Saturday, March 27, 2010    1:30 p.m.
Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston

ABOUT THE FILM

A semi-documentary, the film is about one year in the life of a teacher in a remote village in Turkey. The children can't speak Turkish, the teacher can't speak Kurdish. The film witnesses the communication problem emphasizing the loneliness of a teacher in a different community and culture; and the changes brought up by his presence into this different community during one year. The film chronicles one school year, starting from September 2007 until the departure of the teacher for summer holiday in June 2008. During this period, they begin to know and understand each other slowly and mutually.

SELECTED FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

• The Festival on Wheels, Turkey (2009): Silver Bull Award
• London Turkish Film Festival, U.K. (2009): Audience Award
• Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (2009): Best First Film Prize
• Middle East Film Festival, Abu Dhabi (2009): Best Middle East Documentary Film Prize
• International Romania Film Festival (2009): Best Documentary Film Prize
• Adana Golden Boll Film Festival, Turkey (2009): Grand Jury Yılmaz Güney Prize, Turkish Film Critics's Prize
• ZagrebDox, Croatia (2009): Little Stamp for Best Film
• Sarajevo Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2009): EDN Talent
• Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival, Germany (2009)
• Filmfest Hamburg, Germany (2009)
• Rencontres Cinéma de Gindou (2009)
• Jerusalem Film Festival (2009)
• Edinburgh International Film Festival, U.K. (2009)
• Planete Doc Review, Poland (2009)
• International İstanbul Film Festival, Turkey (2009)
• Movies that Matter Festival, The Netherlands (2009)
• Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece (2009)
• International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2008)

Directors ORHAN ESKIKOY & OZGUR DOGAN

Directors Orhan Eskikoy & Ozgur Dogan with Nuri Bilge Ceylan at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival Award Ceremony (photo: sadibey.com)

Orhan Eskikoy and Ozgur Dogan both graduated from the Faculty of Communication at Ankara University. In 2001, they co-directed their first documentary Each Dream is a Shattered Mirror, which was officially selected at the IDFA "First Appearance" and the Cinema du Reel Documentary Film Festival. Eskikoy and Dogan went on co-directing two more short documentaries, Suffering (2003) and Together (2006). On the Way to School, funded by both the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund and Jan Vrijman Fund, is their first feature documentary which was selected in Joris Ivens competition at IDFA 2008. Eskikoy is currently living in North Cyprus, and Dogan is working as a Research Assistant at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. Filmography: Orhan Eskikoy & Ozgur Dogan Together (2006) Suffering (2003) Each Dream is a Shattered Mirror (2001) Orhan Eskikoy Mothers & Children (2006) Exile (2004) To Be Outside (2003)