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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) Directed 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 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

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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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’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... 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... 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... 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... 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 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... 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... 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... 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... 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 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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...

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​.