Boston Turkish Film Festival


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Boston Turkish Arts and Culture Festival 2022 Documentary and Short Film Competition Nov 11 - 24

2023 COMPETITION RESULTS ANNOUNCED

 

DOCUMENTARIES

Best Documentary

IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS
Directed by Alper Tunga Özdemir


Best Documentary Audience Award

WHO IS MIHRI (Kim Mihri)
Directed by Berna Gençalp


Special Mentions

BAKIRKÖY UNDERGROUND
Directed by Berkay Şatır

CHILDREN OF THE WHITE MOUNTAIN (Beyaz Dağın Çocukları)
Directed by Yalçın Çiftçi

DAYS OF FIRE, LOVE AND ANARCHY (Aşk, Ateş ve Anarşi Günleri)
Directed by Önder Esmer

DİNAMO MESKEN
Directed by Ahmet Karanfil& Yusuf Anavatan

FEYZA’S KITCHEN (Feyza’nın Mutfağı)
Directed by Jale İncekol

THE 40 YEARS AFTER FATMA (Fatma’dan Sonra 40 Yıl)
Directed by Sezer Ağgez

 

SHORT FILMS

Best Short Film

THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR YOU (Burası Size Göre Değil)
Directed by Ceyda Aşar

Best Short Film Audience Award

WHEN THE SHIFT ENDS (Satışçının Bir Günü)
Directed by Erinç Durlanık


Special Mentions

AS POSSIBLE AS EVERYTHING (Herkesin Yapabileceği Bir Şey)
Directed by Selen Örcan

BABY ANT (Yavru Karınca)
Directed by Derya Uygurlar

CLOTHESLINE (Çamaşır İpi)
Directed by Hüseyin Urçuk

FATIH THE CONQUEROR (Avrupa Fatihi)
Directed by Onur Yağız

GARDENS PETRIFIED (Bahçeler Put Kesildi)
Directed by Ali Cabbar

PERIPETEIA
Directed by Merve Gezen

TOGETHER, ALONE (Birlikte, Yalnız)
D
irected by Kasım Ördek

 

OPENING NIGHT


Friday, November 17, 2023 | 6:00 pm

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

ABOUT DRY GRASSES
Kuru Otlar Üstüne

Co-presented with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Film Program

Q&A with Executive Producer Mediha Didem Türemen follows film screening

About Dry Grasses | Kuru Otlar Ustune | Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

WINNER OF BEST ACTRESS AWARD (Merve Dizdar) AT THE 2023 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
Türkiye’s Official Entry for 2024 Academy Awards

197 min. / 2023 / with English subtitles

Cast: Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar, Musab Ekici, Ece Bağcı

READ MORE...

 

COMPETITION FINALISTS

Streamed Online
November 18 - December 3, 2023

DOCUMENTARIES

geriye kalan hersey

ALL THAT'S LEFT BEHIND
Geriye Kalan Her Şey

Directed by Hasan Ege Çalışkan,
Berca Berber, Sevgi Şanlı
Doc. / 15 min. / 2023
with English subtitles

While visiting her hometown, an old woman reflects back on her long lost memories, from the times of joy she shared with her brother to the time she felt the happiest, all leading up to our ever-growing need of nostalgia in the face of the inevitable.

READ MORE...

bakirkoy underground

BAKIRKÖY UNDERGROUND

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Berkay Şatır
Doc. / 30 min. / 2022
with English subtitles

 

A raw and personal journey into the kaleidoscopic history of a “place of salvation”, Bakırköy. In his documentary, Berkay Şatır uses his own memories, neighborhood and neighbors to draw the spectator into a place where a musical growth has a big impact on different life forms and social communities.

READ MORE...

beyaz dagin cocuklari

CHILDREN OF THE
WHITE MOUNTAIN

Beyaz Dağın Çocukları

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Yalçın Çiftçi
Doc. / 20 min. / 2023
with English subtitles

 

We are in a village school in Anatolia during a cold and snowy winter. The village school which is located right in the cemetery contains many mysteries.

READ MORE...

ask ates ve anarsi gunleri

DAYS OF FIRE, LOVE
AND ANARCHY

Aşk, Ateş ve Anarşi Günleri

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Önder Esmer
Doc. / 76 min. / 2023
with English subtitles

After a military coup in 1960, many Turkish intellectuals went to France to study. One of them, Onat Kutlar, discovered his passion for cinema at the Cinémathèque Française and founded the Turkish Sinematek after his return. In "those days of fire, love and anarchy," art cinema took Turkey by storm thanks to Sinematek.

READ MORE...

Dinamo Mesken

DİNAMO MESKEN

Directed by Ahmet Karanfil &
Yusuf Anavatan
Doc. / 30 min. / 2022
with English subtitles

 

Ertuğrulgazi Mesken Sports Club was founded in 1971 by the neighborhood youth and children interested in soccer. The club was closed down for political reasons in 1982, following the Military Coup in 1980. The people who lived those times tell us how the Coup has affected both the neighborhood and the team.

READ MORE...

her sey yolunda

EVERYTHING IS FINE
Her Şey Yolunda

Directed by Muhammet Beyazdağ
Doc. / 20 min. / 2022
with English subtitles

 

This documentary is centered around the lifestyles, struggles, and dreams of a 12-year-old girl living in a highland town and her fellow villagers.

READ MORE...

feyza'nin mutfagi

FEYZA’S KITCHEN
Feyza’nın Mutfağı

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Jale İncekol
Doc. / 43 min. / 2023
with English subtitles

 

Ege University Çeşme Faculty of Tourism begins a gastronomy academy with donations from Bridge to Türkiye Fund and from Shipley Foundation. This new academic model is a first in Türkiye, opening up academia to public.

READ MORE...

fatma'dan sonra 40 yil

THE 40 YEARS
AFTER FATMA

Fatma’dan Sonra 40 Yıl

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Sezer Ağgez
Doc. / 85 min. / 2022
with English subtitles

 

One of the first studies on Tahtacıs known as one of the communities resisting change is Suha Arın's film Fatma of the Forest in 1979. We observe the Tahtacıs, in the same place 40 years later, with the same filmmakers, and will reveal the change they have experienced after all these years.

READ MORE...

Etrim'in Altin Kizlari

THE GOLDEN GIRLS
OF ETRİM

Etrim’in Altın Kızları

Directed by Eren Aybars Arpacık
Doc. / 16 min. / 2022
with English subtitles

 

Women living in Etrim Village of Bodrum have been weaving carpets for generations. Grandma Gülsüm, 87, is connected to life with her carpets while her daughter Ümmühan, 65, gets rid of all her troubles when she takes over the carpet bench. Ümmühan's Daughter Belgin, 32, teaches her three daughters how to weave carpets. These three women are closely tied together like the carpets that they weave.

READ MORE...

IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Directed by Alper Tunga Özdemir
Doc. / 33 min. / 2023
In English and with English subtitles

 

Ahmet had a plan to go to Blacksea to make his college dance friend Şenol’s last wish come to reality... bring the boys together and do one special dance for him by the Blacksea and on top of the mountain at the local festival.

READ MORE...

mermerin sultanlari

THE SULTANS OF MARBLE
Mermerin Sultanları

Directed by Mehmet Buyruk
Doc. / 20 min. / 2022
with English subtitles

 

The women in marble factory who work hard to earn their living despite all the harsh conditions, as well as health problems. They continue to fight for their families and overcome all kinds of challenges. The story of women who have the vision of success facing all the obstacles.

READ MORE...

kim mihri

WHO IS MİHRİ
Kim Mihri

BEST DOCUMENTARY
AUDIENCE AWARD

Directed by Berna Gençalp
Doc. / 89 min. / 2022
with English subtitles

 

Kim Mihri (Who is Mihri) is the painter Mihri’s untold story. Director Berna Gençalp decides to trace Mihri’s journey from late Ottoman era Istanbul onward to Rome, Paris and New York. Mihri, whose image, artistic work and life story have been unjustly obscured, lost and deformed are revived through interviews and fully animated sequences.

READ MORE...

SHORT FILMS

alkarisi

ALKARISI

Directed by İlyas Soner Yıldırım
Short / 23 min. / 2022
with English subtitles
Cast: Sema Çeyrekbaşı, Deniz Danışoğlu, Nevin Dizdar

 

Kübra stays in the country house of her grandmother Emine with her illegitimate newborn baby. She hears of a creature named Alkarısı, which is rumored to kill newborn babies, haunting the village. She finds herself in the middle of a dark folk tale.

READ MORE...

herkesin yapabilecegi bir sey

AS POSSIBLE AS EVERYTHING
Herkesin Yapabileceği
Bir Şey

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Selen Örcan
Short / 16 min. / 2022
with English subtitles
Cast: Selin Hasar, Zeynep Kızıltan

 

A short journey where one witnesses the disappointment and the ways of fighting and the surrender of two women in a broken-down car.

READ MORE...

yavru karinca

BABY ANT
Yavru Karınca

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Derya Uygurlar
Short / 15 min. / 2023
with English subtitles
Cast: Aslı Turan, Almina Kahraman

 

Tomorrow is an important day; Ayser will pay a visit to her husband in prison. But before then, she has to finish sewing clothes to pay the lawyer, settle a dispute with her sister Emine, and convince her daughter Deniz that children are not allowed in prison.

READ MORE...

camasir ipi

CLOTHESLINE
Çamaşır İpi

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Hüseyin Urçuk
Short / 4 min. / 2022

 

In this experimental short film, items hanging on a clothesline represent the challenges and monotony women face when unable to pursue career and educational goals within an oppressive patriarchal society.

READ MORE...

soguk uzak ve kirli

COLD, DISTANT & DIRTY
Soğuk, Uzak ve Kirli

Directed by Halime Usta
Short / 10 min. / 2022
with English subtitles
Cast: Olcay Yusufoğlu, Gözde Kocaoğlu

 

Yelda who is estranged from her family and environment, receives the news of her mother's sudden death and has to spend a night in the same house with her sister.

READ MORE...

fatih the conqueror

FATIH THE CONQUEROR
Avrupa Fatihi

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Onur Yağız
Short / 15 min. / 2023
with English subtitles
Cast: Thomas Curel, Emre Öcal

 

This Saturday is a Turkish wedding day at Espace Venise. Huddled in a car in the parling lot, Fatih, 21, wants to get married. He has set his sights on Ipek, Recep’s sister. But neither Murat, his best friend, nor Recep, nor even Ipek are aware of this yet.

READ MORE...

bahceler put kesildi

GARDENS PETRIFIED
Bahçeler Put Kesildi

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Ali Cabbar
Short / 20 min. / 2022
with English subtitles
Cast: Beran Soysal, Yüksel Ünal

 

After his father's death, Yusuf returns to his village after many years and learns that a geothermal company wants to buy his father's agricultural lands and drill a well. He wants to solve problems without disrespecting his father's memory, but things don't go as he has hoped and he has to make some tough decisions.

READ MORE...

Ben Sen O Biz Siz Onlar

I YOU HE/SHE
WE YOU THEY

Ben Sen O Biz Siz Onlar

Directed by Sevin Yaman
Short / 4 min. / 2023
with English subtitles
Cast: Remziye Şentürk, Ali Kulaç

 

I You He/She We You They, tells the story of a young girl who is forced to marry the perpetrator of rape, struggling between power, law, society and family. Salvation is in solidarity...

READ MORE...

 

IN SEARCH OF DAD
ONE NIGHT

Gece Babamızı Ararken

Directed by Alkım Özmen
Short / 19 min. / 2022
with English subtitles
Cast: Mert Aykul, Sarp Bozkurt

 

Two brothers who want to get a share from the sale of their father’s home spend the night looking for him but the siblings must first face the trust issues between them before they get to him.

READ MORE...

peripetia

PERIPETEIA

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Merve Gezen
Short / 15 min. / 2023
with English subtitles
Cast: Adem Çeliktop, Baran Karadeli

 

An ordinary day in the life of 9-year-old Adem who helps support his family by collecting from the garbage papers and plastics to sell.

READ MORE...

pamuk prenses ve cuce

SNOW WHITE AND
THE DWARF

Pamuk Prenses ve Cüce

Directed by Bora Yavuz Subaşı
Short / 5 min. / 2023
with English subtitles
Cast: Evin Acar

 

Leyla wants to play Snow White for the April 23rd Children's Day show. Although her teacher doesn't choose her, she eventually manages to become a princess.

READ MORE...

burasi size gore degil

THIS IS NOT A PLACE
FOR YOU

Burası Size Göre Değil

BEST SHORT FILM

Directed by Ceyda Aşar
Short / 15 min. / 2023
with English subtitles
Cast: Şebnem Hassanisoughi

 

A businesswoman living in a big city is searching for a place that suits her needs. A realtor is showing her several options. The woman feels an unexplained extreme boredom. While they are searching for a place with the realtor, her distress escalates, and she begins to follow her instincts.

READ MORE...

birlikte yalniz

TOGETHER, ALONE
Birlikte, Yalnız

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Kasım Ördek
Short / 20 min. / 2022
with English subtitles
Cast: Ecem Uzun, Mert Doğan

 

Sevgi and Doğan, a young couple, steal cars in the poorer districts of Istanbul and sell them to the junkyard to be pressed. One day, however, an unsettling event shakes them to the core, pushing them to face some truths about their relationship and the harsh realities of life.

READ MORE...

satiscinin bir gunu

WHEN THE SHIFT ENDS
Satışçının Bir Günü

SPECIAL MENTION

Directed by Erinç Durlanık
Short / 19 min. / 2023
with English subtitles
Cast: Melis Ulaş, Begüm Alınca

 

Hilal, who thinks that she started a job in a call center that sells through telemarketing, is faced with an unexpected evaluation at the end of her day by experienced salesperson Pınar.

READ MORE...

 

 

 

 

 
Turkish American Cultural Society of New England TACS

This program is supported in part by grants from the Boston Cultural Council and Massachusetts Cultural Council administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture​.

 

 

 

Service Mark Advisory:
Boston Turkish FestivalSM, Boston Turkish Film FestivalSM, and Boston Turkish Music FestivalSM are registered service marks of the Boston Turkish Festival, Boston Turkish Film Festival and the Boston Turkish Music Festival respectively.