(2023, Turkey, Germany, France, 116')
In 1990s Turkey, the political polarization of society becomes increasingly evident, and tensions between secularists and Muslims intensify. Devout believers are ostracized, and religious dormitories (yurts) are regularly threatened by protests. Fourteen-year-old Ahmet is devastated when his father forces him to study the fundamentals of Islam in one of these places. For the young boy, it is the beginning of an unknown journey that leads him to navigate between family expectations, religious obligations, and the desire to live life as he wishes. An autobiographical coming-of-age that marks Nehir Tuna’s directorial debut in feature films.
Turkish filmmaker Nehir Tuna made seven award-winning short movies that combine social commentary with original visual aesthetics to show the current complex issues faced by his country. One such shorts, En Iyisini Bilir (2012), was presented at the Moondance International Film Festival and at the Williamsburg International Film Festival. His Ayakkabi of 2019 – best short at the Adana Film Festival – is Tuna’s first foray into the world of yurts, where Tuna himself spent part of his childhood.
You will receive the Daily 2023, the official magazine of the 80 Venice Film Festival on a daily basis
