The best of Turkish cinema arrives in Shanghai

The Shanghai Art Film Federation is organizing Turkish Film Week at the Shanghai Film Art Center and Palace Cinema (Lujiazui Center) from September 18 to 25.

Turkish Film Week will present eight outstanding films, many of which have played an important role in the development of Turkish cinema.

Ti Gong

Until September 25, Turkish Film Week will screen eight films.

For the first time, Turkish cinema master Semih Kaplanoglu’s “Yusuf Trilogy” – “Egg” (2007), “Milk” (2008) and “Honey” (2010) – will be presented together in China.

Born in 1963, Kaplanoglu rose to fame for his debut feature “Away From Home”, which won him numerous awards.

“Egg,” his third feature film, centers on the poet Yusuf’s visit to his childhood hometown after his mother’s death. In town, he meets Ayla, a young girl who had lived with her mother for five years. With his help, Yusuf manages to fulfill his mother’s last wish. The film received around 30 awards, including the Golden Orange and Golden Tulip awards, catapulting Kaplanoglu to world fame.

“Milk”, the second part of the trilogy, talks about Yusuf’s youth spent with his mother. They make a living selling dairy products, but he has a great passion for writing poetry. After discovering his mother’s secret affair, he worries about adulthood and the future. The film won the Fipresci Award and the Golden Tulip Award for Best Cinematography.

The last installment “Honey” won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival. The film tells the story of 6-year-old Yusuf, who overcomes his inner fear with the help of nature and his father, a beekeeper.

“Revenge of the Snakes”, a 1962 classic by Metin Erksan, is based on a novel by Fakir Baykurt. The film focuses on how the construction of a new house causes conflict between neighbors, as well as moral and social issues.

The drama “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (2011) is a representative work of the famous filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan. He follows a group of men in search of a corpse in the Anatolian steppes after a murder. The film also gives insight into the social condition and real life of Turks.

“The Wild Pear Tree” (2018) by director Nuri Bilge Ceylan talks about the dilemma of a young intellectual as he returns to his hometown after graduating from college. He is forced to face many complicated questions, such as finding sponsors to publish his book and his father’s gambling problem.

The best of Turkish cinema arrives in Shanghai

Ti Gong

“Dead Horse Nebula” (2018) was the first director of Tarik Aktas, which focused on the protagonist’s childhood memory of finding a dead horse in an open field, and how it influenced his life and spiritual world.

The thriller “Sarmasik” (2015) is an acclaimed work by Tolga Karacelik, one of the promising new generations of Turkish directors. The film tells the story of a crew trapped on a bankrupt freighter for months, falling into madness and terror from the isolation and pressure.

The last time the city presented an exhibition of Turkish films was at the 2011 Shanghai International Film Festival. Seven Turkish films were screened as part of a program celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. between China and Turkey.

In recent years, the Shanghai Art Film Federation has organized exhibitions of films by veterans and young filmmakers. He helped local moviegoers learn about the charm of world cinema, as well as the growing influence of Chinese directors.