filozof

The first feature film of director Ahmet Boyacioglu, and it is like a glass of cold beer! Congragulations! Such a realistic depiction of characters who are regular-goers of the bar Siyah Beyaz in Ankara. Ahmet delves into the depths of modern souls: five lonely persons who befriended each other in Siyah Beyaz bar. Each has their own taste of sweet nothing! So they have different choices of drinks. Maybe what you drink is important. The director would prefer beer, I know that :) Siyah Beyaz is cool! Ahmet is not in a hurry to deliver messages, he directs the film like someone drinking his beer in a corner of the bar observing the place. The camera-work is nice and natural. The director opens an agnostic hole in the wall! :) Everything works well, visuals and sound, but I think there are problems in acting. But as it is said this much fault could happen to a judge's daughter! I recommend the film. 7 out of 10.

Bal (Honey) is the last film of Semih Kaplanoglu's Yusuf Trilogy. When I first read the script I was convinced that this one shall be the most powerful of the trilogy, and the result seems to confirm me. It is an exquisite film in all senses: the story, acting, visuals, and sound. The kid is superb. Well, it deserves a Golden Bear in Berlinale. I organized a special screening of the film for some European film professionals in Istanbul. Everybody was quite impressed by the masterful naivite and simplicity. The film skilfully manages to portray the kid's world and perspective. There are strong symbolic references waiting the viewers to decipher. The best thing to do is to watch the film. I'm sure you'll not regret it. Just some questions: lets all of us just think why the bees are dying. What kind of a relation do we have with the nature that we cause the bees to die? What is missing? Honey: a sweet thing which is a natural product of the bees. If the bees all die, where shall we find the honey? BAL poses a calm question to our modern civilization, to our modern selves.

Ata is the 26 min short film of co-directors Cagla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti. I met this young couple in 2009 during the Istanbul Film Festival. I'm looking forward to their first feature-film. Ata tells the story of Turkish girl Ceyda and Uygur Turk Ahatjan and their friendship. Ceyda goes to France to meet her boyfriend. Her boyfriend has to travel and leaves her alone in his flat. The next building is being refurbished and an illegal immigrant Uygur Turk Ahatjan is working there. He left his family behind escaping political problems back in China. The two isolated souls find in each other a father-daughter relationship. The story itself is touching and the beautiful visuals make it even better. Watching the short I thought it could well be a wonderful feature-length. I hope the duo could shoot their first-feature film soon.