's gradual questioning of Turkey's strict one-language policy has won over moviegoers here. ``Big Man, Small Love'' reflects a more relaxed attitude toward Kurdish language and cultural expression, and is Turkey's selection to compete for the foreign-film category of the Oscars. The movie includes bits of dialogue in Kurdish with Turkish subtitles. Kurdish is still banned in formal settings and in education in Turkey; a recent plea by Kurdish university students that the government allow the language to be taught on campus has landed on deaf ears. But things have loosened up since the days when Turkey's estimated 12 million Kurds - nearly a fifth of the population - were banned from speaking Kurdish under a policy enforced from 1983 to 1991.
In the film, Hejar ends up with a relative in Istanbul after her parents are killed in their village in clashes between government forces and Kurdish rebels. The relative is sheltering two fugitive rebels, and all three are killed when police raid the home. Hejar escapes by hiding in a cabinet. Horrified at the extra-judicial killings, the judge takes Hejar in while he tries to decide whether to hand her over to police or look for her other relatives. Many girls in villages in Turkey's impoverished and mainly Kurdish southeast speak only Kurdish, a language related to Farsi. The judge, however, refuses to believe that Hejar cannot speak Turkish, and he bans the little girl and his Kurdish maid, Sakine, from conversing in Kurdish. ``Don't let me hear you speak Kurdish again,'' the judge, played by actor Sukran Gungor, tells the woman in one scene. Like Turkey itself, however, the old man eventually mellows and even learns some Kurdish words. ``Negri!'' (``Don't cry'' in Kurdish) he pleads with Hejar.
Recently, Turkey's parliament, under European Union pressure, partially lifted a constitutional ban on broadcasts in Kurdish, but security forces can still order broadcasts off the air for security reasons. Restrictions on Kurdish stem from the government's fear that granting cultural rights to Kurds would divide the country along ethnic lines and amount to concessions to the rebels who have waged a 15-year war for autonomy. The fighting has claimed 37,000 lives. A unilateral rebel cease-fire declared in 1999 has reduced clashes to a trickle, prompting the easing of attitudes on language.
In the movie, Hejar (played by 6-year-old Dilan Ercetin) repeatedly screams obscenities in Kurdish. Turkish subtitles appear on the screen, prompting chuckles from one recent audience in Ankara. ``I can identify with the judge,'' said Pinar Ayaz, a student. ``So many of us have difficulty accepting that some people in the east cannot speak Turkish. Our mentalities are now slowly changing.'' The movie's writer and director, Handan Ipekci, a relative newcomer to Turkish cinema, said the violence in the southeast inspired her to tell this tale and base it on the language divide. ``It was a difficult time, people were killing each other, I thought something had to be done,'' Ipekci said in an interview.
The Ministry of Culture contributed some dlrs 30,000 while Euroimages, which sponsors European films, provided the rest of the dlrs 850,000 budget. The film won five awards at the Antalya Film Festival, Turkey's leading film awards, including best film and best screenplay. Turkey's top movie critic, Atilla Dorsay, calls it ``the most important production of contemporary Turkish cinema. I don't recall ever seeing such a Turkish film.''
Türkei verbietet Oscar-Hoffnung www.netzeitung.de / (05. Mär 2002)
«Buyuk Adam, Kucuk Ask» (Großer Mann, kleine Liebe) war die türkische Hoffnung, endlich einen Oscar als bester ausländischer Film zu gewinnen. Doch in der Türkei selbst wurde der Film jetzt verboten.
Auf dem 38. Antalya Film Festival bekam «Buyuk Adam, Kucuk Ask» einen Preis für das beste Drehbuch. Einen extra Jury-Preis gab es dann noch für den Darsteller Dilan Erçetin. Rund 30.000 Euro hatte das türkische Kultusministerium an Fördermitteln an die Regisseurin Handan Ipkeci gezahlt, damit die ihren Film realisieren konnte. Selbst bei den Oscars sollte der Film antreten, doch schaffte er es nicht einmal bis zu einer Nominierung. Jetzt hat sich das Kultusminiserium das Werk noch einmal näher angeschaut und verboten. Begründung: Der Film fördere den Nationalismus der Kurden und stelle die türkische Poizei zu negativ dar.
Polizei sorgte für Verbot
«Buyuk Adam, Kucuk Ask» erzählt die Geschichte eines fünf Jahre alten kurdischen Waisenkindes, das Aufnahme bei einem autoritären, nationalistischen türkischen Richter findet. Zuvor war die Polizei bei ihrer Suche nach kurdischen Rebellen brutal gegen den ursprünglichen Vormund der Fünfjährigen vorgegangen.
Der Film wurde von vielen Kritikern als eindrucksvolle Aufarbeitung des türkisch-kurdischen Konflikts gewertet.
Das Kultusministerium hat den Film nach Angaben des britischen «Guardian» unter anderem auf Veranlassung der Polizeibehörden in Istanbul verboten. Dort habe man sich wegen der «verharmlosenden Darstellung der Kurden» und der «falschen Brutalität» der türkischen Polizei über den Film beschwert.
Attila Dorsay, Vorsitzender des türkischen Filmkritiker-Verbandes, kritisierte das Film-Verbot scharf. Der «Guardian» zitierte Dorsay: «Die ganze Welt wird jetzt erfahren, dass die Türkei, die vorgibt demokratisch zu sein, kleine Filme verbieten muss.»
Informationen über den Film beim Turkish Cinema Newsletter
Szene aus türkischem Film 'Großer Mann, kleine Liebe' Foto: Turkish Cinema Newsletter
http://www.info.partisan.net/ (05. Mär 2002)
Polizei- und Zensurstaat Türkei: Die türkische Regierung hat einen Film wegen «separatistischer Propaganda» aus den Kinos verbannt. Zuvor hatte die Polizei kritisiert, dass der Beitrag «Großer Mann, kleine Liebe» das Verbot der kurdischen Sprache in Frage stelle. Der Film enthält einige Dialoge auf Kurdisch mit türkischen Untertiteln. Der Film erzählt die Geschichte eines fünf Jahre alten kurdischen Mädchens, das einer blutigen Polizeirazzia entkommt und von einem türkischen Richter aufgenommen wird. Das Kultusministerium hatte das Werk ursprünglich gefördert, zog es jedoch jetzt aus sämtlichen Kinos zurück. Die kurdische Sprache darf seit 1991 wieder in der Türkei gesprochen werden; sie darf jedoch im Unterricht und in den Medien nicht verwendet werden.
Kurdenkind im türkischen Kino: "Großer Mann, kleine Liebe"
CHRISTIANE SCHLÖTZER
Süddeutsche Zeitung / Thursday, December 13, 2001
Kleine Mädchen können so stur sein. Hejar, das kurdische Kind, will dem fremden Mann, der es beschützt, nicht einmal seinen Namen sagen. Denn der alte Mann spricht nur türkisch. Kein kurdisches Wort kommt ihm über die Lippen, schließlich ist er Beamter, ein Richter " zwar pensioniert, aber ein überzeugter Kemalist ist immer im Dienst. Nur Putzfrauen sprechen kurdisch in solchen Haushalten " wenn es der Bey, der Herr, nicht hört. Dann aber kommt der Tag, da gibt der versteinerte Mann doch nach, er will endlich mit dem Kind reden können, und so lernt er das kurdische Wort für Wolke, Welle und Wind.
Eine simple Geschichte, aber weil das in der Türkei von heute spielt, mitten in Istanbul, ist der Film der jungen Regisseurin Handan Ipekci eine kleine Sensation. Die ersten Bildern zeigen eine brutale Polizeiaktion gegen Terroristen " wie Ankara alle Anhänger der kurdischen PKK nennt. Zeuge des Geschehen in der "Terroristenwohnung" wird die sechsjährige Hejar. Sie versteckt sich, muss aber mit ansehen, wie eine verletzte Frau exekutiert wird. Blutbeschmiert steht das Mädchen dann vor der Tür nebenan " der des alten Richters. Dilan Ercetin spielt das sture stumme Kind so zart und intensiv, dass jedes Wort, um das Hejar schließlich mit dem Richter ringt, wie der Ausbruch eines kleinen Vulkans wirkt. Sie spuckt ihm ihre Schimpfworte ins Gesicht, aber er versteht nicht, bis er die Putzfrau um Nachhilfe bittet. "Weine nicht", ist das erste, was er auf Kurdisch herauspresst.
"Büyük Adam, Kücük Ask/Großer Mann, kleine Liebe" hat im Oktober den ersten Preis beim Filmfestival im türki-schen Antalya gewonnen und im Dezember drei Schauspielerpreise beim Internationalen Filmfest in Ankara. Nun ist der Film, der mit einem Budget von nur zwei Millionen Mark gedreht wurde, als türkischer Beitrag für den besten ausländischen Film im Oscar-Rennen nominiert. Ipekci " es ist erst ihr zweiter Spielfilm " ist keine Kurdin, und sie betont, sie habe einen "türkischen Film" gedreht: "Was ich erzähle, ist ein Problem der Türken und der Kurden." Ihr Thema ist die Kommunikationslosigkeit zwischen den sozialen Gruppen in der türkischen Gesellschaft und deren Tabus. Dazu gehört auch die Einsamkeit. Des Richters Sohn ist in Deutschland, die Ehefrau tot. Einsam ist auch Hejars Onkel, weil seine Söhne tot sind. "Zwischen die Fronten geraten" seien sie, erzählt er dem Richter, in einem Slum am Rand der Stadt.
Ipekci ist es gelungen, zwei Jahre nach Ende des Kurden-Krieges die sozialen Wüsten, die dieser Konflikt hinterließ, auf einfühlsame Weise zu zeigen " und durchaus mit Ironie und Witz. Nach "Zeit der trunkenen Pferde", dem großartigen Film des iranischen Regisseurs Bahman Ghobadi, der in türkischen Kinos Triumphe feierte und auch in Deutschland zu sehen war, ist dies der zweite Film, in dem das Kurdische nicht nur gesprochen (und türkisch untertitelt!) wird, sondern eine zentrale Rolle spielt " und der erste, der in der Türkei gedreht wurde.
Ödüllü filme yasak Hurriyet Daily, Turkey / Kültür Sanat 04.03.2002
Basta Altin Portakal olmak üzere bu yil bir çok ödülü kazanan "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmi, Kültür Bakanligi tarafindan yasaklandi. Bakanlik filme 45 milyar lira destek vermisti. Handan ipekçi'nin yönettigi filmin basrollerinde Sükran Göngür ile küçük oyuncu Dilan Erçetin yeraliyor.
Kültür Bakanligi 45 milyar lira destek verdigi, "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmini yasakladi.
Yönetmenligini Handan Ipekçi'nin yaptigi, Sükran Güngör, Füsun Demirel, Yildiz Kenter ve küçük oyuncu Dilan Erçetin'in rol aldigi film daha önce Bakanligin Sansür Kurulu tarafindan incelenmis ve vizyona girmesine izin verilmisti. 19 Ekim 2001'de gösterime giren ve bugüne kadar toplam 102 bin kisinin izledigi, "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" geçtigimiz persembe günü toplanan Üst Kurul tarafindan yeniden incelenerek gösterim izni iptal edildi. Kültür Bakanligi böylece çekilmesi için 25 milyari karsiliksiz, 20 milyari da kredi olarak toplam 45 milyar destek verdigi filmi yasaklamis oldu. Filmin yönetmeni Handan Ipekçi, henüz yasagi kendisine yaziyla bildirilmedigini, ancak baska bir is için Bakanligi aradiginda alinan karari ögrendigini söyledi. "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmi, anne ve babasini Güneydogu'da kaybetmis bir küçük kizin, Istanbul'da yaninda kaldigi akrabalarinin da bir polis baskiniyla öldürülmesinden sonra kapi komsusu emekli hakimin evine siginmasiyla basliyor. Türkçe'den baska bir dille konusulmasina izin vermeyen emekli hakim ile Kürtçe'den baska dil bilmeyen küçük kizin zamanla gelisen sicak dostluklari filmin konusunu olusturuyor.
Kültür Bakanligi'nin yasakladigi "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmi bu yil sinema meslek örgütleri tarafindan Oscar ödüllerinde Türkiye'yi temsil edecek film seçilmisti. Toplam 51 ülkenin filmleriyle "Yabanci Film" dalinda aday adayi olarak yarisacak olan film, ilk bese kalirsa Oscar için büyük bir avantaj yakalamis olacak. Kültür Bakanligi ayrica her yil Oscar'a aday olan filmlerin Amerika'daki tanitim faaliyetleri için verdigi destegi bu yil "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmine vermemisti.
BIA (Istanbul) - "Büyük adam, küçük ask" filminin yasaklanmasini yönetmen Ipekçi üzüntüyle karsiladi.BIA Haber Merkezi / 04.03.2002
Yasaklamayi, oyuncu Demirel, "ülkenin ayibi" olarak yorumlarken, Ercan Karakas, "sanat eserlerine sansür uygulanmasi gerekçesi ne olursa olsun kabul edilemez" dedi. Yönetmenligini Handan Ipekçi'nin yaptigi filmi Sinema, Video, Müzik Eserleri Denetleme Kurulu'nca 2 Mart 2002'de yasaklandi. Filmde baslica rolleri Sükran Güngör,Dilan Erçetin, Füsun Demirel,Yildiz Kenter ve Ismail Hakki Sen paylasiyor. Denetleme Kurulu, Milli Güvenlik Kurulu (MGK) Genel Sekreterligi,Milli Egitim, Içisleri ve Kültür bakanliklariyla, sektör temsilcilerinden olusuyor. Karar, üçe karsi dört oyla alindi. Emniyet Genel Müdürlügü'nün Kültür Bakanligi Telif Haklari Genel Müdürlügü'ne "yargisiz infaz yapildigi gerekçesiyle" filmin yeniden denetlenmesi için basvurmustu.
Hem Antalya hem SIYAD
Bes yasindaki bir Kürt kiziyla emekli bir yargicin öyküsünün anlatildigi film Antalya Film Festivali'nde en "iyi film", "en iyi senaryo", "en iyi yardimci kadin oyuncu","en iyi yardimci erkek oyuncu" ve "çocuk oyuncu jüri özel" ödülleriyle, Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi'nin (SIYAD) "en iyi yardimci kadin" ve "en iyi yardimci erkek" ödüllerini almisti. Filmi, birkaç ay içinde 110 bin kisinin izledigi açiklandi.
Ipekçi: Üzgünüm
Filmin yönetmeni Handan Ipekçi,henüz yazili bir açiklama almadiklarini belirterek, "eger böyle bir sey varsa üzgünüm. Daha genis açiklamayi resmi yazidan sonra yapacagim"dedi. Antalya Film Festivali'nde, filmdeki rolüyle "en iyi yardimci kadin oyuncu" ödülünü alan Füsun Demirel, "bir ülkede hangi gerekçeyle olursa olsun bir sanat eserinin yasaklanmasi o ülkenin ayibidir. Bu yasak Türkiye halkina verilmistir" açiklamasini yapti.
Kendi görüslerine uymazsa
Sosyal Demokrasi Vakfi (SODEV) Genel Baskani Karakas, yasaklamayi kinarken "sinema meslek birliklerinin oy birligiyle Türkiye'yi temsilen Oscar'a gönderilen 'Büyük Adam Küçük Ask' filmi bir sanat eseridir" dedi. "Yönetim kendi görüslerine uymayan sanat eserlerini yasaklama hakkina sahip degildir." Karakas, eski bir kültür bakani olarak, Kültür Bakanligi'nin, sansürcü zihniyetin mahkum edilmesi için öncülük etmek durumundayken, filmin adina ve içerigine iliskin olumsuz görüsler açiklamasini kabul edilemez buldugunu açikladi. (NM)
SIYAD'dan film yasaklamaya kinama
Yönetmenligini Handan Ipekçi'nin yaptigi "Büyük Adam Küçük Ask" filminin yasaklanmasina Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi'nden (SIYAD) kinama geldi. Dernek Baskani Atilla Dosay imzasiyla bir bildiri yayinlayan SIYAD, yasaklama kararini 'vahim bir yanlis' olarak nitelendirdi.
SIYAD'in bildirisi söyle: "Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi olarak (SIYAD), "Büyük Adam Küçük Ask" filmine getirilen son yasagi çok vahim bir yanlis olarak görüyor ve kiniyoruz.
Bu film, ilk katildigi senlik olan Antalya'dan beri farkli yapilardaki çesitli kurullardan ödüller almistir. Antalya ve Ankara festivalleri, SIYAD ödülleri, Oscar ödülleri için Türk filmi seçme kurulu gibi çesitli kuruluslardan gelen bu ödüller ve degerlendirmeler ve ayrica 100 bini askin seyirci sayisi, filmin Türkiye'deki aydin kesim ve de aydin seyirci tarafindan begenildigini, onaylandigini ve önemsendigini göstermektedir.
Üstelik bu kurullar arasinda bizzat bakanligin olusturdugu iki ayri kurul vardir : Film Denetleme Alt kurulu ve Oscar için Türk filmi seçme kurulu. Bakanlik tarafindan olusturulmus baska bir kurulun oy çokluguyla getirdigi yasak karari ise, Ekim 2001'den beri süregelen tüm bu degerlendirmeleri bilmezden gelmektedir. Alinan son karara göre, tüm bu kurullarin ve de 100 bini aski seyircinin, "ya gaflet, ya delalet, ya da hiyanet içinde" bulunmasi gerekmektedir.
Çok açiktir ki, eger ortada bir bölücülük eylemi varsa, bu eylem son alinan kararin ruhunda gizlidir. Filmin kendisiyse, bizce bölücülük degil, tam tersine birlestiricilik yapmakta, bu dönemde en çok ihtiyaç duyulan bir mesaji vermekte ve Türk ve Kürt asilli vatandaslarimizin birbirlerini daha iyi tanima, anlama ve iletisim kurma zorunlulugunun altini çizmektedir.
Bu karar, süphe yoktur ki tüm Bati sanat ve siyaset çevrelerinde büyük yanki yapacak ve Türkiye'nin Avrupa'yla bütünlesme çabalarina bir baska darbe olusturacaktir. Sayin Kültür Bakaninin bu konuda inisiyatifi eline almasini, öncelikle ne yapip edip "filmi görmesini" ve yetkisini kullanarak bu yanlis karari iptal etmesini bekliyoruz.
‘Yasak’ yönetmeni aglatti Birsen Altuntas / Milliyet Daily, Turkey 07.03.2002 / Kültür Sanat
Büyük Adam Küçük Ask’in yasaklanmasi sinamacilari ayaga kaldirirken, yönetmeni destek konusmalari sirasinda gözyaslarina hâkim olamadi
Türkiye’yi Oscar Ödülleri’nde temsil eden "Büyük Adam Küçük Ask" filminin vizyondan çiktiktan aylar sonra polise hakaret ettigi gerekçesiyle yasaklanmasi, sinemacilari ayaga kaldirdi. Sinema Eserleri Meslek Birligi’nde basin toplantisi düzenleyen ve yasagin kaldirilmasi ile ilgili hukuk mücadalesine baslayacagini açiklayan filmin yönetmeni Handan Ipekçi’ye bütün sinema örgütleri ve sanatçilar destek verdi.
Kültür Bakanligi’na kizgin olmadigini ancak Bakan Istemihan Talay’a filmi izlemedigi için kirgin oldugunu anlatan Ipekçi, zaman zaman kendisine yapilan destek konusmalari sirasinda gözyaslarina hâkim olamadi. Yildiz Kenter, 3 kere evi soyuldugu zaman bir polisin, "Dua edin de tecavüz etmemisler’ dedigini hatirlatarak, ‘Bu zihniyetteki bir polise nasil güvenirsin. Filmdeki üniformayi küçük kizin itmesine tepki gösteriyorlar, hangimiz polis üniformasindan korkmadik" diye konustu.
Toplanti sirasinda Rutkay Aziz ile ayni zamanda filmin yasaklandigi Denetleme Kurulu’nda görev yapan yönetmen Yilmaz Atadeniz arasinda tartisma yasandi. Selda Alkor’un yazili bir açiklama göndererek Denetleme Kurulu’ndan istifa ettigini belirtmesi üzerine istifa etmenin degil, mücadele etmenin çözüm oldugunu savunan Atadeniz’e Aziz tepki gösterdi. Aziz, kurulun tamamen kaldirilmasini istedi.
Kürt kizinin fendi...Milliyet Daily, Istanbul, Turkey Jan 06, 2002
Yalniz ve yasli bir adamla, kimsesiz ve çaresiz Kürt kizinin iliskisi bir ask öyküsünü andiriyor, zor ve hazin bir aski
06 Ocak 2002 Pazar
Büyük adam, emekli yargiç Rifat Bey. Prensip sahibi bir Kemalist aydin. Eli kalem tutan bir Cumhuriyet okuru. Subay oglu Amerika’da. Esi ölmüs. Ev islerini yapan Sakine’den baska gelen gideni yok. Dul komsusu Müzeyyen Hanim’in ilgisi ise onu utandiriyor.
Küçük ask, kimsesiz Kürt kizi Hejar. Çaresiz ama onurlu ve inatçi bir çocuk. Yoksul ve yasli Evdo amcasi onu bir avukat akrabasina teslim eder. Iki teröriste yataklik eden avukat hanim, polis baskininda öldürülünce kapi komsusu Rifat Bey, polisin gözünden kaçan yarali Hejar’a kol kanat gerer. Daha bes yasinda canini kurtarmayi ögrenmistir bu kara üzüm tanesi.
Handan Ipekçi’nin yer yer fazlasiyla dokunakli filmi, taban tabana zit iki kisinin ask öyküsünü anlatiyor. Yasli adamla küçük kiz arasindaki çatisma ve inatlasmaya ancak bir ask iliskisinde rastlanabilir. Hejar Türkçe, Rifat da haliyle Kürtçe bilmiyor. "Vatandas Türkçe konus!" ekolünden gelen, 1980 öncesi CHP tarzi solcu, halinden tavrindan Istanbullu oldugu belli bir kentlidir Rifat Bey. Üstelik hümanist degerlerin disinda Kürtlere, Dogululara "müsamaha" göstermez. Kimlik sorununun ne oldugundan habersiz yasta bir Kürt kizinin da oldugundan baska türlü davranmasi mümkün degil. Her türlü donanimina karsin Rifat’in eli kolu bagli! Bes yasindaki kara üzüm tanesine asik olmanin önüne geçemez, izleyici de öyle. Hejar, küçük, masum, güzel ve savunmasiz. Onu sevmemek olanaksiz.
Dersimiz Kürtçe
Önceleri Sakine’nin bile Kürtçe konusmasina izin vermeyen Rifat Bey, askina karsilik görmek için sözcükler ögrenecek, Hejar annesini özleyip hiçkira hiçkira agladiginda (ve izleyiciyi de aglattiginda) "Negri..." (Aglama) diye yalvaracak ona. Rifat Bey’deki degisimden cesaret alan Sakine yillar sonra ona gerçek adinin Rojbin oldugunu söyleyecek (filmin doruk noktasi).
"Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" bir yandan çok etkileyici bir film. Öte yandan, mainstream sinemaya özgü ‘atraksiyon’lar filmin baslangiçtaki gücünü zayiflatiyor. Film, Rifat Bey gibi yumusuyor. Hejar’a 012 Benetton’dan alinan sik giysiler, bir et lokantasinda garsonun verdigi çikolatayi çaldigini sanmasi, birlikte deniz yolculugu yaparken çiglik çigliga marti efektlerinin kullanilmasi vb. filmi süsleyen islevsiz sahneler. Müzeyyen Hanim ile Rifat Bey’in flörtü ise hiç kullanilmasa daha iyiydi. Bu öykünün, Yildiz Kenter ve Sükran Güngör’ün bir araya gelince yaydiklari pozitif enerjiye ihtiyaci yok ki!
Rifat Bey’in, olaylardan habersiz Evdo’yu gecekondusunda bulup konusmasi da fazlasiyla yumusak bir politik dogrucu tavir. Evdo kisiliginin "asker ile gerilla" arasinda kaldigini söylemesi, Kürt=terörist diye düsünen siradan fasistlerin ekmegine yag sürüyor. Oysa tüm Kürtler teröristtir demekle Kürtlerin bir kismi teröristtir demek arasinda fark yok. Fikradaki gibi: Adamin biri toplantinin sonunda ayaga firlayip "Bu salondakilerin yarisi aptal!" diye bagirir. Herkes onu protesto eder. Adam "Pekiyi," der "Sözümü geri aliyorum, bu salondakilerin yarisi aptal degil."
Film, Evdolar’in neden iki ates arasinda kalmak zorunda oldugunu sorgulatmaliydi en azindan. Tüm yurttaslar esit haklara sahip olduguna göre, Kürtleri sevmemiz, dillerini konusmamiz ve konusturmamiz için Evdo gibi yasli ve yoksul, Sakine gibi sevecen ve asimile, Hejar gibi tatli ve masum olmalari sart degil. Yalnizca en mazlumlarin gösterilmesi filme masalsi bir hava katiyor. Biraz daha gerçekçi yaklasimla müthis bir film olabilirdi.
(posted March 06,2002 / Last Revised August 19,2002)
Copyright ©1996 - 2002 Turkish Cinema Newsletter, Washington D.C. / Powered by Nerede? Turkish Portal
Hejar Files and links are provided as a resource without editing and commentary.
Links: The Guardian Article
Hejar / Büyük Adam Küçük Ask (2001) 120 min. Turkish-Greek-Hungarian Co-Production Directed and Written by: Handan Ipekçi; Handan Ipekçi; Cinematography by: Erdal Kahraman.Art directed by:M. Ziya Ülkenciler,Natali Yeres Cast: Sükran Güngör (Rifat), Dilan Erçetin (Hejar), Füsun Demirel (Sakine), Yildiz Kenter(Müzeyyen), Ismail Hakki Sen (Evdo). Produced by:Yeni Yapim Film ve Reklamcilik Org. San. Tic. Ltd. Sti., Hyperion S.A.,Focus Film Ltd.; Release Date: Oct 19 2001 Turkey
Originally funded by Eurimages as "Cumhur Bey", the story is set between a retired and lonely judge (Güngör) preparing himself for a move to a retirement home and a 5 years old Kurdish girl Hejar (Erçetin) who lost all her family members during an operation. Their roads cross in Istanbul and they experience language barriers and initial mistrust. . First they have to learn each others language and than develop a friendship.
Monsieur Rifat, un juge à la retraite d'environ 75 ans, est prêt à aller vivre dans une maison pour personnes âgées. Ayant perdu sa famille au cours d'une opération militaire, Hejar, une jeune villageoise, est conduite par Abdülkadir, un habitant du même village, chez son oncle. Les chemins de Rifat et de Hejar se croisent à Istanbul. Mais la police fait une rafle dans la nouvelle maison de Hejar. Par miracle, la petite survit en se cachant dans l'armoire de la salle à manger. Sakine, la femme de ménage de Rifat, est en train de placer le sac d'ordures à l'entrée de l'appartement lorsqu'elle voit Hejar sortir de chez elle couverte de sang. Prise de panique, Sakine s'aperçoit quelques instants plus tard que Rifat est avec elle. Hejar est dans un tel état de choc que le vieil homme renonce à la livrer à la police. Il constate que la petite ne parle pas le turc. Elle est kurde. Il apprendra aussi que Sakine, sa femme de ménage depuis dix ans, en qui il a toujours eu confiance, est également kurde. À partir de ce moment, il défend à toutes les deux de parler leur langue. Mais à mesure que le temps passe, les rapports entre le vieil homme et la jeune fille deviennent plus solides. Chacun apprendra les rudiments de la langue de l'autre. Jusqu'au jour où une voisine de Rifat, du même âge et secrètement amoureuse de lui, pique une crise de jalousie et dénonce la petite à la police...
Biography
Born 1956 in Ankara she studied Broadcasting at Gazi Üniversity (Basin Yayin Yüksek Okulu Radyo Televizyon Yüksek Okulu),
Ipekci had her first experience of directing in 1993, when she made the documentary Kemencenin Turkusu' ('Song of the Kemence') scripted by the poet Yasar Mirac The following year, in 1994, she shot her first feature 'Babam Askerde' ('My Father's In The Military) which examined the 1980 military coup from the perspective of children. Unable to find a commercial distributor, lpekci took on the task herself and even then managed to score some 10,000 admissions. In her latest feature Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask- ('Hejar') feature once more takes up the themes of children and politics. With her choice of subject matter, the actors she works with and the style she has developed, Handan has has created her own breed of cinema - and one that is free of commercial concerns.
Après des études dans le domaine de la radio et de la télévision à la faculté de journalisme de l'Université Gazi, Handan Ipekçi tourne le documentaire Song of the Kemence (1993), suivi, un an plus tard, de DAD IS IN THE ARMY, son premier long métrage. Ses films, incluant HEJAR, ont obtenu de nombreuses récompenses cinématographiques en Turquie.
Filmography
1993 Song of the Kemence (Kemencenin Turkusu) Documentary
1994 Babam Askerde (Dad is in the Army) 86 min Feature Written by: Handan Ipekçi;Cinematography by: T. Firat Senol;Set Design by: Ayse Akillioglu Editing by: Nevzat Disiaçik; Music by: A. Sinan Hatipoglu; Cast:Yunus Gencer,Gülnihal Yazici,Ali Sürmeli,Ceylan Öcal, Füsun Demirel, Mehmet Atak, Yasemin Alkaya .
Berlin Film Festival
Screened in the Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival, 1995 (Vater ist beim Militär)
2001 Hejar / Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask (Great Man Little Love) 120 min. Feature
Awards
7th Ankara International Film Festival, 1995 Most Promising Director / Most Promising New Screenwriter,
Film Critics' Association, 1995 Best Screenplay / Best Supporting Actress,
'Accomplishment Award'of the Turkish Ministry at Culture, 1995
38th Antalya Film Festival, 2001 Best Film/ Best Screenplay/ Best Supporting Actress/ Best Supporting Actor Special Jury Award for the lead actress
13th Ankara Film Festival, 2001 Best Actor/ Best Supporting Actress/ Most Promising New Actress/
Film Critics' Association, 2002 Best Actor/ Best Supporting Actor/ Best Supporting Actress
Turkey's Best Foreign Film nominee for the 2002 Oscar Awards
WINNER OF BEST FILM AWARD OF 38th GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL "HEJAR/ BUYUK ADAM KUCUK ASK" IS OSCAR BOUND
Big Man Small Love /Büyük Adam Küçük Ask a Turkish-Greek-Hungarian Co-Production, directed by Handan Ipekçi was recently nominated by a unanimous decision to represent Turkey at the Academy Awards (Oscars) by:
Kadri Yurdatap, Union of Professional Owners of Cinema Works/ Sinema Eseri Sahipleri Meslek Birligi (SESAM);
Atilla Dorsay, The Association of Film Critics/Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi(SIYAD);
Biket Ilhan Belgin, Film Directors' Association/Film Yönetmenleri Dernegi (FILMYÖNDER);
Reis Çelik, Association of Film Producers/Film Yapimcilari Dernegi (FIYAP);
Selda Alkor, Cinema Actors' Association/Sinema Oyunculari Dernegi (SODER);
Kutay Köktürk, Cinema Actors' Association/Çagdas Sinema Oyunculari Dernegi (ÇASOD) -and-
Ahmet Servidal, Progressive Cinema Workers' Union / SINESEN
Academy President Frank Pierson announced that fifty-one countries have submitted films to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Academy Award® consideration as Best Foreign Language Film of 2001, It is the largest number of films ever entered in the competition, besting last year's record by five films.Films from Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania and Uruguay qualified this year for the first time.
See...the list of the Foreign Language Films
(February 12, 2002 / Hejar did not make the final nomination list.)
Turkey funds award-winning film... then bans it
Jonny Dymond in Istanbul / Tuesday March 5, 2002 / The Guardian
The Turkish ministry of culture has banned a film it partly funded, and which had been Turkey's hope to pick up an Oscar for best foreign film. Buyuk Adam, Kucuk Ask (Big Man, Small Love) has won a number of awards. But it has now been banned on the grounds that it highlights Kurdish nationalism and portrays the Turkish police in a poor light.
At the film's heart is the relationship between a nationalist, authoritarian judge and a five-year-old Kurdish orphan. The judge, who is the girl's neighbour, takes her in following a botched raid on her home by police who kill her guardian while looking for two Kurdish rebels hiding in the house.
Through their relationship the film explores the difficulties Turkey has living with its Kurdish minority of 12 million.
For 15 years in the 1980s and 1990s Turkey fought a bloody civil war in the south-east of the country with the Kurds. A ceasefire is in operation, but the Turkish state refuses to allow Kurds to broadcast in their own language or to educate their children in Kurdish.
The Turkish culture ministry partly funded the film with a grant of £20,000, and Turkey had put it forward as its candidate for the best foreign film in the Academy awards - although it was not selected.
The ministry said police had asked for the revocation of the film's licence because the film promoted a "chauvinistic" approach towards Kurdish iden tity and created the impression that police carried out extra-judicial killings.
Attila Dorsay, head of the Turkish film critics association, said: "The whole world will know that Turkey, which is trying to be a democratic country, has come down on this little film."
The Guardian Useful link Turkish Cinema Newsletter
Director slams Turkish film ban By the BBC's Johnny Dymond in Istanbul Wednesday, 6 March, 2002, 15:35 GMT
The director of a film banned by the Turkish government has condemned what she called a "prohibitive attitude against art" and called the decision to ban her film "unjust". The ban looks like a spectacular own goal: Handan Ipekci's Big Man, Small Love was partly funded by the Turkish Culture Ministry and was Turkey's official nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. It has also been released outside Turkey under the title Hejar. The film was ordered to be withdrawn from Turkish cinemas on Sunday. Big Man, Small Love tells the story of how a five-year-old Kurdish girl is taken in by a retired Turkish judge when a police raid on her home goes wrong, killing her guardian. She speaks no Turkish, and he speaks no Kurdish. Their evolving relationship is a metaphor for the relationship that Turkey has with its 12 million strong Kurdish community. Turkey fought a 15-year civil war over Kurdish autonomy in the 1980's and 1990's, during which between 30,000 and 40,000 were killed as Kurdish paramilitaries clashed with Turkish security forces.
Handan Ipekci: Decision "unjust"
The Turkish government still refuses to grant Kurds the right to broadcast or teach in their own language. Big Man, Small Love has been on general release for six months and more than 100,000 people have seen it in Turkey. But it was banned on Sunday because it portrayed the police in a poor light and because it is "chauvinistic" about Kurdish nationalism. At the beginning of the film the police are shown carrying out a cold-blooded killing. The police complained about the scene. The film has won a string of awards in Turkey, including some of the country's most prestigious prizes.
'Ethnic differences'
It was named as Turkey's candidate for an Oscar nomination, although it wasn't selected for the final shortlist. Handan Ipekci, the film's director, said on Wednesday that the film "underlines the fact that people can live together on this land despite all ethnic differences". She was careful not attack Turkey's culture minister, who is sympathetic to the creative community. But she did say that had he seen the film, then "he'd not be in a position to support this prohibitive mentality". Fusun Demirel, the lead actress in the film, was more damning. She asked: "How can a work of art harm society, provoke crime or encourage separatism? "What kind of a system is this that does not let its artists open their eyes?"
Harm
Attila Dorsay, the head of the Turkish Film Critics Association said he was surprised by the ban, given that so few films had been banned for political reasons over the past ten years, even when the war with Kurds was at it's most difficult.
The ban could only harm Turkey, he said. "From now on it will be an international matter - the whole world will know that Turkey, which is trying to be a democratic country, has come down on this little film." The committee which decides whether or not art should be censored in Turkey has seven members - three drawn from the artistic community and four from the government. At the news conference - which doubled as an open meeting of Istanbul's creative community - one committee member announced that she was resigning - and said that another colleague of hers was also going to resign.
Interview with the director of "Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask" Handan Ipekci "In spite of differences we described our dream of living together in peace like brothers."
Mustafa Ustun (Turkish Daily News)
At the 38th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Handan Ipekci's "Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask" (Big Man, Small Love) film took the best film, best scenario, best supporting actress, and best supporting male prizes, and also the jury special award for the small actress Dilan Ercetin.
Handan Ipekci who described the pains in the aftermath of September 12 coupe with her first film "Babam Askerde" from a child's eye, reflected her views about the "love or leave it" period in the 90's Turkey again from a child's eye with her second film "Buyuk Adam Kucuk Ask". The film is about a 5 year old girl, Hejar (Dilan Ercetin), who doesn't know any language other than Kurdish and lost all her family during an attack to their village. Hejar is later brought to the house of one of her family's friend in the city and luckily survives from an attack made on the house while the rest of the people in the house die. Hejar who is left with no one, calls for help from the neighbour, a retired judge Mr. Rifat (Sukran Gungor) and starts to live with him. Life of Mr. Rifat who is waiting for death, living alone and making preparations to live in an old peoples home, changes with this compulsory guest. The period which shows how Mr. Rifat doesn't let the small girl to talk Kurdish in the house but later starts to learn his small friend's language is told in the film. The film presents the dream of people who want to live in peace as brothers in the same country.
IPEKCI: We held an interview with Handan Ipekci who is the scenarist, producer and director of this beautiful film.
TDN: First of all what made you write a scenario like this ?
IPEKCI: In spite of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, the situation in Turkey was very saddening. There was the Susurluk Scandal on one hand, and on the other people were killing each other in the East and Southeastern Anatolia. These forced me to write a scenario like this.
TDN: How do you explain the being of your film on the problem of language? Do you believe that all the problems of the period belong to language?
IPEKCI: If a language can't be destroyed through the years, I believe that this is an important clue. Turkish never died although the Ottoman rulers were using Arabic and Persian , and Kurdish is still a live language today like Turkish. Millions of people use Kurdish. As those people use Kurdish to represent themselves and show their identities with it, Kurdish is an important factor in this film.
TDN: I guess this is the first film about native language problems in Turkey. What you mean here is not the same with the film "Fotograf" which concentrates on the production language.
IPEKCI: Yes, it is the first example.
TDN: Seven out of 11 films which attended the 38th Golden Orange Film Festival take place in the East or Southeast Anatolian region or are related to that geography. I thought that making films about these regions is more interesting and brings more money to the producers. Am I right?
IPEKCI: Cinema is a commercial sector. When you produce a film you create an art work, but you receive the money which you've spent. If the money doesn't come in you'll have difficulties in making a new film. I am talking as a producer not as a director. So, you may be right. If Turkey has suffered those problems, I believe that those should be shown to the audience. Some of the films will be honest, some of them will be for just earning money, but the audience knows the truth. This is important.
TDN: The audience understands it by feeling it. Most of the people who watched your film couldn't help crying.
IPEKCI: Actually I didn't produced that film to make people cry. I wrote it by feeling it, it is directly reflected to the audience.
TDN: What kind of a duty does your film carry in uniting people who differ in language and culture?
IPEKCI: If after watching the film people will start to think that they may live together in peace, this will be important for me. When writing the film that was what I thought. If my view can be understood by the audience this means I've achieved my aim. There will be people who won't like the film and react. I presented the film to people who are nearly at the point of hate against each other. How many people will watch the film, will it achieve its aims or would it mean anything to people? Time will give the answers to those questions.
TDN: What should be done to create the living conditions with people different from us? Or do all of us have to wait for a "Hejar" in front of our doors?
IPEKCI: I -- as a director -- brought Hejar to your doors. You saw her, the audience will also see her. All I can do is that. We saw that neither saying "Love it or leave it" nor taking the weapons and going to the mountains is the solution. So we should discuss what can we do for living in peace, how can we understand each other and think about it.
TDN: Is the reason for your meeting Hejar with Mr. Rifat to give political messages by using emotional relations?
IPEKCI: Actually this seems easy but it is not in reality. When you make a political film it is hard to make it basic. You are trying to say something without using the slogans. But you try to do it by using daily relations. Of course the child makes everything easier but also makes it a little harder in my opinion.
TDN: What does the "Kucuk Ask" (Small Love) reflect in the name of the film?
IPEKCI: Here I wanted the name of the film a bit attractive. This is our aim. I both explained the film in its name and also wanted it to be attractive. Small love presents the relation between Hejar and Mr. Rifat.
TDN: After watching the film I thought that if we take the parts which show the relation between Mr.Rifat and his neighbour Mrs. Muzeyyen, the film wouldn't loose anything.
IPEKCI: It is an ornament. The film takes place in the city, it shows how lonely people are. Mr. Rifat is alone, he is planning to live in an old peoples home and is waiting for his death. I wanted to reflect the loneliness of Mr. Rifat while showing his relation with Mrs. Muzeyyen. But of course, the film wouldn't lose anything without her.
TDN: Dilan Ercetin is very successful in her first experience in acting. Sukran Gungor and her were a very harmonized couple.
IPEKCI: I warned Sukran Gungor in the beginning; there will be a child in front of you and 90 percent of the scenes will be shot with her. Children act naturally, they don't exaggerate. Gungor also had to play naturally. Because of being a professional actor he quickly concentrated, but he had a hard job, he showed great patience. In this way it was a hard production, when you say "action!" the child leaves you suddenly by saying "I'm going, I have stomachache, I am bored etc....." It is hard to motivate the children.
TDN: Is it an advantage you being a mother also in motivating and directing child actors?
IPEKCI: In my first film my being of a mother helped me a lot because one of the stories in the film carried examples from my life and my son's life. It makes my job easier to have children in both of my films. I am using the advantage of being a mother. I know how to deal with children both in cinema and in daily life.
TDN: How does your son see you as a director, does he like your films?
IPEKCI: After watching the first film he told me that if the same film had been made in the United States it would of definitely won Oscars. This was right. Under those circumstances it was a successful film.
TDN: What will be the next step for this film?
IPEKCI: The film will start to be shown in Turkey on October 19. Also I will apply to the Berlin and Ankara Film Festivals.
TDN: What was the cost of this film?
IPEKCI: The film was made with contributions from the Greek Film Center, Eurimaje and Culture Ministry. It cost 960,000 Euros.
TDN: Finally, what do you think about the reactions to your film?
IPEKCI: Many congratulated me. People celebrate me from the heart, even one of the audience couldn't talk because of crying. The reaction of the audience was very good at the opening. This is more important than to win a prize. This is the most enjoying part.
Scandal: The film "Big Man, Little Love" Apparent Metaphor for Kurdish Resistance
A film is again causing a commotion in Turkey. This time it concerns the film "Big Man, Little Love" about the love of a retired judge for a Kurdish girl. Scandal No. 1: two college teachers who were the authors of an English text of a brochure for a film festival in Antalya referred to "a five year old girl from Kurdistan", and lost their jobs as a result. "Kurdistan" is a taboo word in Turkey! The festival committee, who traced the oversight back to pressure of time, immediately stopped the distribution of the brochures. The film won the "Golden Orange" in 5 categories at the 38th Film Festival in Antalya.
Scandal No. 2: the Culture Ministry had granted the film a subsidy of 45 billion Lira. The film has already been successful at the cinema. The Turkish media had promoted the film.
Scandal No.3: the film only superficially deals with the love of the retired judge Rifat Beny for the 5-year-old Kurdish girl Hejar. The film, its characters and their treatment is a metaphor for the situation of the Kurdish people, symbolised by Hejar, and their resistance to the Turkish state, symbolised by Rifat Bey. The film's message is: acknowledge the reality of the Kurds! Following this somewhat late appreciation of the film, the newspaper "Star" has called on culture minister Istemihan Talay to make a statement on the scandals. (sources: Cumhuriyet, 05.12.01; NRZ, 06.12.01; Star, 11.12.01)
Film on Turkish- Kurdish language divide is a hit in Turkey
Hejar, a 5-year old Kurdish girl, escapes a bloody police raid on a relative's home and ends up under the protection of a 75-year-old retired Turkish judge. The girl cannot speak Turkish, and the authoritarian judge objects to the use of Kurdish in his house. Partly sponsored by the government, the movie about their tense relationship and the old man's gradual questioning of Turkey's strict one-language policy has won over moviegoers here. "Big Man, Small Love" reflects a more relaxed attitude toward Kurdish language and cultural expression, and is Turkey's selection to compete for the foreign-film category of the Oscars. The movie includes bits of dialogue in Kurdish with Turkish subtitles. Kurdish is still banned in formal settings and in education in Turkey; a recent plea by Kurdish university students that the government allow the language to be taught on campus has landed on deaf ears. But things have loosened up since the days when Turkey's estimated 12 million Kurds - nearly a fifth of the population - were banned from speaking Kurdish under a policy enforced from 1983 to 1991. The film won five awards at the Antalya Film Festival, Turkey's leading film awards, including best film and best screenplay. Turkey's top movie critic, Atilla Dorsay, calls it "the most important production of contemporary Turkish cinema. I don't recall ever seeing such a Turkish film." (ap/ie)
Film on Turkish-Kurdish language divide is a hit in Turkey Associated Press Jan 4, 2002
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Hejar, a 5-year old Kurdish girl, escapes a bloody police raid on a relative's home and ends up under the protection of a 75-year-old retired Turkish judge.
The girl cannot speak Turkish, and the authoritarian judge objects to the use of Kurdish in his house.
Partly sponsored by the government, the movie about their tense relationship and the old man's gradual questioning of Turkey's strict one-language policy has won over moviegoers here. ``Big Man, Small Love'' reflects a more relaxed attitude toward Kurdish language and cultural expression, and is Turkey's selection to compete for the foreign-film category of the Oscars. The movie includes bits of dialogue in Kurdish with Turkish subtitles. Kurdish is still banned in formal settings and in education in Turkey; a recent plea by Kurdish university students that the government allow the language to be taught on campus has landed on deaf ears. But things have loosened up since the days when Turkey's estimated 12 million Kurds - nearly a fifth of the population - were banned from speaking Kurdish under a policy enforced from 1983 to 1991.
In the film, Hejar ends up with a relative in Istanbul after her parents are killed in their village in clashes between government forces and Kurdish rebels. The relative is sheltering two fugitive rebels, and all three are killed when police raid the home. Hejar escapes by hiding in a cabinet. Horrified at the extra-judicial killings, the judge takes Hejar in while he tries to decide whether to hand her over to police or look for her other relatives. Many girls in villages in Turkey's impoverished and mainly Kurdish southeast speak only Kurdish, a language related to Farsi. The judge, however, refuses to believe that Hejar cannot speak Turkish, and he bans the little girl and his Kurdish maid, Sakine, from conversing in Kurdish. ``Don't let me hear you speak Kurdish again,'' the judge, played by actor Sukran Gungor, tells the woman in one scene. Like Turkey itself, however, the old man eventually mellows and even learns some Kurdish words. ``Negri!'' (``Don't cry'' in Kurdish) he pleads with Hejar.
Recently, Turkey's parliament, under European Union pressure, partially lifted a constitutional ban on broadcasts in Kurdish, but security forces can still order broadcasts off the air for security reasons. Restrictions on Kurdish stem from the government's fear that granting cultural rights to Kurds would divide the country along ethnic lines and amount to concessions to the rebels who have waged a 15-year war for autonomy. The fighting has claimed 37,000 lives. A unilateral rebel cease-fire declared in 1999 has reduced clashes to a trickle, prompting the easing of attitudes on language.
In the movie, Hejar (played by 6-year-old Dilan Ercetin) repeatedly screams obscenities in Kurdish. Turkish subtitles appear on the screen, prompting chuckles from one recent audience in Ankara. ``I can identify with the judge,'' said Pinar Ayaz, a student. ``So many of us have difficulty accepting that some people in the east cannot speak Turkish. Our mentalities are now slowly changing.'' The movie's writer and director, Handan Ipekci, a relative newcomer to Turkish cinema, said the violence in the southeast inspired her to tell this tale and base it on the language divide. ``It was a difficult time, people were killing each other, I thought something had to be done,'' Ipekci said in an interview.
The Ministry of Culture contributed some dlrs 30,000 while Euroimages, which sponsors European films, provided the rest of the dlrs 850,000 budget. The film won five awards at the Antalya Film Festival, Turkey's leading film awards, including best film and best screenplay. Turkey's top movie critic, Atilla Dorsay, calls it ``the most important production of contemporary Turkish cinema. I don't recall ever seeing such a Turkish film.''
Türkei verbietet Oscar-Hoffnung www.netzeitung.de / (05. Mär 2002)
«Buyuk Adam, Kucuk Ask» (Großer Mann, kleine Liebe) war die türkische Hoffnung, endlich einen Oscar als bester ausländischer Film zu gewinnen. Doch in der Türkei selbst wurde der Film jetzt verboten.
Auf dem 38. Antalya Film Festival bekam «Buyuk Adam, Kucuk Ask» einen Preis für das beste Drehbuch. Einen extra Jury-Preis gab es dann noch für den Darsteller Dilan Erçetin. Rund 30.000 Euro hatte das türkische Kultusministerium an Fördermitteln an die Regisseurin Handan Ipkeci gezahlt, damit die ihren Film realisieren konnte. Selbst bei den Oscars sollte der Film antreten, doch schaffte er es nicht einmal bis zu einer Nominierung. Jetzt hat sich das Kultusminiserium das Werk noch einmal näher angeschaut und verboten. Begründung: Der Film fördere den Nationalismus der Kurden und stelle die türkische Poizei zu negativ dar.
Polizei sorgte für Verbot
«Buyuk Adam, Kucuk Ask» erzählt die Geschichte eines fünf Jahre alten kurdischen Waisenkindes, das Aufnahme bei einem autoritären, nationalistischen türkischen Richter findet. Zuvor war die Polizei bei ihrer Suche nach kurdischen Rebellen brutal gegen den ursprünglichen Vormund der Fünfjährigen vorgegangen.
Der Film wurde von vielen Kritikern als eindrucksvolle Aufarbeitung des türkisch-kurdischen Konflikts gewertet.
Das Kultusministerium hat den Film nach Angaben des britischen «Guardian» unter anderem auf Veranlassung der Polizeibehörden in Istanbul verboten. Dort habe man sich wegen der «verharmlosenden Darstellung der Kurden» und der «falschen Brutalität» der türkischen Polizei über den Film beschwert.
Attila Dorsay, Vorsitzender des türkischen Filmkritiker-Verbandes, kritisierte das Film-Verbot scharf. Der «Guardian» zitierte Dorsay: «Die ganze Welt wird jetzt erfahren, dass die Türkei, die vorgibt demokratisch zu sein, kleine Filme verbieten muss.»
Informationen über den Film beim Turkish Cinema Newsletter
Szene aus türkischem Film 'Großer Mann, kleine Liebe' Foto: Turkish Cinema Newsletter
http://www.info.partisan.net/ (05. Mär 2002)
Polizei- und Zensurstaat Türkei: Die türkische Regierung hat einen Film wegen «separatistischer Propaganda» aus den Kinos verbannt. Zuvor hatte die Polizei kritisiert, dass der Beitrag «Großer Mann, kleine Liebe» das Verbot der kurdischen Sprache in Frage stelle. Der Film enthält einige Dialoge auf Kurdisch mit türkischen Untertiteln. Der Film erzählt die Geschichte eines fünf Jahre alten kurdischen Mädchens, das einer blutigen Polizeirazzia entkommt und von einem türkischen Richter aufgenommen wird. Das Kultusministerium hatte das Werk ursprünglich gefördert, zog es jedoch jetzt aus sämtlichen Kinos zurück. Die kurdische Sprache darf seit 1991 wieder in der Türkei gesprochen werden; sie darf jedoch im Unterricht und in den Medien nicht verwendet werden.
Kurdenkind im türkischen Kino: "Großer Mann, kleine Liebe"
CHRISTIANE SCHLÖTZER
Süddeutsche Zeitung / Thursday, December 13, 2001
Kleine Mädchen können so stur sein. Hejar, das kurdische Kind, will dem fremden Mann, der es beschützt, nicht einmal seinen Namen sagen. Denn der alte Mann spricht nur türkisch. Kein kurdisches Wort kommt ihm über die Lippen, schließlich ist er Beamter, ein Richter " zwar pensioniert, aber ein überzeugter Kemalist ist immer im Dienst. Nur Putzfrauen sprechen kurdisch in solchen Haushalten " wenn es der Bey, der Herr, nicht hört. Dann aber kommt der Tag, da gibt der versteinerte Mann doch nach, er will endlich mit dem Kind reden können, und so lernt er das kurdische Wort für Wolke, Welle und Wind.
Eine simple Geschichte, aber weil das in der Türkei von heute spielt, mitten in Istanbul, ist der Film der jungen Regisseurin Handan Ipekci eine kleine Sensation. Die ersten Bildern zeigen eine brutale Polizeiaktion gegen Terroristen " wie Ankara alle Anhänger der kurdischen PKK nennt. Zeuge des Geschehen in der "Terroristenwohnung" wird die sechsjährige Hejar. Sie versteckt sich, muss aber mit ansehen, wie eine verletzte Frau exekutiert wird. Blutbeschmiert steht das Mädchen dann vor der Tür nebenan " der des alten Richters. Dilan Ercetin spielt das sture stumme Kind so zart und intensiv, dass jedes Wort, um das Hejar schließlich mit dem Richter ringt, wie der Ausbruch eines kleinen Vulkans wirkt. Sie spuckt ihm ihre Schimpfworte ins Gesicht, aber er versteht nicht, bis er die Putzfrau um Nachhilfe bittet. "Weine nicht", ist das erste, was er auf Kurdisch herauspresst.
"Büyük Adam, Kücük Ask/Großer Mann, kleine Liebe" hat im Oktober den ersten Preis beim Filmfestival im türki-schen Antalya gewonnen und im Dezember drei Schauspielerpreise beim Internationalen Filmfest in Ankara. Nun ist der Film, der mit einem Budget von nur zwei Millionen Mark gedreht wurde, als türkischer Beitrag für den besten ausländischen Film im Oscar-Rennen nominiert. Ipekci " es ist erst ihr zweiter Spielfilm " ist keine Kurdin, und sie betont, sie habe einen "türkischen Film" gedreht: "Was ich erzähle, ist ein Problem der Türken und der Kurden." Ihr Thema ist die Kommunikationslosigkeit zwischen den sozialen Gruppen in der türkischen Gesellschaft und deren Tabus. Dazu gehört auch die Einsamkeit. Des Richters Sohn ist in Deutschland, die Ehefrau tot. Einsam ist auch Hejars Onkel, weil seine Söhne tot sind. "Zwischen die Fronten geraten" seien sie, erzählt er dem Richter, in einem Slum am Rand der Stadt.
Ipekci ist es gelungen, zwei Jahre nach Ende des Kurden-Krieges die sozialen Wüsten, die dieser Konflikt hinterließ, auf einfühlsame Weise zu zeigen " und durchaus mit Ironie und Witz. Nach "Zeit der trunkenen Pferde", dem großartigen Film des iranischen Regisseurs Bahman Ghobadi, der in türkischen Kinos Triumphe feierte und auch in Deutschland zu sehen war, ist dies der zweite Film, in dem das Kurdische nicht nur gesprochen (und türkisch untertitelt!) wird, sondern eine zentrale Rolle spielt " und der erste, der in der Türkei gedreht wurde.
Ödüllü filme yasak Hurriyet Daily, Turkey / Kültür Sanat 04.03.2002
Basta Altin Portakal olmak üzere bu yil bir çok ödülü kazanan "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmi, Kültür Bakanligi tarafindan yasaklandi. Bakanlik filme 45 milyar lira destek vermisti. Handan ipekçi'nin yönettigi filmin basrollerinde Sükran Göngür ile küçük oyuncu Dilan Erçetin yeraliyor.
Kültür Bakanligi 45 milyar lira destek verdigi, "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmini yasakladi.
Yönetmenligini Handan Ipekçi'nin yaptigi, Sükran Güngör, Füsun Demirel, Yildiz Kenter ve küçük oyuncu Dilan Erçetin'in rol aldigi film daha önce Bakanligin Sansür Kurulu tarafindan incelenmis ve vizyona girmesine izin verilmisti. 19 Ekim 2001'de gösterime giren ve bugüne kadar toplam 102 bin kisinin izledigi, "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" geçtigimiz persembe günü toplanan Üst Kurul tarafindan yeniden incelenerek gösterim izni iptal edildi. Kültür Bakanligi böylece çekilmesi için 25 milyari karsiliksiz, 20 milyari da kredi olarak toplam 45 milyar destek verdigi filmi yasaklamis oldu. Filmin yönetmeni Handan Ipekçi, henüz yasagi kendisine yaziyla bildirilmedigini, ancak baska bir is için Bakanligi aradiginda alinan karari ögrendigini söyledi. "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmi, anne ve babasini Güneydogu'da kaybetmis bir küçük kizin, Istanbul'da yaninda kaldigi akrabalarinin da bir polis baskiniyla öldürülmesinden sonra kapi komsusu emekli hakimin evine siginmasiyla basliyor. Türkçe'den baska bir dille konusulmasina izin vermeyen emekli hakim ile Kürtçe'den baska dil bilmeyen küçük kizin zamanla gelisen sicak dostluklari filmin konusunu olusturuyor.
Kültür Bakanligi'nin yasakladigi "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmi bu yil sinema meslek örgütleri tarafindan Oscar ödüllerinde Türkiye'yi temsil edecek film seçilmisti. Toplam 51 ülkenin filmleriyle "Yabanci Film" dalinda aday adayi olarak yarisacak olan film, ilk bese kalirsa Oscar için büyük bir avantaj yakalamis olacak. Kültür Bakanligi ayrica her yil Oscar'a aday olan filmlerin Amerika'daki tanitim faaliyetleri için verdigi destegi bu yil "Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" filmine vermemisti.
BIA (Istanbul) - "Büyük adam, küçük ask" filminin yasaklanmasini yönetmen Ipekçi üzüntüyle karsiladi.BIA Haber Merkezi / 04.03.2002
Yasaklamayi, oyuncu Demirel, "ülkenin ayibi" olarak yorumlarken, Ercan Karakas, "sanat eserlerine sansür uygulanmasi gerekçesi ne olursa olsun kabul edilemez" dedi. Yönetmenligini Handan Ipekçi'nin yaptigi filmi Sinema, Video, Müzik Eserleri Denetleme Kurulu'nca 2 Mart 2002'de yasaklandi. Filmde baslica rolleri Sükran Güngör,Dilan Erçetin, Füsun Demirel,Yildiz Kenter ve Ismail Hakki Sen paylasiyor. Denetleme Kurulu, Milli Güvenlik Kurulu (MGK) Genel Sekreterligi,Milli Egitim, Içisleri ve Kültür bakanliklariyla, sektör temsilcilerinden olusuyor. Karar, üçe karsi dört oyla alindi. Emniyet Genel Müdürlügü'nün Kültür Bakanligi Telif Haklari Genel Müdürlügü'ne "yargisiz infaz yapildigi gerekçesiyle" filmin yeniden denetlenmesi için basvurmustu.
Hem Antalya hem SIYAD
Bes yasindaki bir Kürt kiziyla emekli bir yargicin öyküsünün anlatildigi film Antalya Film Festivali'nde en "iyi film", "en iyi senaryo", "en iyi yardimci kadin oyuncu","en iyi yardimci erkek oyuncu" ve "çocuk oyuncu jüri özel" ödülleriyle, Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi'nin (SIYAD) "en iyi yardimci kadin" ve "en iyi yardimci erkek" ödüllerini almisti. Filmi, birkaç ay içinde 110 bin kisinin izledigi açiklandi.
Ipekçi: Üzgünüm
Filmin yönetmeni Handan Ipekçi,henüz yazili bir açiklama almadiklarini belirterek, "eger böyle bir sey varsa üzgünüm. Daha genis açiklamayi resmi yazidan sonra yapacagim"dedi. Antalya Film Festivali'nde, filmdeki rolüyle "en iyi yardimci kadin oyuncu" ödülünü alan Füsun Demirel, "bir ülkede hangi gerekçeyle olursa olsun bir sanat eserinin yasaklanmasi o ülkenin ayibidir. Bu yasak Türkiye halkina verilmistir" açiklamasini yapti.
Kendi görüslerine uymazsa
Sosyal Demokrasi Vakfi (SODEV) Genel Baskani Karakas, yasaklamayi kinarken "sinema meslek birliklerinin oy birligiyle Türkiye'yi temsilen Oscar'a gönderilen 'Büyük Adam Küçük Ask' filmi bir sanat eseridir" dedi. "Yönetim kendi görüslerine uymayan sanat eserlerini yasaklama hakkina sahip degildir." Karakas, eski bir kültür bakani olarak, Kültür Bakanligi'nin, sansürcü zihniyetin mahkum edilmesi için öncülük etmek durumundayken, filmin adina ve içerigine iliskin olumsuz görüsler açiklamasini kabul edilemez buldugunu açikladi. (NM)
SIYAD'dan film yasaklamaya kinama
Yönetmenligini Handan Ipekçi'nin yaptigi "Büyük Adam Küçük Ask" filminin yasaklanmasina Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi'nden (SIYAD) kinama geldi. Dernek Baskani Atilla Dosay imzasiyla bir bildiri yayinlayan SIYAD, yasaklama kararini 'vahim bir yanlis' olarak nitelendirdi.
SIYAD'in bildirisi söyle: "Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi olarak (SIYAD), "Büyük Adam Küçük Ask" filmine getirilen son yasagi çok vahim bir yanlis olarak görüyor ve kiniyoruz.
Bu film, ilk katildigi senlik olan Antalya'dan beri farkli yapilardaki çesitli kurullardan ödüller almistir. Antalya ve Ankara festivalleri, SIYAD ödülleri, Oscar ödülleri için Türk filmi seçme kurulu gibi çesitli kuruluslardan gelen bu ödüller ve degerlendirmeler ve ayrica 100 bini askin seyirci sayisi, filmin Türkiye'deki aydin kesim ve de aydin seyirci tarafindan begenildigini, onaylandigini ve önemsendigini göstermektedir.
Üstelik bu kurullar arasinda bizzat bakanligin olusturdugu iki ayri kurul vardir : Film Denetleme Alt kurulu ve Oscar için Türk filmi seçme kurulu. Bakanlik tarafindan olusturulmus baska bir kurulun oy çokluguyla getirdigi yasak karari ise, Ekim 2001'den beri süregelen tüm bu degerlendirmeleri bilmezden gelmektedir. Alinan son karara göre, tüm bu kurullarin ve de 100 bini aski seyircinin, "ya gaflet, ya delalet, ya da hiyanet içinde" bulunmasi gerekmektedir.
Çok açiktir ki, eger ortada bir bölücülük eylemi varsa, bu eylem son alinan kararin ruhunda gizlidir. Filmin kendisiyse, bizce bölücülük degil, tam tersine birlestiricilik yapmakta, bu dönemde en çok ihtiyaç duyulan bir mesaji vermekte ve Türk ve Kürt asilli vatandaslarimizin birbirlerini daha iyi tanima, anlama ve iletisim kurma zorunlulugunun altini çizmektedir.
Bu karar, süphe yoktur ki tüm Bati sanat ve siyaset çevrelerinde büyük yanki yapacak ve Türkiye'nin Avrupa'yla bütünlesme çabalarina bir baska darbe olusturacaktir. Sayin Kültür Bakaninin bu konuda inisiyatifi eline almasini, öncelikle ne yapip edip "filmi görmesini" ve yetkisini kullanarak bu yanlis karari iptal etmesini bekliyoruz.
‘Yasak’ yönetmeni aglatti Birsen Altuntas / Milliyet Daily, Turkey 07.03.2002 / Kültür Sanat
Büyük Adam Küçük Ask’in yasaklanmasi sinamacilari ayaga kaldirirken, yönetmeni destek konusmalari sirasinda gözyaslarina hâkim olamadi
Türkiye’yi Oscar Ödülleri’nde temsil eden "Büyük Adam Küçük Ask" filminin vizyondan çiktiktan aylar sonra polise hakaret ettigi gerekçesiyle yasaklanmasi, sinemacilari ayaga kaldirdi. Sinema Eserleri Meslek Birligi’nde basin toplantisi düzenleyen ve yasagin kaldirilmasi ile ilgili hukuk mücadalesine baslayacagini açiklayan filmin yönetmeni Handan Ipekçi’ye bütün sinema örgütleri ve sanatçilar destek verdi.
Kültür Bakanligi’na kizgin olmadigini ancak Bakan Istemihan Talay’a filmi izlemedigi için kirgin oldugunu anlatan Ipekçi, zaman zaman kendisine yapilan destek konusmalari sirasinda gözyaslarina hâkim olamadi. Yildiz Kenter, 3 kere evi soyuldugu zaman bir polisin, "Dua edin de tecavüz etmemisler’ dedigini hatirlatarak, ‘Bu zihniyetteki bir polise nasil güvenirsin. Filmdeki üniformayi küçük kizin itmesine tepki gösteriyorlar, hangimiz polis üniformasindan korkmadik" diye konustu.
Toplanti sirasinda Rutkay Aziz ile ayni zamanda filmin yasaklandigi Denetleme Kurulu’nda görev yapan yönetmen Yilmaz Atadeniz arasinda tartisma yasandi. Selda Alkor’un yazili bir açiklama göndererek Denetleme Kurulu’ndan istifa ettigini belirtmesi üzerine istifa etmenin degil, mücadele etmenin çözüm oldugunu savunan Atadeniz’e Aziz tepki gösterdi. Aziz, kurulun tamamen kaldirilmasini istedi.
Kürt kizinin fendi...Milliyet Daily, Istanbul, Turkey Jan 06, 2002
Yalniz ve yasli bir adamla, kimsesiz ve çaresiz Kürt kizinin iliskisi bir ask öyküsünü andiriyor, zor ve hazin bir aski
06 Ocak 2002 Pazar
Büyük adam, emekli yargiç Rifat Bey. Prensip sahibi bir Kemalist aydin. Eli kalem tutan bir Cumhuriyet okuru. Subay oglu Amerika’da. Esi ölmüs. Ev islerini yapan Sakine’den baska gelen gideni yok. Dul komsusu Müzeyyen Hanim’in ilgisi ise onu utandiriyor.
Küçük ask, kimsesiz Kürt kizi Hejar. Çaresiz ama onurlu ve inatçi bir çocuk. Yoksul ve yasli Evdo amcasi onu bir avukat akrabasina teslim eder. Iki teröriste yataklik eden avukat hanim, polis baskininda öldürülünce kapi komsusu Rifat Bey, polisin gözünden kaçan yarali Hejar’a kol kanat gerer. Daha bes yasinda canini kurtarmayi ögrenmistir bu kara üzüm tanesi.
Handan Ipekçi’nin yer yer fazlasiyla dokunakli filmi, taban tabana zit iki kisinin ask öyküsünü anlatiyor. Yasli adamla küçük kiz arasindaki çatisma ve inatlasmaya ancak bir ask iliskisinde rastlanabilir. Hejar Türkçe, Rifat da haliyle Kürtçe bilmiyor. "Vatandas Türkçe konus!" ekolünden gelen, 1980 öncesi CHP tarzi solcu, halinden tavrindan Istanbullu oldugu belli bir kentlidir Rifat Bey. Üstelik hümanist degerlerin disinda Kürtlere, Dogululara "müsamaha" göstermez. Kimlik sorununun ne oldugundan habersiz yasta bir Kürt kizinin da oldugundan baska türlü davranmasi mümkün degil. Her türlü donanimina karsin Rifat’in eli kolu bagli! Bes yasindaki kara üzüm tanesine asik olmanin önüne geçemez, izleyici de öyle. Hejar, küçük, masum, güzel ve savunmasiz. Onu sevmemek olanaksiz.
Dersimiz Kürtçe
Önceleri Sakine’nin bile Kürtçe konusmasina izin vermeyen Rifat Bey, askina karsilik görmek için sözcükler ögrenecek, Hejar annesini özleyip hiçkira hiçkira agladiginda (ve izleyiciyi de aglattiginda) "Negri..." (Aglama) diye yalvaracak ona. Rifat Bey’deki degisimden cesaret alan Sakine yillar sonra ona gerçek adinin Rojbin oldugunu söyleyecek (filmin doruk noktasi).
"Büyük Adam, Küçük Ask" bir yandan çok etkileyici bir film. Öte yandan, mainstream sinemaya özgü ‘atraksiyon’lar filmin baslangiçtaki gücünü zayiflatiyor. Film, Rifat Bey gibi yumusuyor. Hejar’a 012 Benetton’dan alinan sik giysiler, bir et lokantasinda garsonun verdigi çikolatayi çaldigini sanmasi, birlikte deniz yolculugu yaparken çiglik çigliga marti efektlerinin kullanilmasi vb. filmi süsleyen islevsiz sahneler. Müzeyyen Hanim ile Rifat Bey’in flörtü ise hiç kullanilmasa daha iyiydi. Bu öykünün, Yildiz Kenter ve Sükran Güngör’ün bir araya gelince yaydiklari pozitif enerjiye ihtiyaci yok ki!
Rifat Bey’in, olaylardan habersiz Evdo’yu gecekondusunda bulup konusmasi da fazlasiyla yumusak bir politik dogrucu tavir. Evdo kisiliginin "asker ile gerilla" arasinda kaldigini söylemesi, Kürt=terörist diye düsünen siradan fasistlerin ekmegine yag sürüyor. Oysa tüm Kürtler teröristtir demekle Kürtlerin bir kismi teröristtir demek arasinda fark yok. Fikradaki gibi: Adamin biri toplantinin sonunda ayaga firlayip "Bu salondakilerin yarisi aptal!" diye bagirir. Herkes onu protesto eder. Adam "Pekiyi," der "Sözümü geri aliyorum, bu salondakilerin yarisi aptal degil."
Film, Evdolar’in neden iki ates arasinda kalmak zorunda oldugunu sorgulatmaliydi en azindan. Tüm yurttaslar esit haklara sahip olduguna göre, Kürtleri sevmemiz, dillerini konusmamiz ve konusturmamiz için Evdo gibi yasli ve yoksul, Sakine gibi sevecen ve asimile, Hejar gibi tatli ve masum olmalari sart degil. Yalnizca en mazlumlarin gösterilmesi filme masalsi bir hava katiyor. Biraz daha gerçekçi yaklasimla müthis bir film olabilirdi.
(posted March 06,2002 / Last Revised August 19,2002)
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TURKISH CINEMA NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE INDEX 1-145
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144. MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENS HOME BY GREEK-TURKISH FILMMAKER PHYLLIS KATRAPANI
143. YESIM USTAOGLU JOINS THE INTERNATIONAL JURY OF VENEZIA 59 FILM FESTIVAL
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140. VENICE TO SCREEN THIRST FOR REVENGE BY MEHMET OZCELIK
139. THE IMPLIED MESSAGE OF ARARAT AND ITS INTENDED AUDIENCE
138 . EIGHT NEW TURKISH FILMS / Variety reviews on 8 new Turkish films
| Wish Me Love | Summer Love | Maruf | The Waterfall | 9 | The Photograph | Innowhereland | Away From Home
137. FERZAN OZPETEK TO SHOOT A NEW FILM
136. " ARARAT" SCREENED IN CANNES 2002 \ OUT OF COMPETITION
135. "CONFESSION" AND "DESTINY" BY ZEKI DEMIRKUBUZ IN CANNES 2002 \ UN CERTAIN REGARD
134. ARARAT TO SCREEN OUT OF COMPETION IN CANNES 2002
133. AWARDS ANNOUNCED| ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
132. IN MEMORIAM| ORHAN ELMAS, DIRECTOR (1927- 2002)
131. HEJAR STILL BANNED, ISTANBUL JURIES ISSUE A PRESS RELEASE
130. CANNES JURY ANNOUNCED BY GILLES JACOB Festival de Cannes Read Ararat Files.. Posted with updates
129. IN MEMORIAM |ERMAN SENER FILM/TV WRITER (1942- 2002)
128. TURKFILM.NET IN THE MEDIA
127. MORITZ de HADELN TO HEAD VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
126. IN MEMORIAM | ABDURRAHMAN PALAY, ACTOR/DIRECTOR (1922-2002)
125. VIZONTELE BY YILMAZ ERDOGAN AND OMER FARUK SORAK IN FILMFEST DC
124. GREEN RAY / YESIL ISIK BY FARUK AKSOY BEGINS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
123. ACADEMIC PAPERS ON TURKISH CINEMA
122. NEW BOOK BY HAMID NAFICY An Accented Cinema: Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking
121. 21th INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL TURKISH FILMS
120. PROFILE: Tunç BASARAN
119. FORMATS | NTSC, PAL and SECAM | DVD
118.21th INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM 13 - 28 April, 2002
117. A TRIBUTE TO TUNC BASARAN AT THE 21th INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL 13 - 28 April, 2002
116. MEM AND ZIN / MEM VE ZIN / MEM U ZIN BY UMIT ELCI RE-RELEASED IN TURKEY
115.TURKEY : ALL TIME TOP 20 AT THE BOX OFFICE
114. HEJAR FILES (English / German / Turkish)
113. FROM THE ARCHIVES: ARMENIAN, ARAB ISRAELI AND TURKIC FILMS AT 3 CONTINENTS FILM FESTIVAL, NANTES SINCE 1979
112. FROM THE ARCHIVES: TURKISH FILMS AT 3 CONTINENTS FILM FESTIVAL, NANTES AT SINCE 1979
111. ORIENTAL MOONS IN ALMANYA: GERMANY'S TURKISH-GERMAN CINEMA
110. FROM THE ARCHIVES: ADANA GOLDEN COCOON CULTURE AND ART FESTIVAL 1969-2000
109. FROM THE ARCHIVES: A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF TURKISH FILM WEEKS 1978-1988
108. ACADEMIC PROFILE: DR. ASU AKSOY
107. FROM THE ARCHIVES: YASEMIN BY HARK BOHM
106. TURKISH DELIGHT GERMAN FRIGHT BY DENIZ GOKTURK
105. FROM THE ARCHIVES: TURKISH FILMS AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
104. ACADEMIC PROFILE: DENIZ GOKTURK
103. ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED TURKISH PANORAMA FILMS FOR 2002
102. FULL TEXT OF BERLINALE COVERAGE BY ERJU ACKMAN (IN TURKISH)
101. TURKISH BUYERS AND PRODUCTIONS AT THE 52.BERLINALE FILM MARKET
100. YILMAZ GUNEY'S HUNGRY WOLVES / AC KURTLAR AT THE 52. BERLINALE
99. YESIM USTAOGLU PROJECT FINDS FINANCING IN ROTTERDAM
98. YESIM USTAOGLU CHOSEN FOR SUNDANCE SCREENWRITERS LAB
97. TURKISH FILM CRITIC TO LEAD THE FIPRESCI JURY IN 52. BERLINALE
96. ROTTERDAM-BERLINALE-EXPRESS INCLUDES YESIM USTAOGLU
95. TURKISH FILMS AT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM
94. THE END / SON BY LEVENT KIRCA BEGINS A COMMERCIAL RUN
93. TURKISH CINEMA WRITERS ASSOCIATION "SIYAD" ANNOUNCED AWARDS FOR 2001
92. DEINE AUGEN KARAMUK /YOUR EYES KARAMUK/ GOZLERIN KARAMUK BY SULBIYE GULNAR
91. KANAK ATTACK BY LARS BECKER
90. IN MEMORIAM | IZZET AKAY, CINEMATOGRAPHER
89. HEJAR/ BUYUK ADAM KUCUK ASK BY HANDAN IPEKCI
88. GOTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL TO SCREEN PHOTOGRAPH BY KAZIM OZ
87. Permanence en Occident des clichés sur les Turcs: le cas concret du film
86. TURKISH CINEMA WRITERS ASSOCIATION "SIYAD" ANNOUNCED NOMINATIONS FOR 2001
85. THE SEVENTH SUN OF LOVE BY VANGELIS SERDARIS AND ASIA MINOR DISASTER
84. NUMBER OF SCREENS AND MOVIEGOERS IN TURKEY
83. FROM THE ARCHIVESTURKISH CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE 1996 CENTRE GEORGES POMPIDOU
82. Cinéma Turc BY MEHMET BASUTCU
81. FERZAN OZPETEK, DIRECTOR OF IGNORANT FAIRIES AWARDED BEST DIRECTOR IN ITALY
80. TURVAK ESTABLISHED A CINEMA CENTER IN ISTANBUL, INCLUDING A TURKISH FILM MUSEUM
79. TWO ITALIAN PRODUCTIONS ABOUT THE "TURKISH POPE" WHO SAVED JEWISH LIVES
78. CUNEYT ARKIN'S 1982 FILM BY CETIN INANC, IS NOW A CULT CLASSIC
77. TURKISH TV'S POPULAR COP SHOW MAKES A MOVIE DEBUT
76. TURKISH FILMS AT THE 42.THESSALONIKI FILM FESTIVAL
75. ARARAT by ATOM EGOYAN Read Ararat Files.. Posted with updates
74. WINNER OF BEST FILM AWARD OF 38th GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL "HEJAR/ BUYUK ADAM KUCUK ASK" IS OSCAR BOUND
73. CAUSE / DAVA/DOZ BY GANI RUZGAR SAVATA STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
72. A FINE DAY (DER SCHÖNE TAG) IN WASHINGTON DC, USA
71. A FINE DAY (DER SCHÖNE TAG) BY THOMAS ARSLAN
70. FAULTLINES, A DOCUMENTARY BY EYLEM KAFTAN
69. CINEMA DEPARTMENTS IN TURKISH UNIVERSITIES
68. TURKISH FILM ORGANIZATIONS
67. 13th TURKISH FILMS FESTIVAL IN STRASBOURG, FRANCE 5 -18 December 2001
66. IN JULY BY FATIH AKIN RELEASED IN US
65. MRS. SALKIM'S DIAMONDS CAUSES A FUROR ON NATIONAL TV (TRT)
64. 9th LONDON TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL 7 - 20 December 2001
63. WATERFALL / SELLALE BY SEMIR ASLANYUREK STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
62. DESTINY / YAZGI BY ZEKI DEMIRKUBUZ STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
61. THE PHOTOGRAPH /FOTOGRAF BY KAZIM OZ STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
60. 1st LONDON KURDISH FILM FESTIVAL 9 - 15 November 2001 See also KURDISH FILM FILES
59. ANAM BY BUKET ALAKUS WINS ANOTHER PRIZE
58.EIGHT ARMENIAN FILMS IN A TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL
57. AFI FEST 2001 SCREENS KANAKE BY MEVLUT AKKAYA
56. ON CINEMA by M.K. Ataturk (In English, French and German)
55. HUSSI KUTLUCAN WINS PRIX EUROPA IRIS
54. TURKEY / LAW RELEVANT TO THE AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR by Hatice Dilek Baytan Download PDF
53."GREAT MAN, LITTLE LOVE" IS OSCAR BOUND
52. MY DARLING ISTANBUL / ISTANBUL MON AMOUR BY SECKIN YASAR
51. MARUF BY SERDAR AKAR STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
50. A CHAPTER ON TURKISH FILMS INCLUDED IN A NEW BOOK ON MIDDLE EASTERN AND NORTH AFRICAN FILM
49. MOON AND STARS PROJECT RETURNS WITH 3RD ANNUAL NY TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL
48. SUMMER LOVE / O DA BENI SEVIYOR BY BARIS PIRHASAN STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
47. THE ONLY JOURNEY OF HIS LIFE By Lakis Papastathis
46. THE SINGER / SARKICI BY ERSIN PERTAN STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
45. 38th GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL / October 1-5, 2001 Antalya Turkey
44. IGNORANT FAIRIES BY FERZAN OZPETEK STARTS ITS TURKISH RUN
43. NEW TURKISH CINEMA AT THE FREER AND SACKLER GALLERIESErju Ackman Voice of America interview
42. PAULINE KAEL LIVES
41. 2000-2001 BOX OFFICE (Compiled by www.sinematurk.com)
40. THE YOUNG TURKS OF GERMAN CINEMA
39. ON BOARD by AKAR / HOUSE OF ANGELS by KAVUR / BALAYKA by OZGENTURK
38. ARARAT by ATOM EGOYAN Read Ararat Files..
37. TURKISH FILMS OF THE ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
36. All Turkish Feature Films and Directors (1996-2001)
35. 38th GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL 2001 Antalya Turkey
34. OMER KAVUR / Biography and Filmography
33. REHA ERDEM'S KAC PARA KAC / RUN FOR MONEY in Filmfest DC 2001
32. Pauline Kael on Midnight Express Read the full article
31. Goethe Institute screens GERMAN FILMS BY TURKISH DIRECTORS IN TORONTO
30. 2001 ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL / NATIONAL COMPETITION (8 films)
29. IGNORANT FAIRIES by OZPETEK
28. Call For Papers / Mesa, Chicago, Dec. 3-6, 1998
27. New Publications
26. Turkish Cinema And Eurimages
25. Karisik Pizza
24. Editorial by Erju Ackman
23. New Publications
22. Turkish Films in London's Rio Cinema
21. MAYFEST 2000 BRINGS TURKISH FILMS TO NEW YORK N.Y
20. More Kudos For Hamam / Il Bagno
19. Agir Roman / A Turkish Pulp Fiction?
18. Tribute To Memduh Un Istanbul 97
17. Turkish Cinema At Montreal 97
16. A Director/ A Film Dervis Zaim's Summersault In A Coffin
15. A Chronology Of Turkish Cinema Part 1(1914-1921)
14. M. K Ataturk And Turkish Cinema
13. Turkish Films In Quicktime Movie Format.
12. General Outlook Of Turkish Cinema
11. Erju Ackman / Film Related Bio
10. Mimar Sinan University Turkish Film And TV Institute
9. Istanbul Film Festival / Contacts
8. Istanbul Film Festival / Films At National Showcase
7. Akrebin Yolculugu Journey On A Clock Hand (Akrebin Yolculugu)
6. Review Journey On A Clock Hand (Akrebin Yolculugu)
5. Akrebin Yolculugu At Afi
4. Hamam/ Il Bagno
3. Turkish Films At Toronto Film Festival
2. Turkish Film Weeks In Canada
1. Antalya Golden Orange 1997 / Awards And Films In Participation
144. MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENS HOME BY GREEK-TURKISH FILMMAKER PHYLLIS KATRAPANI
143. YESIM USTAOGLU JOINS THE INTERNATIONAL JURY OF VENEZIA 59 FILM FESTIVAL
142. MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL TO SHOWCASE NOWHERELAND BY PIRSELIMOGLU AND HEJAR BY IPEKCI
141. FILM FESTHAMBURG 2002 TO OPEN WITH FATIH AKIN'S SOLINO More...
140. VENICE TO SCREEN THIRST FOR REVENGE BY MEHMET OZCELIK
139. THE IMPLIED MESSAGE OF ARARAT AND ITS INTENDED AUDIENCE
138 . EIGHT NEW TURKISH FILMS / Variety reviews on 8 new Turkish films
| Wish Me Love | Summer Love | Maruf | The Waterfall | 9 | The Photograph | Innowhereland | Away From Home
137. FERZAN OZPETEK TO SHOOT A NEW FILM
136. " ARARAT" SCREENED IN CANNES 2002 \ OUT OF COMPETITION
135. "CONFESSION" AND "DESTINY" BY ZEKI DEMIRKUBUZ IN CANNES 2002 \ UN CERTAIN REGARD
134. ARARAT TO SCREEN OUT OF COMPETION IN CANNES 2002
133. AWARDS ANNOUNCED| ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
132. IN MEMORIAM| ORHAN ELMAS, DIRECTOR (1927- 2002)
131. HEJAR STILL BANNED, ISTANBUL JURIES ISSUE A PRESS RELEASE
130. CANNES JURY ANNOUNCED BY GILLES JACOB Festival de Cannes Read Ararat Files.. Posted with updates
129. IN MEMORIAM |ERMAN SENER FILM/TV WRITER (1942- 2002)
128. TURKFILM.NET IN THE MEDIA
127. MORITZ de HADELN TO HEAD VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
126. IN MEMORIAM | ABDURRAHMAN PALAY, ACTOR/DIRECTOR (1922-2002)
125. VIZONTELE BY YILMAZ ERDOGAN AND OMER FARUK SORAK IN FILMFEST DC
124. GREEN RAY / YESIL ISIK BY FARUK AKSOY BEGINS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
123. ACADEMIC PAPERS ON TURKISH CINEMA
122. NEW BOOK BY HAMID NAFICY An Accented Cinema: Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking
121. 21th INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL TURKISH FILMS
120. PROFILE: Tunç BASARAN
119. FORMATS | NTSC, PAL and SECAM | DVD
118.21th INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM 13 - 28 April, 2002
117. A TRIBUTE TO TUNC BASARAN AT THE 21th INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL 13 - 28 April, 2002
116. MEM AND ZIN / MEM VE ZIN / MEM U ZIN BY UMIT ELCI RE-RELEASED IN TURKEY
115.TURKEY : ALL TIME TOP 20 AT THE BOX OFFICE
114. HEJAR FILES (English / German / Turkish)
113. FROM THE ARCHIVES: ARMENIAN, ARAB ISRAELI AND TURKIC FILMS AT 3 CONTINENTS FILM FESTIVAL, NANTES SINCE 1979
112. FROM THE ARCHIVES: TURKISH FILMS AT 3 CONTINENTS FILM FESTIVAL, NANTES AT SINCE 1979
111. ORIENTAL MOONS IN ALMANYA: GERMANY'S TURKISH-GERMAN CINEMA
110. FROM THE ARCHIVES: ADANA GOLDEN COCOON CULTURE AND ART FESTIVAL 1969-2000
109. FROM THE ARCHIVES: A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF TURKISH FILM WEEKS 1978-1988
108. ACADEMIC PROFILE: DR. ASU AKSOY
107. FROM THE ARCHIVES: YASEMIN BY HARK BOHM
106. TURKISH DELIGHT GERMAN FRIGHT BY DENIZ GOKTURK
105. FROM THE ARCHIVES: TURKISH FILMS AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
104. ACADEMIC PROFILE: DENIZ GOKTURK
103. ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED TURKISH PANORAMA FILMS FOR 2002
102. FULL TEXT OF BERLINALE COVERAGE BY ERJU ACKMAN (IN TURKISH)
101. TURKISH BUYERS AND PRODUCTIONS AT THE 52.BERLINALE FILM MARKET
100. YILMAZ GUNEY'S HUNGRY WOLVES / AC KURTLAR AT THE 52. BERLINALE
99. YESIM USTAOGLU PROJECT FINDS FINANCING IN ROTTERDAM
98. YESIM USTAOGLU CHOSEN FOR SUNDANCE SCREENWRITERS LAB
97. TURKISH FILM CRITIC TO LEAD THE FIPRESCI JURY IN 52. BERLINALE
96. ROTTERDAM-BERLINALE-EXPRESS INCLUDES YESIM USTAOGLU
95. TURKISH FILMS AT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM
94. THE END / SON BY LEVENT KIRCA BEGINS A COMMERCIAL RUN
93. TURKISH CINEMA WRITERS ASSOCIATION "SIYAD" ANNOUNCED AWARDS FOR 2001
92. DEINE AUGEN KARAMUK /YOUR EYES KARAMUK/ GOZLERIN KARAMUK BY SULBIYE GULNAR
91. KANAK ATTACK BY LARS BECKER
90. IN MEMORIAM | IZZET AKAY, CINEMATOGRAPHER
89. HEJAR/ BUYUK ADAM KUCUK ASK BY HANDAN IPEKCI
88. GOTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL TO SCREEN PHOTOGRAPH BY KAZIM OZ
87. Permanence en Occident des clichés sur les Turcs: le cas concret du film
86. TURKISH CINEMA WRITERS ASSOCIATION "SIYAD" ANNOUNCED NOMINATIONS FOR 2001
85. THE SEVENTH SUN OF LOVE BY VANGELIS SERDARIS AND ASIA MINOR DISASTER
84. NUMBER OF SCREENS AND MOVIEGOERS IN TURKEY
83. FROM THE ARCHIVESTURKISH CINEMA RETROSPECTIVE 1996 CENTRE GEORGES POMPIDOU
82. Cinéma Turc BY MEHMET BASUTCU
81. FERZAN OZPETEK, DIRECTOR OF IGNORANT FAIRIES AWARDED BEST DIRECTOR IN ITALY
80. TURVAK ESTABLISHED A CINEMA CENTER IN ISTANBUL, INCLUDING A TURKISH FILM MUSEUM
79. TWO ITALIAN PRODUCTIONS ABOUT THE "TURKISH POPE" WHO SAVED JEWISH LIVES
78. CUNEYT ARKIN'S 1982 FILM BY CETIN INANC, IS NOW A CULT CLASSIC
77. TURKISH TV'S POPULAR COP SHOW MAKES A MOVIE DEBUT
76. TURKISH FILMS AT THE 42.THESSALONIKI FILM FESTIVAL
75. ARARAT by ATOM EGOYAN Read Ararat Files.. Posted with updates
74. WINNER OF BEST FILM AWARD OF 38th GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL "HEJAR/ BUYUK ADAM KUCUK ASK" IS OSCAR BOUND
73. CAUSE / DAVA/DOZ BY GANI RUZGAR SAVATA STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
72. A FINE DAY (DER SCHÖNE TAG) IN WASHINGTON DC, USA
71. A FINE DAY (DER SCHÖNE TAG) BY THOMAS ARSLAN
70. FAULTLINES, A DOCUMENTARY BY EYLEM KAFTAN
69. CINEMA DEPARTMENTS IN TURKISH UNIVERSITIES
68. TURKISH FILM ORGANIZATIONS
67. 13th TURKISH FILMS FESTIVAL IN STRASBOURG, FRANCE 5 -18 December 2001
66. IN JULY BY FATIH AKIN RELEASED IN US
65. MRS. SALKIM'S DIAMONDS CAUSES A FUROR ON NATIONAL TV (TRT)
64. 9th LONDON TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL 7 - 20 December 2001
63. WATERFALL / SELLALE BY SEMIR ASLANYUREK STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
62. DESTINY / YAZGI BY ZEKI DEMIRKUBUZ STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
61. THE PHOTOGRAPH /FOTOGRAF BY KAZIM OZ STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
60. 1st LONDON KURDISH FILM FESTIVAL 9 - 15 November 2001 See also KURDISH FILM FILES
59. ANAM BY BUKET ALAKUS WINS ANOTHER PRIZE
58.EIGHT ARMENIAN FILMS IN A TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL
57. AFI FEST 2001 SCREENS KANAKE BY MEVLUT AKKAYA
56. ON CINEMA by M.K. Ataturk (In English, French and German)
55. HUSSI KUTLUCAN WINS PRIX EUROPA IRIS
54. TURKEY / LAW RELEVANT TO THE AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR by Hatice Dilek Baytan Download PDF
53."GREAT MAN, LITTLE LOVE" IS OSCAR BOUND
52. MY DARLING ISTANBUL / ISTANBUL MON AMOUR BY SECKIN YASAR
51. MARUF BY SERDAR AKAR STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
50. A CHAPTER ON TURKISH FILMS INCLUDED IN A NEW BOOK ON MIDDLE EASTERN AND NORTH AFRICAN FILM
49. MOON AND STARS PROJECT RETURNS WITH 3RD ANNUAL NY TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL
48. SUMMER LOVE / O DA BENI SEVIYOR BY BARIS PIRHASAN STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
47. THE ONLY JOURNEY OF HIS LIFE By Lakis Papastathis
46. THE SINGER / SARKICI BY ERSIN PERTAN STARTS ITS COMMERCIAL RUN
45. 38th GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL / October 1-5, 2001 Antalya Turkey
44. IGNORANT FAIRIES BY FERZAN OZPETEK STARTS ITS TURKISH RUN
43. NEW TURKISH CINEMA AT THE FREER AND SACKLER GALLERIESErju Ackman Voice of America interview
42. PAULINE KAEL LIVES
41. 2000-2001 BOX OFFICE (Compiled by www.sinematurk.com)
40. THE YOUNG TURKS OF GERMAN CINEMA
39. ON BOARD by AKAR / HOUSE OF ANGELS by KAVUR / BALAYKA by OZGENTURK
38. ARARAT by ATOM EGOYAN Read Ararat Files..
37. TURKISH FILMS OF THE ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
36. All Turkish Feature Films and Directors (1996-2001)
35. 38th GOLDEN ORANGE FILM FESTIVAL 2001 Antalya Turkey
34. OMER KAVUR / Biography and Filmography
33. REHA ERDEM'S KAC PARA KAC / RUN FOR MONEY in Filmfest DC 2001
32. Pauline Kael on Midnight Express Read the full article
31. Goethe Institute screens GERMAN FILMS BY TURKISH DIRECTORS IN TORONTO
30. 2001 ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL / NATIONAL COMPETITION (8 films)
29. IGNORANT FAIRIES by OZPETEK
28. Call For Papers / Mesa, Chicago, Dec. 3-6, 1998
27. New Publications
26. Turkish Cinema And Eurimages
25. Karisik Pizza
24. Editorial by Erju Ackman
23. New Publications
22. Turkish Films in London's Rio Cinema
21. MAYFEST 2000 BRINGS TURKISH FILMS TO NEW YORK N.Y
20. More Kudos For Hamam / Il Bagno
19. Agir Roman / A Turkish Pulp Fiction?
18. Tribute To Memduh Un Istanbul 97
17. Turkish Cinema At Montreal 97
16. A Director/ A Film Dervis Zaim's Summersault In A Coffin
15. A Chronology Of Turkish Cinema Part 1(1914-1921)
14. M. K Ataturk And Turkish Cinema
13. Turkish Films In Quicktime Movie Format.
12. General Outlook Of Turkish Cinema
11. Erju Ackman / Film Related Bio
10. Mimar Sinan University Turkish Film And TV Institute
9. Istanbul Film Festival / Contacts
8. Istanbul Film Festival / Films At National Showcase
7. Akrebin Yolculugu Journey On A Clock Hand (Akrebin Yolculugu)
6. Review Journey On A Clock Hand (Akrebin Yolculugu)
5. Akrebin Yolculugu At Afi
4. Hamam/ Il Bagno
3. Turkish Films At Toronto Film Festival
2. Turkish Film Weeks In Canada
1. Antalya Golden Orange 1997 / Awards And Films In Participation
Sunday, September 10, 2006
138. NEW TURKISH FILMS
138. NEW TURKISH FILMS
Wish Me Luck / Bana Sans Dile… (Turkey)
A Muhtesem Film production. (International sales: MFP, Istanbul.) Produced by Irfan Tozum. Directed, written by Cagan Irmak.
Camera (color), Cenap Cevahir; editor, Erhan Oz; music, Aria; art director, Remzi Evren. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 6, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 90 MIN.
Cast: Riza Kocaoglu, Deniz Ugur, Volkan Severcan, Nilgun Belgun, Berke Uzrek, Guler Okten, Kutay Kokturk, Basak Dasman, Mert Akca, Melisa Sozen, Ismail Hacioglu, Aysun Metiner, Fuat Onan, Oya Semerci
By DEREK ELLEY
A put-upon high school student holds his class hostage at gunpoint in "Wish Me Luck," a partly successful attempt at something new in Turkish cinema -- crossing drama, comedy and action in a hot-button storyline. Film is flawed by its wavering tone, plus an ending that's obvious a mile off, but this first feature by writer-director Cagan Irmak, who cut his teeth on TV movies, shows a filmmaker with real mainstream potential.
Bahadir (Riza Kocaoglu) is a slightly geeky, middle-class kid raised by a distant, self-obsessed mother. When he sticks up his own class one day, and the media and police gather outside, he forces his schoolmates to recount their own hang-ups and repressions, broadcast to the outside world on a PA system. The personal revelations are a mixed bunch: One boy is afraid of the dark, another joined a group of satanists, a snooty girl turns out to be the class tart, and the class bully was beaten by his own father. The media, especially, comes in for some obvious parody, but in general perfs by the younger players keep the pic on course. Technically, it's fine.
Summer Love / O Da Beni Seviyor (Turkey-Hungary)
A Warner Bros. Turkey release of a Filma-Cass presentation of a Filma-Cass, Kedi Film (Turkey)/Objektiv Film Studio (Hungary) production, with support of Efes Pilsen, Turkish Culture Ministry. (International sales: Warner Bros., Istanbul.) Produced by Mine Vargi. Executive producer, Yavuz Bayraktaroglu. Co-producer, Janos Rozsa. Directed by Baris Pirhasan. Screenplay, Gul Dirican, Pirhasan.
Camera (color), Juergen Juerges; editor, Adnan Elial; music, Mare Nostrum, Ulas Ozdemir; art director, Mustafa Ziya Ulkenciler. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 5, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 106 MIN.
Cast: Ece Eksi, Lale Mansur, Luk Piyes, Ayla Algan, Aysenil Samlioglu, Burak Sergen, Cezmi Baskin, Hale Akinci, Kemal Inci, Serra Yilmaz, Serif Sezer, Taner Birsel, Tomris Incer, Tuncel Kurtiz, Ugur Polat, Ali Okcelik, Elif Can, Esin Aslan, Esma Madra, Meri Israel, Yunus Sirinsoy.
(Turkish dialogue.)
By DEREK ELLEY
Charming but slight, "Summer Love" is what its title promises -- a beautifully shot coming-of-ager centered on a 12-year-old girl in provincial southeast Turkey. Well played by a large cast of veteran stage talents and younger thesps, pic positively drips with sumptuous landscapes and ethnic color (especially local Alawi culture), signaling potentially healthy sales on European TV channels.
It's summer '73, in the city of Malatya, and rebellious young beanpole Esma Hanim (Ece Eksi), following disastrous grades, is sent off to the rural home of her father's army buddy while the rest of her family heads for the seaside. Among all the ornery old country women, Esma finds a soulmate in Saliha (Lale Mansur), who rebelled against an arranged marriage -- and a potential boyfriend in handsome tractor driver Huseyin (Cologne-born Luk Piyes); but some hard life lessons await her. Piyes is restrained after his debut as a cocky young hoodlum in Lars Becker's "Kanak Attack," but it's the young Eksi (like a young, prettier Charlotte Gainsbourg) and the mellow Mansur who give the film some heart beneath the rich visuals by German d.p. Juergen Juerges ("Code Unknown").
Maruf (Turkey)
A Yeni Sinemacilik production. (International sales: Ozen Film, Istanbul.) Produced by Sevil Cakar, Onder Cakar. Directed by Serdar Akar.
Screenplay, Akar, Onder Cakar. Camera (color), Mehmet Aksin; editor, Nevzat Disiacik; music, Replikas; art director, Turgay Kurtulus. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 6, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Original title: Maruf. Running time: 103 MIN.Cast: Meltem Cumbul, Ruhi Sari, Nihat Ileri, Arzu Os, Emine Sans Umar.
By DEREK ELLEY
Serdar Akar, whose well-observed sophomore feature, "Offside," drew some attention on the fest circuit, returns with the rather more conventional "Maruf," a drama of traditional conflicts set in a stony east Anatolian village. Some limited festival play looks likely, plus attention from specialized Eurowebs looking for "exotic," socially conscious fare.
Set in a small hillside community, pic centers on Maruf (Ruhi Sari), an uncomplicated guy who just wants to marry the sweet girl he secretly meets for occasional R&R. However, as complications mount and long-established customs come into play, Maruf's frustrations rise to boiling point with his domineering uncle. Pic is solidly shot and acted, with a very real sense of place (close to Mardin, near the Syrian border) and only some fantasy sequences seeming ill-judged. Its central theme, however, contains little that's new compared with dozens of other rural Turkish movies.
The Waterfall / Sellale (Turkey)
An IFR presentation of a Selale production in association with Ecco Partners. (International sales: IFR, Istanbul.) Produced by Ezel Akay, Yalcin Kilic. Executive producers, Ufuk Ahiska, Akay, Serdar Tahiroglu, Ziya Oner, Levent Kefik, Dominique M. Robinson. Directed, written by Semir Aslanyurek.
Camera (color), Hayk Kirakosyan; editors, Senad Preseva, Mustafa Preseva; music, Sunay Ozgur; art director, Levent Uysal; sound (Dolby Digital), Burak Akbulut; sound designer, Ender Akay. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 4, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 120 MIN.
Cast: Hulya Kocyigit, Tuncel Kurtiz, Aykut Oray, Ali Surmeli, Enis Aslanyurek, Zuhal Tatlicioglu, Canan Hosgor, Ege Aydan, Fikret Kuskan, Nurgul Yesilcay, Savas Yurttas.
By DEREK ELLEY
A strong cast, mixing youngsters with veterans, and smooth production values make "The Waterfall" a consistently entertaining, if hardly original, period dramedy. Full of colorful characters in a small village during a watershed in recent Turkish history, picture is a solid entry for film weeks and TV programmers looking for accessible ethnic fare.
Setting is Harbiye, a hill suburb just south of Antakya (modern Antioch) in southeast Turkey; period is May '60, when political feelings were running high in the country and the army was about to step in to curb abuses of power by the ruling Democratic Party. Central character is Cemal (Enis Aslanyurek), a playful kid who's apprenticed to a larger-than-life barber, Selim (Tuncel Kurtiz), who has an opinion on everything from Marshall Aid through Turkish troops being sent to Korea, to local schoolchildren being forced to drink U.S. Army milk.
Cemal's father, Yusuf (Aykut Oray), a construction foreman, is a staunch democrat and anti-communist; Cemal's uncle, Suleyman (Ali Surmeli), is the political opposite. Though they live in adjoining houses, the two men haven't spoken for years and have even built a wall between them in the shared courtyard. However, their wives, Semra (Hulya Kocyigit) and Cemile (Canan Hosgor), get on just fine.
Large cast includes the full spectrum of political views and lively characters (including a husband who's always chasing his promiscuous young wife with a cleaver), plus small events that momentarily set villager against villager. When the local waterfall -- where women traditionally go to recount their dreams -- is dynamited during construction of a new factory, things come to a head between corrupt local businessmen and conservative locals.
Very professionally mounted, with an engaging score by Sunay Ozgur, pic keeps a fine balance between its kid cast (both at home and at school) and older characters. Among the latter, Kurtiz dominates whenever he's onscreen as the bald, loudmouthed barber with a secret passion for ethnic flutes and Josef Stalin; Oray and Surmeli are nicely matched as the warring brothers; and the veteran Kocyigit, one of Turkish cinema's most distinguished actresses, provides quiet support throughout as Cemal's mom.
9 (Turkey)
A Haluk Bener production. (International sales: PTT Films, Istanbul/Keriman Ulusoy, Paris.) Produced by Haluk Bener, Aydin Sarioglu, Umit Unal. Directed, written by Umit Unal.Camera (color, DV-to-35mm), Aydin Sarioglu; editor, Ismail "Niko" Canlisoy; music, ZeN; art director, Haluk Bener. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 4, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 94 MIN
Cast: Ali Poyrazoglu, Cezmi Baskin, Fikret Kuskan, Ozan Guven, Rafa Radomisli, Serra Yilmaz, Fuat Onan, Sezgin Devran, Esin Pervane.
By DEREK ELLEY
Turkey's first DV-to-35mm feature, shot in Istanbul last August, "9" is a smart idea that's about an hour too long. An investigation into a killing through a series of cross-cut interviews with suspects, this first pic by Umit Unal, a scripter and novelist who also makes TV commercials, would seem better suited to the written word or legit stage, although it did inexplicably win best picture honors in the Turkish national competition. As a movie, its restless, repetitive style soon palls, limiting its future to specialized fests and vid-centered sidebars.
Entire pic is set in a dingy basement room (No. 9) where unseen interrogators question and film six inhabitants of a quiet district where a beautiful vagrant, nicknamed "Spike," was found raped and killed, her face smashed with a rock. In separate sessions, the interviewees repeatedly contradict, try to blame and trash each other, revealing, in the words of one, "a river of hot lava beneath the dusty, dirty street." Strong cast is led by Rafa Radomisli as a street bum nicknamed "The American," Ali Poyrazoglu as a photo-shop owner, and Fikret Kuskan as an antsy young butcher. As well as crosscutting between interviews, pic also briefly flashes back to actual events.
The Photograph /Fotograf (Turkey)
A Mesopotamia Culture Centre (Cinema Dept.) release and production, with participation of Hubert Bals Fund and Oz Batmanlilar Travel. (International sales: MCC, Istanbul.) Directed, written by Kazim Oz.
Camera (color), Ercan Ozkan; editors, Oz, Savas Boyraz, Ozkan Kucuk, Zulfiye Dolu; music, Mustafa Biber; art director, Ozkan Kucuk. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 4, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 67 MIN.
Cast: Feyyaz Duman, Nazmi Kirik, Mizgin Kapazan, Muhlis Asan, Ozcan Alper, Zulfiye Dolu, Mehmet Ali Oz, Ali Koroglu, Sami Mermer, Sercan Yldiz, Yekta Balta.
By DEREK ELLEY
Though little more than an hour long, "The Photograph" is as eloquent a snapshot of the ironies of civil conflict as one could hope to find. The longest work to date by young director Kazim Oz, who in the past five years has largely done short docus, pic already has played extensively during the past year on the B-festival circuit, but deserves a higher platform. Programming outside festivals reps a problem, though specialized events and webs should respond.
Oz was assistant director on Yesim Ustaoglu's "Journey to the Sun" (1999), and there are similarities in "Sun" and the odyssey eastwards by "Photograph's" central protagonists, as well as in both pics' quietly purposeful feel. However, where Ustaoglu's pic was a fully developed dramatic feature centered on Turkish-Kurdish friendship, Oz's is more like a haiku.
Serene opening sees a long-distance luxury coach pull into Istanbul's harbor area, where a young man, who's been talking desultorily to a woman (Mizgin Kapazan), climbs on board. He sits next to a younger, rather tightly-wound guy and the two gradually start a conversation. Only some way into the movie does the viewer learn the former is called Ali (Nazmi Kirik) and the latter Faruk (Feyyaz Duman).
Both are traveling to eastern Turkey and both claim to be going to see relatives, Ali in Diyarbakir, Faruk in Tunceli. Ali is peaceful and relaxed, and says he's a law student; Faruk is tense, and plays with his musical cigarette lighter as the coach travels through the night and next day, past increasing roadblocks for ID checks by the army.
In fact, one of the two is a Turkish army conscript drafted to the east of the country; the other is a Kurdish terrorist traveling incognito. They part on the best of terms, ignorant of each other's reality, but their destinies are soon to cross on the side of a snowy mountain.
Oz calls his film a study in "the possibility of friendship," and without pushing its central conceit too far, he makes a brief but lucid statement on the theme, helped by fine, understated perfs by the two leads. Suffused with a half-real, half-dreamlike tone, and catching the hypnotic quality of long-distance journeys, film is capped by a tour-de-force, single take that links Faruk and Ali together again.
Here, and in other elaborate shots (such as conscripts being registered), Oz looks like a talent to watch. Pic's one misjudgment is a pretentious ending that undercuts the foregoing simplicity.
Shot in June 2000 on Super-16 and for almost no money, pic was self-distributed in over eight Turkish cities last year, clocking some 25,000 admissions.
Tech credits in the 35mm blowup are fine, with a notable score by Mustafa Biber that adds atmosphere to Ercan Ozkan's clean lensing. Credits, notably, are all in Kurdish.
Innowhereland / Hicbiryerde (Turkey-Germany)
A Warner Bros. Turkey release of a Mine Film (Turkey)/Luna Film (Germany) production. (International sales: Media Luna, Cologne.) Produced by Zeynep Ozbatur, Kadri Yurdatap. Co-producer, Gudrun Ruzickova-Steiner. Directed, written by Tayfun Pirselimoglu.
Camera (color), Colin Mounier; editors, Sevket Uysal, Hamdi Deniz; music, Cengiz Onural; art director, Natali Yeres; sound (Dolby), Nuh Mete Deniz; assistant director, Nur Arik. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 5, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 94 MIN.
Cast: Zuhal Olcay, Michael Mendl, Parkan Ozturan, Meral Okay, Ruhi San, Devin Ozgur Cinar, Cezmi Baskin, Seyhsuvar Aktas, Selcuk Uluerguven, Ugurtan Sayiner, Halil Kumova.
By DEREK ELLEY
Refusing to believe her missing son is dead, a mother journeys to the wilds of Anatolia in "Innowhereland," a borderline pretentious, somewhat retro slice of "committed" Turkish cinema given dignity and humanity by a terrific lead perf from Zuhal Olcay. First feature by painter-cum-novelist Tayfun Pirselimoglu looks likely to secure some festival exposure, with specialized TV slots to follow.
A host of movies during the past two decades have dealt with Turkey's "missing" people, estimated by some to total roughly 3,000, though no exact figure exists. Some disappeared while under police custody, others vanished "normally," with only half ever found. Though a series of pre-credit captions informs that the film is about missing people in general, the main character, Sukran (Olcay), was once married to a Kurdish activist, and it's made fairly clear that her son was mixed up in some kind of anti-government activity.
An attractive woman in her 40s who works in a railroad ticket office, Sukran obsessively pursues every avenue of hope that her son Veysel is alive. Still insisting he was apolitical and "clean," unlike her late husband, she clashes with Veysel's fiancee, Sule (Devin Ozgur Cinar), who claims he's now dead.
After thinking she's spotted Veysel in a crowd, Sukran follows a lead from a friend (Parkan Ozturan) and travels to the extreme east of the country, to the Kurdish heartland, hoping to find him. Arriving in the ancient town of Mardin, close to the Syrian border, she's met with hostility and bureaucratic indifference, until some people claim to know where he's hiding.
There's more than a hint of Turkish helmer Omer Kavur in Pirselimoglu's cool, semi-abstract style and use of far-flung, photogenic locations in which to set personal odysseys. However, largely thanks to Olcay's shaded playing of a potentially single-note role, plus some neat character parts (Cezmi Baskin as a movie projectionist, Ugurtan Sayiner as a hotel receptionist), pic just about escapes art-movie self-consciousness.
Fulfilling coproduction demands rather than dramatic ones, vet Michael Mendl briefly pops up as a Turkish-speaking German journalist. And though the film's tempo remains measured and its content slim, the switch halfway to Mardin at least makes matters easy on the eye in experienced French d.p. Colin Mounier's tasty lensing of the picturesque town.
Olcay won best actress at the Istanbul fest.
Away From Home / Herkes Kendi Evinde (Turkey)
A Haylazz production. (International sales: Keriman Ulas Ulusoy, Istanbul.) Produced by Ali T. Bilgen, Leyla Ozalp, Semih Kaplanoglu, Levent Onan. Directed by Semih Kaplanoglu. Screenplay, Kaplanoglu, Ozden Cankaya, Serpil Kirel.
Camera (color), Haik Kirakossian; editors, Hakan Akol, Onur Tan; music, Selim Atakan; art director, Cagla Ormanlar; sound (Dolby Digital), Ismail Karadas. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (market), May 17, 2001. Running time: 105 MIN.
Cast: Tolga Cevik, Erol Keskin, Anna Bielska.(Turkish, Russian and English dialogue.)
By DEBORAH YOUNG
A sensitively directed but overly predictable tale of three characters in search of, or running away from, their roots, "Away From Home" is sporadically likable until it gets lost in an ending that wallows in downbeat realism. On the plus side, TV director Semih Kaplanoglu brings a strong feeling for nuanced characters and film technique to his feature bow -- which was co-winner (with Serdar Akar's "Offside") of the Best Turkish Film national prize at this year's Istanbul festival -- and pic's story ranges picturesquely from Istanbul to the Turkish countryside. Some offshore ancillary biz is possible.
Story is narrated by 26-year-old Selim (Tolga Cevik), who has been left alone in the world after his parents' death. He impulsively enters the "lottery" by which the U.S. immigration authorities randomly select future American citizens and, much to his surprise, he "wins." He decides to move to New York City at the cost of breaking up with his good-looking girlfriend and selling a family olive grove in Alacati.
At this point, Selim's aged uncle, Nasuhi (Erol Keskin), suddenly turns up after 50 years in Russia. A confirmed Communist, he survived a Stalinist labor camp and WWII before ending up on a state apple farm. Now he's come back to die in the olive grove of his youth. This eccentric self-made man soon becomes the film's moral center.
Third character is a Russian girl, Olga (Anna Bielska), whom Nasuhi finds beaten up on a road after her first attempt at prostitution. Though emotionally quite mature (at least, compared with Selim), she has become extremely vulnerable from the strain of searching for her missing father, a sea captain.
At Nasuhi's insistence, the trio take off for the fabled olive grove. They find the old stone house and fields in desperate need of repair, which Nasuhi plunges into at once. Selim doesn't know how to tell him that a three-way return to nature isn't going to happen, and the healing journey that the film seems to propose crumbles before the young man's uncertainty. In the greedy building boom sweeping Turkey, pic asserts, roots and homeland have been forgotten.
Script's initial awkwardness in twining the character strands together -- particular Olga, who wanders around Istanbul solo for some time -- finally disappears when the three hit the road. However, as the supposed narrator, Cevik's Selim fades in and out, often dropped for entire scenes. Kaplanoglu shows a fondness for technical devices like fades, slow motion and offscreen sound, used sparingly and well.
(posted june 08,2002)
Wish Me Luck / Bana Sans Dile… (Turkey)
A Muhtesem Film production. (International sales: MFP, Istanbul.) Produced by Irfan Tozum. Directed, written by Cagan Irmak.
Camera (color), Cenap Cevahir; editor, Erhan Oz; music, Aria; art director, Remzi Evren. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 6, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 90 MIN.
Cast: Riza Kocaoglu, Deniz Ugur, Volkan Severcan, Nilgun Belgun, Berke Uzrek, Guler Okten, Kutay Kokturk, Basak Dasman, Mert Akca, Melisa Sozen, Ismail Hacioglu, Aysun Metiner, Fuat Onan, Oya Semerci
By DEREK ELLEY
A put-upon high school student holds his class hostage at gunpoint in "Wish Me Luck," a partly successful attempt at something new in Turkish cinema -- crossing drama, comedy and action in a hot-button storyline. Film is flawed by its wavering tone, plus an ending that's obvious a mile off, but this first feature by writer-director Cagan Irmak, who cut his teeth on TV movies, shows a filmmaker with real mainstream potential.
Bahadir (Riza Kocaoglu) is a slightly geeky, middle-class kid raised by a distant, self-obsessed mother. When he sticks up his own class one day, and the media and police gather outside, he forces his schoolmates to recount their own hang-ups and repressions, broadcast to the outside world on a PA system. The personal revelations are a mixed bunch: One boy is afraid of the dark, another joined a group of satanists, a snooty girl turns out to be the class tart, and the class bully was beaten by his own father. The media, especially, comes in for some obvious parody, but in general perfs by the younger players keep the pic on course. Technically, it's fine.
Summer Love / O Da Beni Seviyor (Turkey-Hungary)
A Warner Bros. Turkey release of a Filma-Cass presentation of a Filma-Cass, Kedi Film (Turkey)/Objektiv Film Studio (Hungary) production, with support of Efes Pilsen, Turkish Culture Ministry. (International sales: Warner Bros., Istanbul.) Produced by Mine Vargi. Executive producer, Yavuz Bayraktaroglu. Co-producer, Janos Rozsa. Directed by Baris Pirhasan. Screenplay, Gul Dirican, Pirhasan.
Camera (color), Juergen Juerges; editor, Adnan Elial; music, Mare Nostrum, Ulas Ozdemir; art director, Mustafa Ziya Ulkenciler. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 5, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 106 MIN.
Cast: Ece Eksi, Lale Mansur, Luk Piyes, Ayla Algan, Aysenil Samlioglu, Burak Sergen, Cezmi Baskin, Hale Akinci, Kemal Inci, Serra Yilmaz, Serif Sezer, Taner Birsel, Tomris Incer, Tuncel Kurtiz, Ugur Polat, Ali Okcelik, Elif Can, Esin Aslan, Esma Madra, Meri Israel, Yunus Sirinsoy.
(Turkish dialogue.)
By DEREK ELLEY
Charming but slight, "Summer Love" is what its title promises -- a beautifully shot coming-of-ager centered on a 12-year-old girl in provincial southeast Turkey. Well played by a large cast of veteran stage talents and younger thesps, pic positively drips with sumptuous landscapes and ethnic color (especially local Alawi culture), signaling potentially healthy sales on European TV channels.
It's summer '73, in the city of Malatya, and rebellious young beanpole Esma Hanim (Ece Eksi), following disastrous grades, is sent off to the rural home of her father's army buddy while the rest of her family heads for the seaside. Among all the ornery old country women, Esma finds a soulmate in Saliha (Lale Mansur), who rebelled against an arranged marriage -- and a potential boyfriend in handsome tractor driver Huseyin (Cologne-born Luk Piyes); but some hard life lessons await her. Piyes is restrained after his debut as a cocky young hoodlum in Lars Becker's "Kanak Attack," but it's the young Eksi (like a young, prettier Charlotte Gainsbourg) and the mellow Mansur who give the film some heart beneath the rich visuals by German d.p. Juergen Juerges ("Code Unknown").
Maruf (Turkey)
A Yeni Sinemacilik production. (International sales: Ozen Film, Istanbul.) Produced by Sevil Cakar, Onder Cakar. Directed by Serdar Akar.
Screenplay, Akar, Onder Cakar. Camera (color), Mehmet Aksin; editor, Nevzat Disiacik; music, Replikas; art director, Turgay Kurtulus. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 6, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Original title: Maruf. Running time: 103 MIN.Cast: Meltem Cumbul, Ruhi Sari, Nihat Ileri, Arzu Os, Emine Sans Umar.
By DEREK ELLEY
Serdar Akar, whose well-observed sophomore feature, "Offside," drew some attention on the fest circuit, returns with the rather more conventional "Maruf," a drama of traditional conflicts set in a stony east Anatolian village. Some limited festival play looks likely, plus attention from specialized Eurowebs looking for "exotic," socially conscious fare.
Set in a small hillside community, pic centers on Maruf (Ruhi Sari), an uncomplicated guy who just wants to marry the sweet girl he secretly meets for occasional R&R. However, as complications mount and long-established customs come into play, Maruf's frustrations rise to boiling point with his domineering uncle. Pic is solidly shot and acted, with a very real sense of place (close to Mardin, near the Syrian border) and only some fantasy sequences seeming ill-judged. Its central theme, however, contains little that's new compared with dozens of other rural Turkish movies.
The Waterfall / Sellale (Turkey)
An IFR presentation of a Selale production in association with Ecco Partners. (International sales: IFR, Istanbul.) Produced by Ezel Akay, Yalcin Kilic. Executive producers, Ufuk Ahiska, Akay, Serdar Tahiroglu, Ziya Oner, Levent Kefik, Dominique M. Robinson. Directed, written by Semir Aslanyurek.
Camera (color), Hayk Kirakosyan; editors, Senad Preseva, Mustafa Preseva; music, Sunay Ozgur; art director, Levent Uysal; sound (Dolby Digital), Burak Akbulut; sound designer, Ender Akay. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 4, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 120 MIN.
Cast: Hulya Kocyigit, Tuncel Kurtiz, Aykut Oray, Ali Surmeli, Enis Aslanyurek, Zuhal Tatlicioglu, Canan Hosgor, Ege Aydan, Fikret Kuskan, Nurgul Yesilcay, Savas Yurttas.
By DEREK ELLEY
A strong cast, mixing youngsters with veterans, and smooth production values make "The Waterfall" a consistently entertaining, if hardly original, period dramedy. Full of colorful characters in a small village during a watershed in recent Turkish history, picture is a solid entry for film weeks and TV programmers looking for accessible ethnic fare.
Setting is Harbiye, a hill suburb just south of Antakya (modern Antioch) in southeast Turkey; period is May '60, when political feelings were running high in the country and the army was about to step in to curb abuses of power by the ruling Democratic Party. Central character is Cemal (Enis Aslanyurek), a playful kid who's apprenticed to a larger-than-life barber, Selim (Tuncel Kurtiz), who has an opinion on everything from Marshall Aid through Turkish troops being sent to Korea, to local schoolchildren being forced to drink U.S. Army milk.
Cemal's father, Yusuf (Aykut Oray), a construction foreman, is a staunch democrat and anti-communist; Cemal's uncle, Suleyman (Ali Surmeli), is the political opposite. Though they live in adjoining houses, the two men haven't spoken for years and have even built a wall between them in the shared courtyard. However, their wives, Semra (Hulya Kocyigit) and Cemile (Canan Hosgor), get on just fine.
Large cast includes the full spectrum of political views and lively characters (including a husband who's always chasing his promiscuous young wife with a cleaver), plus small events that momentarily set villager against villager. When the local waterfall -- where women traditionally go to recount their dreams -- is dynamited during construction of a new factory, things come to a head between corrupt local businessmen and conservative locals.
Very professionally mounted, with an engaging score by Sunay Ozgur, pic keeps a fine balance between its kid cast (both at home and at school) and older characters. Among the latter, Kurtiz dominates whenever he's onscreen as the bald, loudmouthed barber with a secret passion for ethnic flutes and Josef Stalin; Oray and Surmeli are nicely matched as the warring brothers; and the veteran Kocyigit, one of Turkish cinema's most distinguished actresses, provides quiet support throughout as Cemal's mom.
9 (Turkey)
A Haluk Bener production. (International sales: PTT Films, Istanbul/Keriman Ulusoy, Paris.) Produced by Haluk Bener, Aydin Sarioglu, Umit Unal. Directed, written by Umit Unal.Camera (color, DV-to-35mm), Aydin Sarioglu; editor, Ismail "Niko" Canlisoy; music, ZeN; art director, Haluk Bener. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 4, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 94 MIN
Cast: Ali Poyrazoglu, Cezmi Baskin, Fikret Kuskan, Ozan Guven, Rafa Radomisli, Serra Yilmaz, Fuat Onan, Sezgin Devran, Esin Pervane.
By DEREK ELLEY
Turkey's first DV-to-35mm feature, shot in Istanbul last August, "9" is a smart idea that's about an hour too long. An investigation into a killing through a series of cross-cut interviews with suspects, this first pic by Umit Unal, a scripter and novelist who also makes TV commercials, would seem better suited to the written word or legit stage, although it did inexplicably win best picture honors in the Turkish national competition. As a movie, its restless, repetitive style soon palls, limiting its future to specialized fests and vid-centered sidebars.
Entire pic is set in a dingy basement room (No. 9) where unseen interrogators question and film six inhabitants of a quiet district where a beautiful vagrant, nicknamed "Spike," was found raped and killed, her face smashed with a rock. In separate sessions, the interviewees repeatedly contradict, try to blame and trash each other, revealing, in the words of one, "a river of hot lava beneath the dusty, dirty street." Strong cast is led by Rafa Radomisli as a street bum nicknamed "The American," Ali Poyrazoglu as a photo-shop owner, and Fikret Kuskan as an antsy young butcher. As well as crosscutting between interviews, pic also briefly flashes back to actual events.
The Photograph /Fotograf (Turkey)
A Mesopotamia Culture Centre (Cinema Dept.) release and production, with participation of Hubert Bals Fund and Oz Batmanlilar Travel. (International sales: MCC, Istanbul.) Directed, written by Kazim Oz.
Camera (color), Ercan Ozkan; editors, Oz, Savas Boyraz, Ozkan Kucuk, Zulfiye Dolu; music, Mustafa Biber; art director, Ozkan Kucuk. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 4, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 67 MIN.
Cast: Feyyaz Duman, Nazmi Kirik, Mizgin Kapazan, Muhlis Asan, Ozcan Alper, Zulfiye Dolu, Mehmet Ali Oz, Ali Koroglu, Sami Mermer, Sercan Yldiz, Yekta Balta.
By DEREK ELLEY
Though little more than an hour long, "The Photograph" is as eloquent a snapshot of the ironies of civil conflict as one could hope to find. The longest work to date by young director Kazim Oz, who in the past five years has largely done short docus, pic already has played extensively during the past year on the B-festival circuit, but deserves a higher platform. Programming outside festivals reps a problem, though specialized events and webs should respond.
Oz was assistant director on Yesim Ustaoglu's "Journey to the Sun" (1999), and there are similarities in "Sun" and the odyssey eastwards by "Photograph's" central protagonists, as well as in both pics' quietly purposeful feel. However, where Ustaoglu's pic was a fully developed dramatic feature centered on Turkish-Kurdish friendship, Oz's is more like a haiku.
Serene opening sees a long-distance luxury coach pull into Istanbul's harbor area, where a young man, who's been talking desultorily to a woman (Mizgin Kapazan), climbs on board. He sits next to a younger, rather tightly-wound guy and the two gradually start a conversation. Only some way into the movie does the viewer learn the former is called Ali (Nazmi Kirik) and the latter Faruk (Feyyaz Duman).
Both are traveling to eastern Turkey and both claim to be going to see relatives, Ali in Diyarbakir, Faruk in Tunceli. Ali is peaceful and relaxed, and says he's a law student; Faruk is tense, and plays with his musical cigarette lighter as the coach travels through the night and next day, past increasing roadblocks for ID checks by the army.
In fact, one of the two is a Turkish army conscript drafted to the east of the country; the other is a Kurdish terrorist traveling incognito. They part on the best of terms, ignorant of each other's reality, but their destinies are soon to cross on the side of a snowy mountain.
Oz calls his film a study in "the possibility of friendship," and without pushing its central conceit too far, he makes a brief but lucid statement on the theme, helped by fine, understated perfs by the two leads. Suffused with a half-real, half-dreamlike tone, and catching the hypnotic quality of long-distance journeys, film is capped by a tour-de-force, single take that links Faruk and Ali together again.
Here, and in other elaborate shots (such as conscripts being registered), Oz looks like a talent to watch. Pic's one misjudgment is a pretentious ending that undercuts the foregoing simplicity.
Shot in June 2000 on Super-16 and for almost no money, pic was self-distributed in over eight Turkish cities last year, clocking some 25,000 admissions.
Tech credits in the 35mm blowup are fine, with a notable score by Mustafa Biber that adds atmosphere to Ercan Ozkan's clean lensing. Credits, notably, are all in Kurdish.
Innowhereland / Hicbiryerde (Turkey-Germany)
A Warner Bros. Turkey release of a Mine Film (Turkey)/Luna Film (Germany) production. (International sales: Media Luna, Cologne.) Produced by Zeynep Ozbatur, Kadri Yurdatap. Co-producer, Gudrun Ruzickova-Steiner. Directed, written by Tayfun Pirselimoglu.
Camera (color), Colin Mounier; editors, Sevket Uysal, Hamdi Deniz; music, Cengiz Onural; art director, Natali Yeres; sound (Dolby), Nuh Mete Deniz; assistant director, Nur Arik. Reviewed on videocassette, London, May 5, 2002. (In Istanbul Film Festival, national competition.) Running time: 94 MIN.
Cast: Zuhal Olcay, Michael Mendl, Parkan Ozturan, Meral Okay, Ruhi San, Devin Ozgur Cinar, Cezmi Baskin, Seyhsuvar Aktas, Selcuk Uluerguven, Ugurtan Sayiner, Halil Kumova.
By DEREK ELLEY
Refusing to believe her missing son is dead, a mother journeys to the wilds of Anatolia in "Innowhereland," a borderline pretentious, somewhat retro slice of "committed" Turkish cinema given dignity and humanity by a terrific lead perf from Zuhal Olcay. First feature by painter-cum-novelist Tayfun Pirselimoglu looks likely to secure some festival exposure, with specialized TV slots to follow.
A host of movies during the past two decades have dealt with Turkey's "missing" people, estimated by some to total roughly 3,000, though no exact figure exists. Some disappeared while under police custody, others vanished "normally," with only half ever found. Though a series of pre-credit captions informs that the film is about missing people in general, the main character, Sukran (Olcay), was once married to a Kurdish activist, and it's made fairly clear that her son was mixed up in some kind of anti-government activity.
An attractive woman in her 40s who works in a railroad ticket office, Sukran obsessively pursues every avenue of hope that her son Veysel is alive. Still insisting he was apolitical and "clean," unlike her late husband, she clashes with Veysel's fiancee, Sule (Devin Ozgur Cinar), who claims he's now dead.
After thinking she's spotted Veysel in a crowd, Sukran follows a lead from a friend (Parkan Ozturan) and travels to the extreme east of the country, to the Kurdish heartland, hoping to find him. Arriving in the ancient town of Mardin, close to the Syrian border, she's met with hostility and bureaucratic indifference, until some people claim to know where he's hiding.
There's more than a hint of Turkish helmer Omer Kavur in Pirselimoglu's cool, semi-abstract style and use of far-flung, photogenic locations in which to set personal odysseys. However, largely thanks to Olcay's shaded playing of a potentially single-note role, plus some neat character parts (Cezmi Baskin as a movie projectionist, Ugurtan Sayiner as a hotel receptionist), pic just about escapes art-movie self-consciousness.
Fulfilling coproduction demands rather than dramatic ones, vet Michael Mendl briefly pops up as a Turkish-speaking German journalist. And though the film's tempo remains measured and its content slim, the switch halfway to Mardin at least makes matters easy on the eye in experienced French d.p. Colin Mounier's tasty lensing of the picturesque town.
Olcay won best actress at the Istanbul fest.
Away From Home / Herkes Kendi Evinde (Turkey)
A Haylazz production. (International sales: Keriman Ulas Ulusoy, Istanbul.) Produced by Ali T. Bilgen, Leyla Ozalp, Semih Kaplanoglu, Levent Onan. Directed by Semih Kaplanoglu. Screenplay, Kaplanoglu, Ozden Cankaya, Serpil Kirel.
Camera (color), Haik Kirakossian; editors, Hakan Akol, Onur Tan; music, Selim Atakan; art director, Cagla Ormanlar; sound (Dolby Digital), Ismail Karadas. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (market), May 17, 2001. Running time: 105 MIN.
Cast: Tolga Cevik, Erol Keskin, Anna Bielska.(Turkish, Russian and English dialogue.)
By DEBORAH YOUNG
A sensitively directed but overly predictable tale of three characters in search of, or running away from, their roots, "Away From Home" is sporadically likable until it gets lost in an ending that wallows in downbeat realism. On the plus side, TV director Semih Kaplanoglu brings a strong feeling for nuanced characters and film technique to his feature bow -- which was co-winner (with Serdar Akar's "Offside") of the Best Turkish Film national prize at this year's Istanbul festival -- and pic's story ranges picturesquely from Istanbul to the Turkish countryside. Some offshore ancillary biz is possible.
Story is narrated by 26-year-old Selim (Tolga Cevik), who has been left alone in the world after his parents' death. He impulsively enters the "lottery" by which the U.S. immigration authorities randomly select future American citizens and, much to his surprise, he "wins." He decides to move to New York City at the cost of breaking up with his good-looking girlfriend and selling a family olive grove in Alacati.
At this point, Selim's aged uncle, Nasuhi (Erol Keskin), suddenly turns up after 50 years in Russia. A confirmed Communist, he survived a Stalinist labor camp and WWII before ending up on a state apple farm. Now he's come back to die in the olive grove of his youth. This eccentric self-made man soon becomes the film's moral center.
Third character is a Russian girl, Olga (Anna Bielska), whom Nasuhi finds beaten up on a road after her first attempt at prostitution. Though emotionally quite mature (at least, compared with Selim), she has become extremely vulnerable from the strain of searching for her missing father, a sea captain.
At Nasuhi's insistence, the trio take off for the fabled olive grove. They find the old stone house and fields in desperate need of repair, which Nasuhi plunges into at once. Selim doesn't know how to tell him that a three-way return to nature isn't going to happen, and the healing journey that the film seems to propose crumbles before the young man's uncertainty. In the greedy building boom sweeping Turkey, pic asserts, roots and homeland have been forgotten.
Script's initial awkwardness in twining the character strands together -- particular Olga, who wanders around Istanbul solo for some time -- finally disappears when the three hit the road. However, as the supposed narrator, Cevik's Selim fades in and out, often dropped for entire scenes. Kaplanoglu shows a fondness for technical devices like fades, slow motion and offscreen sound, used sparingly and well.
(posted june 08,2002)
81. FERZAN OZPETEK, DIRECTOR OF IGNORANT FAIRIES AWARDED BEST DIRECTOR IN ITALY
81. FERZAN OZPETEK, DIRECTOR OF IGNORANT FAIRIES AWARDED BEST DIRECTOR IN ITALY
The 6th Capri-Hollywood-W Film Festivali organized by Capri Institute of Italy awarded Ozpetek as the year's best director.
More... A new review on Ignorant Fairies.
Ozpetek’s queer melodrama excites
and disappoints in equal measure
BY LUCA PRONO
Italian cinema is finally discovering that films with gay and lesbian characters can do extremely well at the box-office, in spite of the country’s bigoted Catholicism and homophobia emanating from the Vatican and the Pope. The latest film to prove this marketability of homosexual themes and situations is Ferzan Ozpetek’s Le Fate Ignoranti (Ignorant Fairies). Well-received at the international film festivals in Berlin and Seattle, Ozpetek’s movie was released in Italy in the spring to good critical reviews and an excellent response from audiences that opened the possibility for the film to be distributed internationally. What has allowed Le Fate Ignoranti to go beyond the limited circles of homosexual spectators and become such a success? What narrative devices have been deployed by the Turkish-born, but Italian-based gay director to appeal to a vastly middle-class audience ignorant of gay and lesbian life?
In the words of her own mother Veronica (Erica Blanc), Antonia (Margherita Buy) is a woman who was never very curious about life. She married her schoolmate Massimo and settled down for a very comfortable upper-class life in a large villa inclusive of a Philippine maid on a nice pond in a posh suburb of Rome. She gave up her post-doctoral ambitions and contented herself with working as a doctor in a laboratory for STDs. Yet Antonia’s life is shattered when her husband is run over and killed by two cars while he is crossing the street. Trying to come to terms with her loss, Antonia goes through her husband’s belongings in a search for memories of their life together. But an inscription in the back of a painting that Massimo kept in his office reveals to her the painful truth that her husband had a lover. Through Massimo’s secretary, Antonia finds out the surname and the address from where the painting has been sent. Armed with her stubborn resolution to meet her husband’s lover, she descends into the working-class Ostiense district where she undergoes a second shock: Massimo’s lover turns out not to be a woman, as she had assumed, but the handsome hunk Michele (Stefano Accorsi), a night worker at the General Markets.
Michele’s rooftop flat is the center for the Sunday lunches of a heterogeneous group of people that mainstream society women such as Antonia would label as "different": homosexuals, transsexuals, Turkish refugees, tarts with hearts, and people with AIDS. After the initial mutual suspicion, Michele and Antonia grow closer and closer and she becomes a regular at the community’s Sunday lunches. In one of their increasingly more frequent one-to-one chats, Michele and Antonia discover that they even share the same taste in poetry: their favorite author is the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet. When Michele confesses to Antonia that he met Massimo in a bookstore while they were both hunting for a copy of Hikmet’s collected poems, she replies that the book had been a present for her and that Massimo had never heard of Hikmet. Are Michele and Antonia falling in love, united by Massimo’s phantom? At the end of the film, we are left wondering about Michele’s possible conversion to heterosexuality as Antonia leaves for a journey to an unspecified destination, but almost promising that she will soon return.
Le Fate Ignoranti is much better than other recent Italian movies dealing with homosexuality, including Ozpetek’s debut film Steam (The Turkish Bath), which promised steamy situations thanks to its title but whose plot only delivered boredom and predictability. In contrast with La Vespa e la Regina (also set in the Roman gay and lesbian community) and the mediocre A prima vista, Le Fate Ignoranti takes sexuality seriously and not as the point of departure for the usual parody of dubious taste. In addition, Margherita Buy, Stefano Accorsi, Erica Blanc, and the rest of the actors give extremely strong performances. The director has also been able to rely on a first-class cast of technician including Bruno Cesari, the Oscar-winning set-designer for Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor. Yet the narrative of the film is caught within a major contradiction. While Ozpetek strives to portray the community gathering in Michele’s flat in an affirmative light, the spectator always focuses the situations in the film through Antonia’s point of view. Thus, Le Fate Ignoranti decidedly centers on her subjectivity and leads the audience to set up a stark contrast between her ordered, albeit unadventurous, upper-class existence, and the chaotic life of Michele’s open family.
Ozpetek’s intentions notwithstanding, the focalization through Antonia’s point of view is the structural element that enables the film to pander to the taste of middle-class audiences ignorant of gay and lesbian life. Le Fate Ignoranti becomes a titillating exploration of a radically different reality that allows Antonia to cross the boundaries of sexual orientations, social class, urban areas and ethnic groups. And yet this crossing is a safe one as it doesn’t imply Antonia’s renunciation of her upper-class existence and morality: she tries to hide when her Philippine maid sees her having an ice cream with Michele and, equally, she doesn’t reveal to her mother that her husband’s lover was a man, not a woman. The community of queers inhabiting Michele’s flat is kept at a distance from Antonia, and, at times, one has to conclude that it is Antonia who has a bigger impact on their lives rather than the other way round. After all, it is Antonia who has the guts to tell Michele’s friend Ernesto, bedridden with AIDS, that his lover has not abandoned him (as the rest of the group has made him believe for all this time) but died a long time ago. Antonia, who has known Ernesto only for a few months, is the only one to understand that such a revelation can finally lead Ernesto to come to terms with his grief and prompt him to fight his illness actively rather than surrendering to it as he has been doing all this time.
The strong performances and the beautiful interiors where the film is staged only partially cover up the major flaw of Le Fate Ignoranti: its screenplay. In their commercial appeal to bourgeois audiences, Ozpetek and his scriptwriter have conceived a plot that remains suspended between a proud affirmation of difference and a portrayal of a world which is still conceived as apart. The film stresses the solidarity and the ties that unify the community of Michele’s flat beyond their querulous bitching. Yet, especially in its overlong second half, it also presents several situations that reinforce the homosexual/heterosexual dichotomy and help marginalize the potential of political subversion of Michele’s community, reducing them to a colorful bunch who surf the net in search of a shag.
Two narrative choices are particularly relevant for this point. The first one concerns Antonia’s pregnancy. Just when she and Michele seems to be hitting it off and have even had a passionate snog on her beautiful couch, Antonia discovers that she is pregnant. The child is Massimo’s, as Antonia hasn’t had any sexual intercourse since his death. She first decides to buy a bottle of champagne and celebrate with Michele and the others, but once she arrives at his flat she hears them bitching about her and Michele. Without being seen, she leaves withholding the news of her pregnancy. There are several disappointing implications for a queer audience about Antonia’s choice, but those very same implications will no doubt be praised by a conservative spectator. By deciding not to tell that she is pregnant, Antonia is implicitly judging the community of queers as unsuitable to share her news with. It also seems unlikely that she will let the soon to be born child be adopted by Michele’s extended family. And here we may find conservatives nodding with delight: would that be a good context for raising a child? Antonia’s pregnancy also disappointingly signifies the fertility and reproductive potential of a heterosexual relationship as opposed to the supposed sterility of a homosexual one.
The film’s most disappointing choice, however, is the representation and the narrativization of the World Pride 2000 celebration, which took place in Rome just a week before the official starting of the film’s shooting. Ozpetek filmed several scenes at this event with the intention of inserting them into the film’s narrative. And he would have done well: the event was a truly liberating one for all Italian queers. Its success defeated the arrogance of the Vatican and the right-wing Italian parties, enraged by the simultaneity between the event and the Catholic Jubilee, and the timidity of the center-left coalition that was governing the country at the time. World Pride 2000, attended by queers but also by heterosexuals, was an important victory, establishing Rome as the capital city of a secular state rather than the Pope’s property. In spite of Ozpetek’s initial plans, the footage of this event is completely cut off from the film’s narrative: the images of the actual parade appear only after the closing credits and are further marginalized by the director’s choice of mixing them with behind-the-scenes footage. At a certain point of Le Fate Ignoranti we do see Michele and his friends preparing slogans and signs, but we never get to see the demonstration, and the political content of the slogans is reduced to a minimum ("To whom do I give it tonight?" reads one). The film cuts instead to the night party, where, once again in a convenient move to titillate and reassure conservative spectators of their difference from queers, Michele decides to have a threesome, which starts on the beach and ends in his flat; and the couple formed by Riccardo and Luciano turns out not to be so devoted to monogamy as we had at first assumed. The World Pride 2000 celebration is such a peripheral element of Ozpetek’s narrative that its political impact may be safely ignored. One of the people who attended a debate with the director where I was present mistook the Pride for an open-air party and asked if the characters were celebrating anything special…
With Le Fate Ignoranti, Ozpetek has created a successful melodrama that is of interest to more than a mere queer spectatorship. Yet there were enough heterosexuals wheeling around their children in prams at World Pride 2000 for the director to construct his success in a more radical way, without pandering to audiences of ignorant bourgeois.
October 2001 | Issue 34
Copyright © 2001 by Luca Prono
Luca Prono divides his life between his native Italy and Great Britain where he is completing a PhD in American Studies at the University of Nottingham. For the past two years he has edited the film review section of Scope: An Online Journal of Film Studies. He writes for the Italian queer website Terence and has published articles on Otto Preminger, Richard Wright, the Italian gay novelist Pier Vittorio Tondelli, and Italian neorealism.
The 6th Capri-Hollywood-W Film Festivali organized by Capri Institute of Italy awarded Ozpetek as the year's best director.
More... A new review on Ignorant Fairies.
Ozpetek’s queer melodrama excites
and disappoints in equal measure
BY LUCA PRONO
Italian cinema is finally discovering that films with gay and lesbian characters can do extremely well at the box-office, in spite of the country’s bigoted Catholicism and homophobia emanating from the Vatican and the Pope. The latest film to prove this marketability of homosexual themes and situations is Ferzan Ozpetek’s Le Fate Ignoranti (Ignorant Fairies). Well-received at the international film festivals in Berlin and Seattle, Ozpetek’s movie was released in Italy in the spring to good critical reviews and an excellent response from audiences that opened the possibility for the film to be distributed internationally. What has allowed Le Fate Ignoranti to go beyond the limited circles of homosexual spectators and become such a success? What narrative devices have been deployed by the Turkish-born, but Italian-based gay director to appeal to a vastly middle-class audience ignorant of gay and lesbian life?
In the words of her own mother Veronica (Erica Blanc), Antonia (Margherita Buy) is a woman who was never very curious about life. She married her schoolmate Massimo and settled down for a very comfortable upper-class life in a large villa inclusive of a Philippine maid on a nice pond in a posh suburb of Rome. She gave up her post-doctoral ambitions and contented herself with working as a doctor in a laboratory for STDs. Yet Antonia’s life is shattered when her husband is run over and killed by two cars while he is crossing the street. Trying to come to terms with her loss, Antonia goes through her husband’s belongings in a search for memories of their life together. But an inscription in the back of a painting that Massimo kept in his office reveals to her the painful truth that her husband had a lover. Through Massimo’s secretary, Antonia finds out the surname and the address from where the painting has been sent. Armed with her stubborn resolution to meet her husband’s lover, she descends into the working-class Ostiense district where she undergoes a second shock: Massimo’s lover turns out not to be a woman, as she had assumed, but the handsome hunk Michele (Stefano Accorsi), a night worker at the General Markets.
Michele’s rooftop flat is the center for the Sunday lunches of a heterogeneous group of people that mainstream society women such as Antonia would label as "different": homosexuals, transsexuals, Turkish refugees, tarts with hearts, and people with AIDS. After the initial mutual suspicion, Michele and Antonia grow closer and closer and she becomes a regular at the community’s Sunday lunches. In one of their increasingly more frequent one-to-one chats, Michele and Antonia discover that they even share the same taste in poetry: their favorite author is the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet. When Michele confesses to Antonia that he met Massimo in a bookstore while they were both hunting for a copy of Hikmet’s collected poems, she replies that the book had been a present for her and that Massimo had never heard of Hikmet. Are Michele and Antonia falling in love, united by Massimo’s phantom? At the end of the film, we are left wondering about Michele’s possible conversion to heterosexuality as Antonia leaves for a journey to an unspecified destination, but almost promising that she will soon return.
Le Fate Ignoranti is much better than other recent Italian movies dealing with homosexuality, including Ozpetek’s debut film Steam (The Turkish Bath), which promised steamy situations thanks to its title but whose plot only delivered boredom and predictability. In contrast with La Vespa e la Regina (also set in the Roman gay and lesbian community) and the mediocre A prima vista, Le Fate Ignoranti takes sexuality seriously and not as the point of departure for the usual parody of dubious taste. In addition, Margherita Buy, Stefano Accorsi, Erica Blanc, and the rest of the actors give extremely strong performances. The director has also been able to rely on a first-class cast of technician including Bruno Cesari, the Oscar-winning set-designer for Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor. Yet the narrative of the film is caught within a major contradiction. While Ozpetek strives to portray the community gathering in Michele’s flat in an affirmative light, the spectator always focuses the situations in the film through Antonia’s point of view. Thus, Le Fate Ignoranti decidedly centers on her subjectivity and leads the audience to set up a stark contrast between her ordered, albeit unadventurous, upper-class existence, and the chaotic life of Michele’s open family.
Ozpetek’s intentions notwithstanding, the focalization through Antonia’s point of view is the structural element that enables the film to pander to the taste of middle-class audiences ignorant of gay and lesbian life. Le Fate Ignoranti becomes a titillating exploration of a radically different reality that allows Antonia to cross the boundaries of sexual orientations, social class, urban areas and ethnic groups. And yet this crossing is a safe one as it doesn’t imply Antonia’s renunciation of her upper-class existence and morality: she tries to hide when her Philippine maid sees her having an ice cream with Michele and, equally, she doesn’t reveal to her mother that her husband’s lover was a man, not a woman. The community of queers inhabiting Michele’s flat is kept at a distance from Antonia, and, at times, one has to conclude that it is Antonia who has a bigger impact on their lives rather than the other way round. After all, it is Antonia who has the guts to tell Michele’s friend Ernesto, bedridden with AIDS, that his lover has not abandoned him (as the rest of the group has made him believe for all this time) but died a long time ago. Antonia, who has known Ernesto only for a few months, is the only one to understand that such a revelation can finally lead Ernesto to come to terms with his grief and prompt him to fight his illness actively rather than surrendering to it as he has been doing all this time.
The strong performances and the beautiful interiors where the film is staged only partially cover up the major flaw of Le Fate Ignoranti: its screenplay. In their commercial appeal to bourgeois audiences, Ozpetek and his scriptwriter have conceived a plot that remains suspended between a proud affirmation of difference and a portrayal of a world which is still conceived as apart. The film stresses the solidarity and the ties that unify the community of Michele’s flat beyond their querulous bitching. Yet, especially in its overlong second half, it also presents several situations that reinforce the homosexual/heterosexual dichotomy and help marginalize the potential of political subversion of Michele’s community, reducing them to a colorful bunch who surf the net in search of a shag.
Two narrative choices are particularly relevant for this point. The first one concerns Antonia’s pregnancy. Just when she and Michele seems to be hitting it off and have even had a passionate snog on her beautiful couch, Antonia discovers that she is pregnant. The child is Massimo’s, as Antonia hasn’t had any sexual intercourse since his death. She first decides to buy a bottle of champagne and celebrate with Michele and the others, but once she arrives at his flat she hears them bitching about her and Michele. Without being seen, she leaves withholding the news of her pregnancy. There are several disappointing implications for a queer audience about Antonia’s choice, but those very same implications will no doubt be praised by a conservative spectator. By deciding not to tell that she is pregnant, Antonia is implicitly judging the community of queers as unsuitable to share her news with. It also seems unlikely that she will let the soon to be born child be adopted by Michele’s extended family. And here we may find conservatives nodding with delight: would that be a good context for raising a child? Antonia’s pregnancy also disappointingly signifies the fertility and reproductive potential of a heterosexual relationship as opposed to the supposed sterility of a homosexual one.
The film’s most disappointing choice, however, is the representation and the narrativization of the World Pride 2000 celebration, which took place in Rome just a week before the official starting of the film’s shooting. Ozpetek filmed several scenes at this event with the intention of inserting them into the film’s narrative. And he would have done well: the event was a truly liberating one for all Italian queers. Its success defeated the arrogance of the Vatican and the right-wing Italian parties, enraged by the simultaneity between the event and the Catholic Jubilee, and the timidity of the center-left coalition that was governing the country at the time. World Pride 2000, attended by queers but also by heterosexuals, was an important victory, establishing Rome as the capital city of a secular state rather than the Pope’s property. In spite of Ozpetek’s initial plans, the footage of this event is completely cut off from the film’s narrative: the images of the actual parade appear only after the closing credits and are further marginalized by the director’s choice of mixing them with behind-the-scenes footage. At a certain point of Le Fate Ignoranti we do see Michele and his friends preparing slogans and signs, but we never get to see the demonstration, and the political content of the slogans is reduced to a minimum ("To whom do I give it tonight?" reads one). The film cuts instead to the night party, where, once again in a convenient move to titillate and reassure conservative spectators of their difference from queers, Michele decides to have a threesome, which starts on the beach and ends in his flat; and the couple formed by Riccardo and Luciano turns out not to be so devoted to monogamy as we had at first assumed. The World Pride 2000 celebration is such a peripheral element of Ozpetek’s narrative that its political impact may be safely ignored. One of the people who attended a debate with the director where I was present mistook the Pride for an open-air party and asked if the characters were celebrating anything special…
With Le Fate Ignoranti, Ozpetek has created a successful melodrama that is of interest to more than a mere queer spectatorship. Yet there were enough heterosexuals wheeling around their children in prams at World Pride 2000 for the director to construct his success in a more radical way, without pandering to audiences of ignorant bourgeois.
October 2001 | Issue 34
Copyright © 2001 by Luca Prono
Luca Prono divides his life between his native Italy and Great Britain where he is completing a PhD in American Studies at the University of Nottingham. For the past two years he has edited the film review section of Scope: An Online Journal of Film Studies. He writes for the Italian queer website Terence and has published articles on Otto Preminger, Richard Wright, the Italian gay novelist Pier Vittorio Tondelli, and Italian neorealism.
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