The action takes place in Central Anatolia, the harsh steppe in Turkey who’s arid, frozen soil doesn’t hold much to offer its inhabitants. Aslan, the main character, is an 11-year-old boy who, like everyone, wears clothes that were used by many before him, and is devoted to shepherding. His sole interest is Ayse, a schoolmate who doesn’t like him back. Partly in order to grab her attention, but also as a way of finding an identity, Aslan rescues a dog that was left half-dead after a fight organized by the shepherds. But this is not a saccharine story on the relationship between a kid and his pet. In this lives, there isn’t much room for affections, and bonds are utilitarian: the dog is rescued, but in order for it to keep fighting. The animal becomes a symbol for the brutal relations between people. Near the end, the main character has the chance of breaking the circle inhumanity his environment confines him in when he stops seeing the dog as just a thing. Kaan Müjdeci achieves a maximum degree of realism thanks to an expert use of handheld camera and the extraordinary performances from the film’s non-professional actors. HF
Section: PanoramaD, G: Kaan Müjdeci
F: Armin Dierolf, Martin Hogsnes Svang
E: Yorgos Mavropsaridis
DA: Meral Efe Yurtsever, Emre Yurtsever
S: Cevdet Erek
M: Cevdet Erek
P: Yasin Müjdeci
CP: Coloured Giraffes, Kaanfilm
Dogan Izci, Müttalip Müjdeci, Banu Fotocan
Coloured Giraffes. Nazli Kilerci
T +49 163 861 8591
E nazli.kilerci@gmail.com - info@sivasfilm.com W sivasfilm.com
He was born in Ankara, Turkey. He moved to Berlin to study, and opened an open-air cinema and a bar, among other things. He directed the short films Day of German Unity (2010) and Jerry (2011; his thesis at the New York Film Academy) and the documentary Fathers and Sons (2012).
05 May 2015
25 April 2015
25 April 2015
