SPECIAL MENTION UFKU AND ÜLVİYE Ufku ve Ülviye November 25 - December 6, 2024 Doc. | 25 min. | 2024 | with English subtitles Directed by Erkan Tahhuşoğlu This is the story of Ülviye, a woman in her 70s who resides in a mountain village in Artvin. She creates sculptures using stones and mud collected from the village, which she then paints and cooks with natural materials. Meanwhile, her 40-year-old son, Ufku, a graduate of Fine Arts, works as an Art Director at a small agency. In Artvin, Ülviye's work with nature stands in stark contrast to her son's career in a sector that has lost touch with natural relations and production methods. When summer arrives, Ufku yearns to return to Artvin, missing his mother and the natural surroundings that once brought him great joy. While he initially feels out of place, he is eventually forced to return to his life and work in Istanbul. Ufku and Ülviye represent two generations: the mother, rooted in tradition and nature, and the son, struggling to find purpose and fulfillment in his profession.   Erkan TAHHUŞOĞLU Between 1992 and 1996, Erkan Tahhuşoğlu studied graphic design at Eskişehir Anadolu University's Faculty of Fine Arts. He continued his studies in communication design in 1998 at Braunschweig University's Faculty of Fine Arts. In 2009, he published his first storybook, "Şiyara'nın Çocukları." He founded Şiyara Film Production in 2013. His most recent feature film, Cycle / Döngü, received the Best Director Award at the Adana Golden Globe Film Festival. His filmography also includes Corridor / Koridor (2021), Leftovers (short documentary, 2018), Verge (2016), and Lights in Darkness (feature documentary, 2016). Tahhuşoğlu's feature film Corridor/Koridor was screened at the 21st Boston Turkish Film Festival in 2022, and his documentary Lights in Darkness / Karanlıkta Işıklar was a finalist at BTF's 11th Documentary and Short Film Competition in 2016.