Four new faces in Turk movie scene
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Emrah Güler
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 02, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Seyfi Teoman, Özcan Alper, Hüseyin Karabey and İnan Temelkuran... Take a look at these four newcomers to Turkish cinema and you'll see why we can't wait to watch their new films. These award-winning directors bring a breath of fresh air to the country's film industry and have already secured themselves a respected place within it
As the prime movie-going season draws to a close with the return of the summer sun, Turkish cinema celebrates a prolific year that was successful both locally and internationally.
Last year saw the release of new films by many revered directors, including Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Reha Erdem and Yeşim Ustaoğlu. But it was also a promising one for newcomers, who found audiences, impressed critics and were showered with awards in Turkey and abroad. The four new directors featured here have us eagerly awaiting their new films and excited to see what they come up with in the future.
Seyfi Teoman’s ’Summer Book’
Inspiring film critic Seyfi Teoman proved four years ago, with his short film "Apartman" (The Apartment), that he also had the potential to tell a story from behind the camera with skill and quiet assurance. But Teoman’s real breakthrough came last year with his debut feature "Tatil Kitabı," (The Summer Book), which was selected for the 58th Berlin Film Festival. The movie tells the coming-of-age stories of three men and a boy from the same family in a small Turkish town.
"Tatil Kitabı" went on to win awards in international festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival, and was named the "Best Turkish Film" at the 2008 Istanbul International Film Festival. Teoman’s next project, "Bizim Büyük Çaresizliğimiz" (Our Grand Despair), was one of 15 to be selected for L’Atelier at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Özcan Alper’s ’Autumn’
Fans of Turkish documentaries have known for some time about Özcan Alper’s two oddly titled films, "Tokai City’de Melankoli ve Rapsodi" (Melancholy and Rhapsody in Tokai City) and "Bir Bilimadamıyla Zaman Enleminde Yolculuk" (Travels on the Time Continuum with a Scientist). Along with his short film "Momi," these movies established Alper’s name as a promising filmmaker.
However, it was his debut feature, "Sonbahar" (Autumn), that brought Alper fame as one of the most inspiring directors of last year. Taking the audience to the Black Sea region, Alper told the story of a political prisoner released after serving a 10-year sentence. The film was a beautiful example of cinematography, art direction and directing actors, most of whom were amateurs speaking local dialects.
"Sonbahar" won various awards in Turkey, garnering unanimous votes at most of the festivals, and was named "Best Film" at the Sofia International Film Festival. Alper’s style is reminiscent of that of another director from a previous generation, Yeşim Ustaoğlu, whose cinematic homage to the people of the Black Sea region has become synonymous with her name.
Hüseyin Karabey’s ’My Marlon and Brando’
Although a newcomer to feature films, Hüseyin Karabey has been making documentaries for more than a decade. Some of his political documentaries, including "Bir Memleket, Bir Zaman ve Bir Adam" (One Country, One Time and One Man), "1 Mayıs, 2 Film" (May 1, Two Films), "Sessiz Ölüm" (Silent Death) and "Sokaklar ve Kayıplar" (The Streets and the Lost), have achieved cult status. Karabey has become known as a skillful director who refrains from adopting an aggressive style and maintains an objectivity lacking in most Turkish political documentaries.
His debut feature, "Gitmek" (My Marlon and Brando), was much anticipated as Karabey tried his hand at a unique narrative, mixing documentary with feature filmmaking in an unprecedented way. "Gitmek" told the real-life story of Turkish actress Ayça Damgacı’s journey from Istanbul to northern Iraq in hopes of finding her Iraqi lover. Though Karabey received many awards for the film, most went to Damgacı for her heart-breaking performance.
İnan Temelkuran’s ’Made In Europe’
Newcomer Temelkuran’s directorial debut, "Made in Europe," wowed the audience with its fresh take on Turkish immigrants in Europe and the filmmaker’s unfaltering four-year struggle to get the movie. After reading about Temelkuran in columnist and writer Ece Temelkuran’s articles over the years, we finally saw his genius for ourselves with this film. In "Made in Europe," a group of men chat the night away in three European metropolises, giving viewers a very real glimpse of what’s wrong with Europe, integration and testosterone. The actors were so alive and real that the jury for last year’s Golden Cocoon Film Festival in Adana decided to split the "Best Actor" award among the 18 men featured in the film.
Last year saw the release of new films by many revered directors, including Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Reha Erdem and Yeşim Ustaoğlu. But it was also a promising one for newcomers, who found audiences, impressed critics and were showered with awards in Turkey and abroad. The four new directors featured here have us eagerly awaiting their new films and excited to see what they come up with in the future.
Seyfi Teoman’s ’Summer Book’
Inspiring film critic Seyfi Teoman proved four years ago, with his short film "Apartman" (The Apartment), that he also had the potential to tell a story from behind the camera with skill and quiet assurance. But Teoman’s real breakthrough came last year with his debut feature "Tatil Kitabı," (The Summer Book), which was selected for the 58th Berlin Film Festival. The movie tells the coming-of-age stories of three men and a boy from the same family in a small Turkish town.
"Tatil Kitabı" went on to win awards in international festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival, and was named the "Best Turkish Film" at the 2008 Istanbul International Film Festival. Teoman’s next project, "Bizim Büyük Çaresizliğimiz" (Our Grand Despair), was one of 15 to be selected for L’Atelier at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Özcan Alper’s ’Autumn’
Fans of Turkish documentaries have known for some time about Özcan Alper’s two oddly titled films, "Tokai City’de Melankoli ve Rapsodi" (Melancholy and Rhapsody in Tokai City) and "Bir Bilimadamıyla Zaman Enleminde Yolculuk" (Travels on the Time Continuum with a Scientist). Along with his short film "Momi," these movies established Alper’s name as a promising filmmaker.
However, it was his debut feature, "Sonbahar" (Autumn), that brought Alper fame as one of the most inspiring directors of last year. Taking the audience to the Black Sea region, Alper told the story of a political prisoner released after serving a 10-year sentence. The film was a beautiful example of cinematography, art direction and directing actors, most of whom were amateurs speaking local dialects.
"Sonbahar" won various awards in Turkey, garnering unanimous votes at most of the festivals, and was named "Best Film" at the Sofia International Film Festival. Alper’s style is reminiscent of that of another director from a previous generation, Yeşim Ustaoğlu, whose cinematic homage to the people of the Black Sea region has become synonymous with her name.
Hüseyin Karabey’s ’My Marlon and Brando’
Although a newcomer to feature films, Hüseyin Karabey has been making documentaries for more than a decade. Some of his political documentaries, including "Bir Memleket, Bir Zaman ve Bir Adam" (One Country, One Time and One Man), "1 Mayıs, 2 Film" (May 1, Two Films), "Sessiz Ölüm" (Silent Death) and "Sokaklar ve Kayıplar" (The Streets and the Lost), have achieved cult status. Karabey has become known as a skillful director who refrains from adopting an aggressive style and maintains an objectivity lacking in most Turkish political documentaries.
His debut feature, "Gitmek" (My Marlon and Brando), was much anticipated as Karabey tried his hand at a unique narrative, mixing documentary with feature filmmaking in an unprecedented way. "Gitmek" told the real-life story of Turkish actress Ayça Damgacı’s journey from Istanbul to northern Iraq in hopes of finding her Iraqi lover. Though Karabey received many awards for the film, most went to Damgacı for her heart-breaking performance.
İnan Temelkuran’s ’Made In Europe’
Newcomer Temelkuran’s directorial debut, "Made in Europe," wowed the audience with its fresh take on Turkish immigrants in Europe and the filmmaker’s unfaltering four-year struggle to get the movie. After reading about Temelkuran in columnist and writer Ece Temelkuran’s articles over the years, we finally saw his genius for ourselves with this film. In "Made in Europe," a group of men chat the night away in three European metropolises, giving viewers a very real glimpse of what’s wrong with Europe, integration and testosterone. The actors were so alive and real that the jury for last year’s Golden Cocoon Film Festival in Adana decided to split the "Best Actor" award among the 18 men featured in the film.