Much has been spoken about the percussionist Burhan Öçal and his newest project "Trakya All Stars" in the Turkish and international music world. Öçal has spent the last 20 odd years far away from his hometown Kirklareli in Eastern Thrace. He always wanted to become a drummer. His childhood dream became true in Switzerland. Starting his musical career in festivities organized by Turkish migrant workers, Öçal quickly built a respectable reputation in the European jazz and world music scenes through his work in combos which he formed himself and his contribution as a percussionist in other musical projects. For example he has worked together with jazz musicians like Joe Zawinul and Djamaladdin Takuma, with the classical-avant-garde formation Kronos Quartet and with Sting. As its name implies, the film "A Musical Homecoming" is indeed very musical and entertaining. It documents the process of "taking the sound of the Roman in Thrace and presenting it to the world".
About
Director Nedim Hazar:
Nedim
Hazar was born in Ankara in 1960, raised in Sydney and Istanbul, and
began his professional career in Cologne, Germany, where he has been
living since 1980. He worked as an actor in Ruhrfestspiele
Recklinghausen (Recklinghausen City Theater) for three years and
took parts in various television and cinema productions. Later he
took a musical journey of six years between London and Alma Ata with
the ethno-rock band, "Yarinistan", as the group's singer
and composer, which has four albums. Since 1990's, he works as a
presenter and a producer in the Germany radio station, WDR. He
created numerous interviews and short documentaries for WDR, 3 Sat
and Arte. Nedim Hazar is graduated in 1998 from Cologne
International Film School (IFS) in screenplay writing and in 1999 he
received education in directing in Amsterdam Advanced School of Arts
(AHK), studying with Michael Radford, Brian Gilbert and Gillies
McGinnon.
Filmography
as Director:
Kushtepe
Blues (2004)
A Voyage with Mercan Dede / Mercan Dede ile Yolculuk (2004)
Burhan Öcal & Trakya All Stars - A Musical Homecoming / (2003)
Asylum on the Bosphorus / Bogaziçi'ne Sigindik / Zuflüct am
Bosporus (2001)
Havada Kaliyor Insan / Du hängst einfach in der Luft... (1997)
Nedim
Hazar was born in Ankara in 1960, raised in Sydney and Istanbul, and
began his professional career in Cologne, Germany, where he has been
living since 1980. He worked as an actor in Ruhrfestspiele
Recklinghausen (Recklinghausen City Theater) for three years and
took parts in various television and cinema productions. Later he
took a musical journey of six years between London and Alma Ata with
the ethno-rock band, "Yarinistan", as the group's singer
and composer, which has four albums. Since 1990's, he works as a
presenter and a producer in the Germany radio station, WDR. He
created numerous interviews and short documentaries for WDR, 3 Sat
and Arte. Nedim Hazar is graduated in 1998 from Cologne
International Film School (IFS) in screenplay writing and in 1999 he
received education in directing in Amsterdam Advanced School of Arts
(AHK), studying with Michael Radford, Brian Gilbert and Gillies
McGinnon.