| Director: | Nehir Tuna |
|---|---|
| Production: | TN Yapim (Tanay Abbasoğlu), Red Balloon Film (Dorothe Beinemeier), Cine-Sud Promotion (Thierry Lenouvel) with the support of MOIN Film Fund Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, German-Turkish Co- Production Development Fund, L‘aide Aux Cinémas Du Monde, CNC, Institut Français, Sundance Film Festival with the participation of Pyramide International Dulac Distribution |
| Running Time: | 118’ |
| Language: | Turkish, English |
| Country: | Turkey, Germany, France |
| Main Cast: | Doğa Karakaş, Can Bartu Arslan, Ozan Çelik, Tansu Biçer, Didem Ellialtı, Orhan Güner, Işıltı Su Alyanak |
| Screenplay: | Nehir Tuna |
| Cinematographer: | Florent Herry |
| Editor: | Ayris Alptekin |
| Production Designer: | Vahhap Ayhan |
| Costume Designer: | Didem Ellialti |
| Music: | Avi Medina |
| Sound: | Simone Weber |
| Visual Effects: | Philippe Perrot, Vincent Vacarisas |
Cinema
Yurt (Dormitory)
Orizzonti
Synopsis
1997, the tensions between religious and secular Turks are increasing. Fourteen-year-old Ahmet is sent by his recently converted father to an Islamic dormitory, a “Yurt”, to learn Muslim values. Ahmet works hard to be the perfect son, but he has trouble fitting in with rough kids at the Yurt, and feels isolated in his day secular school, where he hides his new home from his classmates. His only solace is a new friend Hakan, a street-smart kid who knows how to work the Yurt system. Together they dream of making their own decisions.
Director's Statement
As a child, I was sent to a religious dormitory for 5 years. I have this memory that I will never forget. I’m in the dormitory’s library. My head is leaned against the window. There is the warmth of the radiator in my legs, and the coldness of the window on my forehead. My eyes are locked on the living room of our house that is 300 meters away, waiting for the lights to turn on. Waiting for my parents to come home. Then the lights go on and I watch them. Dad takes off his jacket and hangs it on the back of a chair, mom takes off her earrings. They watch TV, have dinner... I watch them live. I watch the most usual, boring things with longing. Mostly with a lump in my throat. In Yurt, I tried to bring my own personal experience to tell a story that transcends the macro political struggle between religiosity and secularism, conveying the isolation and pressure Ahmet faces as he struggles to meet his family’s expectations and to belong somewhere.
Production/Distribution
PRODUCTION 1: TN Yapim
Rasimpaşa, Ortaç Sk., 9
34716 – Istanbul, Turkey
Tel. +90 533 257 49 04
tanay@tnyapim.com.tr
http://www.tnyapim.com.tr
PRODUCTION 2: Red Balloon Film GmbH
Behringstrasse, 16B
22765 – Hamburg, Germany
Tel. +49 4050090808
Mob. +49 15786846727
flor@redballoon-film.de
http://www.redballoonfilm.de
OTHER COPRODUCTIONS: Thierry Lenouvel - Ciné-Sud Promotion
11, quai de la Seine
75019 – Paris, France
Mob. +33 678000592
thierry@cinesudpromotion.com
WORLD SALES: Eric Lagesse - Pyramide International
32, Rue de l’Echiquier
75010 – Paris, France
Tel. +33 142960220
elagesse@pyramidefilms.com
http://pyramidefilms.com
PRESS OFFICE: Barbara Von Lombeek - The PR Factory
Tel. +32 486546480
barbara@theprfactory.com
ITALIAN PRESS OFFICE: Barbara Von Lombeek - The PR Factory
Tel. +32 486546480
barbara@theprfactory.com
