Erden Kıral
2021
A Season in Hakkari
Erden Kıral
Genco Erkal, Erkan Yücel
An urban Turkish teacher is transferred for political reasons to a backward Kurdish village in the mountains near the Iranian border. He is welcomed with distrust, but during that harsh year the mutual cultural misunderstandings fade away.
A Season in Hakkari
The Mirror
Erden Kıral
Nur Sürer, Suavi Eren
Der Spiegel reflects the sad existence of a village couple, Necmetting and Zelihan, whose lives are regulated by nature and the all-powerful feudal lord. When the lord's good-looking brother tries to seduce beautiful Zelihan, her husband has no choice but take up arms to restore his lost honor. But the question of whether anything can be more important than human life haunts him. Der Spiegel is a psychological drama that focuses on a menage-a-trois and at the same time holds a mirror to the generally ignored lives of the poor peasants, examning their loves, passions and dreams, particularly those of the women. Despite the theatricality of the dream sequences and the scene with the slaughter of a cow, the story generally flows easily in a minimalist style, with impressive photography by Kenan Ormanlar.
The Mirror
Mavi sürgün
Erden Kıral
Özay Fecht, Tatiana Papamoschou
Mavi Sürgün is a fictionalized account of one period of the life of a Turkish journalist who was condemned to exile for an article he wrote in 1925. He turned his punishment into a reward by creating a little paradise in what is today the holiday resort, Bodrum. In fact he is considered by some to be the first ecologist. The film concentrates on this latter aspect of his character and through flashbacks portrays the inner turmoil of a man who is trying to come to terms with his past. The slow pace is somewhat of a drawback, the flashbacks are often confusing and the protagonist is not always very convincing. But the photography of the country side is exceptional Kenan Ormanlar and the short appearance by a very theatrical Hanna Schygulla of Fassbinder fame adds a little spice to the drama.
The Blue Exile
Dilan
Erden Kıral
Derya Arbaş, Hakan Balamir
Based on a well-known Turkish novel, Dilan narrates the story of a peasant woman who decides to avenge the murder of her lover. In a remote village in Southeastern Turkey, two men are in love with beautiful Dilan: the rich Paso and the poor but brave Mirkan. When Dilan chooses Mirkan, Paso has the youth killed by one of his men. Dilan marries Paso, but she murders him on their wedding night and runs away to the mountains. A tragic love story as well as a realistic portrait of the existence of the rural people of Anatolia, Dilan was shown at several international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
Dilan
Av Zamanı
Erden Kıral
Aytaç Arman, Şerif Sezer
During the year of the repressive military regime, a Turkish writer gets disillusioned by the loss of a dear friend and retires to his hometown on a remote island where he feels safe from the political turmoil. There he escapes to the world of memories, having imaginary conversations with his dead friend. However, the news of a new murder alerts him to the dangers lying ahead. Shot in Turkey following the years of military regime, Av Zamani carries autobiographical elements as the director Erden Kiral also had to flee the repressive regime of his country to be an exile in Germany. The weakness of the film is that the director is not able to take enough distance from the events to give the story a more universal appeal. Av Zamani was screened at the Montreal World Film Festival 1988.
Hunting Time
Yük
Erden Kıral
Tansu Biçer, Engin Cetinbag
After the murder he committed, Cemal escaped to a mine and hid with the fear of retribution. Another man chasing him for this. What these two men have in common is a woman named Zeynep. Zeynep, who is actually married to Cemal, had a passionate relationship with a man named Cumali years ago, but Cumali is also married and has children.
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Vicdan
Erden Kıral
Nurgül Yeşilçay, Murat Han
Centers on a passionate and complicated love story that connects three small-town people trying to survive solely on their labor. Aydanur is a young woman living in Anatolia who wants to break away from whatever life has--or doesn't have--to offer her. Meanwhile, Mahmut is stuck between Aydanur and his wife, Songul. However, Aydanur starts covering a much bigger space in his heart. The roads of the two intersect at a tavern.
Conscience
