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BOSTON TURKISH FESTIVAL'S
17th ANNUAL DOCUMENTARY AND SHORT FILM COMPETITION
is now accepting applications
Application Deadline: AUGUST 1, 2022
Boston Türk Festivali 17. Belgesel ve Kısa Film Yarışması başvuruları başladı.
Son Başvuru Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2022
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Due to the circumstances caused by COVID-19 pandemic this year all competition screenings are online.
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AWARD WINNING FILMS OF 2021
Best Documentary:
ALL-In (Her Şey Dahil)
by Volkan Üce
Best Short Film:
CLIMATE CHANGE (İklim Değişimi)
by Yasemin Demirci
THE GREAT ISTANBUL DEPRESSION (Büyük İstanbul Depresyonu)
by Zeynep Dilan Süren
Best Documentary Audience Award:
IF ONLY CORONA HADN'T GOT IN THE WAY (Araya Korona Girmeseydi)
by Zafer Sevener and Sibel Sümer
LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN
by Ümran Safter
Best Short Film Audience Award:
BLACK BOX (Kara Kutu)
by Can Deniz Atıcı
THE SCHOOL BUS (Servis)
by Ramazan Kılıç
SPECIAL MENTIONS
(in alphabetical order)
Documentaries
AFRICAN CHILDREN (Afrikalı Uşaklar) by Bayram Fidanboy
BELLA'S STORY (Bella’nın Öyküsü) by Banu Yalkut Breddermann
THE GUARDIAN (Die Wächterin) by Martina Priessner
I HAD A DREAM, YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND IT EVEN IF I TELL IT (Bir Rüya Gördüm, Anlatsam da Anlamazsınız) by Burcu Esenç and Cantekin Cantez
OUR ONLY HOME (Başka Vatanımız Yok) by Bayram Küçük
THE SEEDS OF GOCA YÖRÜK (Goca Yörüğün Tohumları) by Mehmet Köprü
UNTOLD STORY OF FATMA KAYACI (Fatma Kayacı’nın Bilinmeyen Hikayesi) by Orhan Tekeoğlu
Short Films
ANOUSH (Anuş) by Deniz Telek
THE CRIMINALS (Suçlular) by Serhat Karaaslan
62-84 I DIDN'T COPY THAT HQ (62-84 Anlaşılmadı Merkez) by Timuçin İpekusta
TIP OF THE ZIPPER (Qulpik) by Abdullah Çeper |
FINALIST FILMS & SCREENINGS SCHEDULE
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DOCUMENTARY |
PHASES OF MATTER
(Maddenin Halleri) |
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PHASES OF MATTER
Maddenin Halleri
Directed by Deniz Tortumı
Documentary, 2020, 71 min.
NON-COMPETITION
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Phases of Matter follows living and inanimate residents of a teaching hospital in Istanbul, Cerrahpaşa, moving from the operating room to the morgue, between life and other states, the real and the virtual.
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DOCUMENTARY |
ALL-IN
(Her Şey Dahil) |
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ALL-IN
Her Şey Dahil
Directed by Volkan Üce
Documentary, 2021, 80 min. |
At the start of the summer season Ismail and Hakan start working in Nashira Resort, a gigantic all-inclusive hotel at the Turkish Riviera. Ismail is 18 and dropped out of school to earn money for his family.
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DOCUMENTARY |
LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN
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LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN
Directed by Ümran Safter
Documentary, 2021, 64 min. |
Leave the Door Open provides an intriguing and in-depth look into how a deep love of Jazz and a multicultural background meant two teenage Turkish boys refused to simply accept racial discrimination and pushed them to test socially acceptable racial boundaries.
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DOCUMENTARY |
BELLA'S STORY
(Bella’nın Öyküsü) |
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BELLA'S STORY
Bella’nın Öyküsü
Directed by Banu Yalkut Breddermann
Documentary, 2021, 102 min. |
Bella's story reveals a unique account of life in the 20th century Turkey; Bella quickly involved with the cultural and political avant-garde of the time, sharing intimate friendships with famous artists. Bella, also a beloved teacher, witnessed the emerging of the Turkish Renaissance and shaping the history of Modern Turkey.
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DOCUMENTARY |
IF ONLY CORONA HADN'T GOT IN THE WAY
(Araya Korona Girmeseydi)
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IF ONLY CORONA HADN'T GOT IN THE WAY
Araya Korona Girmeseydi
Directed by Zafer Sevener, Sibel Sümer
Documentary, 2021, 70 min. |
The elderly couple, married for 57 years, arrived in Istanbul (Turkey) for an operation and a quick visit with their son. Before they got a chance to return back to their hometown, Covid-19 outbreak was announced. While still in the shock of the outbreak news, curfew for 3 months was imposed for those who were 65 and older. The couple was stuck in Istanbul with their son, turning into a claustrophobic nightmare lock down in an 80 square meter house. Concern and uncertainty were increasingly affecting their mental health, punctuated by their daily quarrels and documented relentlessly by their son.
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DOCUMENTARIES |
IDENTITY, EQUALITY, AND SURVIVAL
(3 Films) |
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THE GUARDIAN
Die Wächterin
Directed by Martina Priessner
Documentary, 2020, 88 min. |
For 18 years, the Syrian Orthodox nun Dayrayto lives on the grounds of an abandoned Assyrian village in southeastern Turkey. Lately, the situation is getting worse and Dayrayto fears for her dog’s life, which she believes has been deliberately poisoned. The camera follows Dayrayto through her everyday life and observes her struggle for survival. An yet, Dayrayto is a courageous and fearless woman - she made a vow to never leave this holy place and to protect the church, no matter what.
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OUR ONLY HOME
Başka Vatanımız Yok
Directed by Bayram Küçük
Documentary, 2020, 20 min. |
Afro Turks were brought to the Ottoman Empire as a labor force to work in farms earliest in the 15th, and mostly in the 19th centuries, from Africa. Afro Turks were employed in the country side of the Aegean region. Afro Turks received Turkish Citizenship after the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. They identify themselves as Arabic, Black Turks, or Afro Turks. It is estimated that they have a population of 5 to 10,000. The documentary covers the life experiences of Afro Turks, difficulties they face in social life, exclusion and racial discrimination, daily experiences, and memories.
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AFRICAN CHILDREN
Afrikalı Uşaklar
Directed by Bayram Fidanboy
Documentary, 2021, 18 min. |
Seasonal workers from different African countries, working in the tea plantations in Rize, located in the Black Sea region in Turkey.
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DOCUMENTARIES |
PASSION AND REMORSE
(2 Films) |
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UNTOLD STORY OF FATMA KAYACI
Fatma Kayacı’nın Bilinmeyen Hikayesi
Directed by Orhan Tekeoğlu
Documentary, 2021, 40 min. |
It is year 1985. Everybody talks about 16-year old Ali Kayacı who died by falling into the fire while staying with his aunt on the mountain pasture of 2000 meters. Ali’s step mother, their neighbor, Aunt Emine says that the cause of this accident was Fatma Kayacı’s neglect. When Fatma Kayacı hears about the accusations from her relatives and neighbors, she leaves her village and will not see any family members or neighbors again.
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THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF
Uçurumun Kıyısında
Directed by Alican Abacı
Documentary, 2020, 55 min. |
Antalya, Geyikbayırı is a natural gem at the edge cliffs, with it's forests and rivers. Because of it's unique rock structures, it is one of the favorite spots for nature admirers and climbers from all around the world. Engin from Turkey, Tom from Switzerland, Tauri from Estonia, and Wolfgang from Germany embrace wonderful view of the region as they challenge their own limits while becoming one with nature. In 2015 a permission is granted for mining in Geyikbayırı.
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DOCUMENTARIES |
SOUND, STRUGGLE, SUSTAINABILITY
(3 Films)
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THE SEEDS OF GOCA YÖRÜK
Goca Yörüğün Tohumları
Directed by Mehmet Köprü
Documentary, 2021, 30 min. |
Mahmut Tığrel, a farmer from Antalya, who shows every effort to create a sustainable alternative to industrial farming by his preserved local seeds and unique marketing method, does not give up his fight despite limited production possibilities.
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I HAD A DREAM, YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND EVEN IF I TELL IT
Bir Rüya Gördüm, Anlatsam da Anlamazsınız
Directed by Burcu Esenç & Cantekin Cantez
Documentary, 2019, 66 min. |
In 1992, Tevfik Esenç, the last person speaking the Ubykh language, died and the Ubykh language disappeared from the world. His granddaughter, Burcu Esenç, went on a journey after the traces of her grandfather. The documentary "I Had A Dream, You Won't Understand Even If I Tell It", directed by Burcu Esenç and Cantekin Cantez, tells the story of the people of Ubykh and the disappearance of a language from the world.
more... |
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THE TOYMAKER - HIDDEN HEIRLOOMS
Oyuncakçı – Saklı Yadigârlar
Directed by Yağmur Kartal
Documentary, 2020, 45 min. |
Sabahattin Parlar is a 90-year old electrician. He uses old electric cables to create ancient Ottoman figurines. He no longer remembers the hardships that he had to face working as an electrician in his younger years as making these figurines brings back the child in him.
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SHORT FILMS |
SHORT FILMS - I
(7 Films)
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THE CRIMINALS
Les Criminels / Suçlular
Directed by Serhat Karaaslan
Short, 2021, 24 min.
Cast: Deniz Altan, Lorin Merhart, Erdem Senocak, Ercan Kesal, Cem Baza |
Late at night in a small Turkish town, a young couple tries to find a hotel room to spend the night together. They are rejected from all hotels for not having a marriage certificate. Once they believe they’ve found a trick to use, the situation gets out of hand.
Sundance Film Festival 2021, USA - World Premiere, Special Jury Award for Screenwriting
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62-84 I DIDN'T COPY THAT HQ
62-84 Anlaşılmadı Merkez
Directed by Timuçin İpekusta
Short, 2020, 15 min.
Cast: Seyhan Arman, Göksu Girişken, Tajsher Yakub |
A woman running away from physical abuse of her husband, a transgender hanging onto life by working as a cook, and a refugee at the edge of suicide, all come together one night, facing a big threat.
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ONE
Bir
Directed by Elif Sözen
Short, 2020, 13 min.
Cast: Aylin Paksoy, Defne Şener Günay |
Aylin and her mom Nazlı live in İstanbul and make both ends meet. They cope with the difficulties of life by developing a tricky business model which fits the requests of present-day urban people.
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THE GREAT ISTANBUL DEPRESSION
Büyük İstanbul Depresyonu
Directed by Zeynep Dilan Süren
Short, 2020, 19 min.
Cast: Nazlı Bulum, Kübra Balcan, Şebnem Hassanisoughi |
Didem and Ayşe are two young women living in Istanbul. Although time has passed since their graduation, they still couldn't find a job. As they are stepping into adulthood and expected to earn their living, for them, no day is different than the other.
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CLIMATE CHANGE
İklim Değişimi
Directed by Yasemin Demirci
Short, 2020, 20 min.
Cast: Nezaket Erden, Elif Temuçin, Kutay Kunt |
Iklim moves from Istanbul to London for a better future, but she faces problems while adapting to a new country.
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TIME OF THE LOST EYES
Kayıp Gözler Zamanı
Directed by Fatih Güneş
Short, 2020, 12 min.
Cast: Çağdaş Yılancı, Betül Işık, Deniz Kayas, Kadir Pekgüzel |
Erdal is out of prison after two years, sentenced for human trafficking. One day on the street Erdal sees a refugee whom he knows from his human trafficking days and follows him. Although Erdal continues with his life in the upcoming days, the memories keep bringing back those days.
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CURTAINS
Perdeler
Directed by Fırat Onar
Short, 2020, 15 min.
Cast: Deniz İnanç, Aslı Yiğit, Sadin Yeşiltaş, Betül Aşçıoğlu, Fatmanur Ak, Sinan Kandemir, Görkem Aydın |
Serap lives with her parents because of the problems she is having with her husband. One day Serap goes back to her own home after an incident that happens to her husband. As she hopes to pen a new chapter in her life with her husband, she finds an earring which doesn't belong to her. With questions in her mind, she tries to find the owner of the earring.
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SHORT FILMS |
SHORT FILMS - II
(13 Films)
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THE SCHOOL BUS
Servis
Directed by Ramazan Kılıç
Short, 2019, 14 min.
Cast: Ezgi Ay, Muttalip Müjdeci |
A newly appointed female teacher in a village school in Anatolia decides to drive the school bus but there is a slight problem!
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ANOUSH
Anuş
Directed by Deniz Telek
Short, 2020, 15 min.
Cast: Kübra Kip, Buse Yıldırım, Ekin Aksu, Sercan Özinan, Hasan Ali Yıldırım |
Anoush, a little girl, goes to borrow a wedding dress from a distant relative for her brother's wedding.
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SUSAM
Directed by Sami Morhayim
Short, 2021, 17 min.
Cast: Fatih Al, Feri Baycu Güler, Eylül Aydın, Fortüne Barokas, İzzet Bana |
In the morning of a Barmitzvah ceremony on a Shabbat, the Bahar family lives an unusual day, trying to get Susam out of his room who locked himself in.
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MEMORY
Anı
Directed by Elif Turan
Short, 2020, 5 min.
Cast: Gılman Kahyaoğlu Peremeci, Meltem Müge Tunç |
Looking at old photographs, a woman tries to remember her forgotten memories. She gets even more confused as she goes deeper in her memories.
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BE YOURSELF
Kendin Ol
Directed by Gül Yıldırım
Animated Short, 2020, 1.5 min. |
People with so many masks are walking outside. One person drops the mask; another person picks it up and wears it. One person has another kind of mask; other person sees that and paints his/her own mask like that. Man falls to the floor and then masks spread around. People gather and investigate that person; they take out their masks. In the last scene, we take out our own masks and the black and white gloomy atmosphere which we are in suddenly brightens up with color.
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THE BIG FLIGHT
Büyük Uçuş
Directed by Balahan Gürel
Short, 2021, 6 min.
Cast: Ekin Koç, Ceren Gündoğdu, Tuğba Erdem |
The elegant and sensuous drama short is full of powerful intercuts and dazzling music. A formalist cross-genre project, THE BIG FLIGHT is a film about soulmates which tells the story of a singer and a fashion photographer who fall in love without knowing each other.
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WATER IS LIFE
Can Suyu
Directed by Anıl Gök
Short, 2020, 5 min.
Cast: Ahmet Erkan, Nilgün Gök, Reyhan Gülse |
In a drying lake the fish try to survive and people carry water to them to keep them alive.
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BLACK BOX
Kara Kutu
Directed by Can Deniz Atıcı
Short, 2020, 15 min.
Cast: Selin Sangu, Seda Türkmen, Kaya Akkaya |
Selin is an 11 year old dealing with the chaos of Istanbul as she prepares for her final exam, which will be a turning point for her. She has to deal with the difficult stage in her life all by herself and the burden becomes heavier as she gets closer to the exam.
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FISH IN A BUCKET
Kovada Balık
Directed by Ayaz Ceylan
Short, 2020, 8 min.
Cast: Akın Aksu, Alev Pakova |
A weird dialogue between a man fishing on the seaside and a mysterious stranger.
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FROM MAJID WITH LOVE
Majid'den Sevgilerle
Directed by Yiğit Armutoğlu
Short, 2020, 7.5 min.
Cast: Atakan Aytekin, Eren Çevik, Mert Meniz, Ahmet Akman |
Majid, a refugee boy, ties his kite to a tree before escaping to an island with inflatable boat. Two boys who live in a village near the coast, Zeynel and Şafak, find the kite. When they notice the text on the kite, they decide to search for the meaning of the text.
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THE OTHERS
Ötekiler
Directed by Umar Eken
Short, 2020, 7 min.
Cast: Hasan Yıldız, Metehan Akbulut |
An old garbage collector is on the streets of the city but he is not alone. A young garbage collector goes to the same places before he does, and won't leave anything to collect for the old men. As the old man is about to lose his hope, he sees a helping hand.
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THE POLICE AFTER ME
Peşimdeki Polis
Directed by Kayahan Kaya
Animated Short, 2021, 6 min. |
Istanbul, 1950. Following the Second World War’s end, in an atmosphere where freedom of thought was limited; poets, writers, and artists were followed by the police, in their every step.During the same period, the police also followed the famous poet Orhan Veli, one of the founders of the ‘Garip’ movement in Turkish poetry. Meanwhile, a young poet wants to read his poems to Orhan Veli. Will he succeed?
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TIP OF THE ZIPPER
Qulpik
Directed by Abdullah Çeper
Short, 2020, 13 min.
Cast: Gülistan Çeper, Sinan Tilmaş, Zübeyde Çeper, Özlem Durmaz, İshak Tayak, Alper Altuner, Cengiz Baysoy |
Asya works in a boutique store to take care of her mother and little sister. She needs a new coat for the winter but she can't afford it.
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BOSTON TURKISH FESTIVAL
16th ANNUAL DOCUMENTARY & SHORT FILM COMPETITION |
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