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