THE CRIMINALS
Les Criminels -
Suçlular

Special Mention
Boston Turkish Festival's 16th Annual Documentary & Short Film Competition (2021)

Academy Awards (Oscars) Shortlist

Sundance Film Festival 2021, USA - World Premiere, Special Jury Award for Screenwriting

WATCH ONLINE

A live panel discussion on Zoom with the award-winning directors of the 2021 BTF Documentary and Short Film Competition will take place on Sunday, April 24th, 2pm (EST), moderated by Dr. Ahmet Boyacioglu.
Free but pre-registration is required. Click here to register.

The Criminals - Suclular - Les Criminels

Directed by SERHAT KARAASLAN

Cast: Deniz Altan, Lorin Merhart, Erdem Senocak, Ercan Kesal, Cem Baza

Short / 2021 / 24 min. / with English subtitles

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.​

Selected Festivals and Awards:

  • Academy Awards Shortlist, USA (2022)
  • Sundance Film Festival, USA (2021): World Premiere, Special Jury Award
  • Boston Turkish Festival's 16th Annual Documentary and Short Film Competition (2021): Special Mention
  • Festival du Cinéma Européen de Lille, France (2021): Best Screenwriting Award, Best Actress Award
  • Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival, Hungary (2021): Best International Short Film Award
  • Istanbul Film Festival, Turkey (2021): Best Short Film Award
  • Palm Springs International ShortFest, USA (2021): Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes Award
  • Mediterranean Film Festival Split, Croatia (2021): Best International Short Film Award
  • Ischia Film Festival, Italy (2021): Jury Special Mention
  • San Diego International ShortsFest, USA (2021): Audience Choice Award
  • SXSW - South by Southwest Film Festival, USA (2021)
  • Go Short - International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, The Netherlands (2021)
  • Akbank Short Film Festival, Turkey (2021)
  • Annapolis Film Festival, USA (2021)
  • Festival du Cinéma Européen de Lille, France (2021)
  • Kortfilmfestivalen/The Norwegian Short Film Festival, Norway (2021)
  • Brussels Short Film Festival, Belgium (2021)
  • Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival, Hungary (2021)
  • Istanbul Film Festival, Turkey (2021)
  • Prague Short Film Festival, Czech Republic (2021)
  • Vienna Shorts Film Festival, Austria (2021)
  • Les Nuits MED - Festivale di u Filmucortu, France (2021)
  • DeadCenter Film Festival, USA (2021)
  • Palm Springs International ShortFest, USA (2021)
  • Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Japan (2021)
  • Mediterranean Film Festival Split, Croatia (2021)
  • Ischia Film Festival, Italy (2021)
  • Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, South Korea (2021)
  • Reggio Calabria FilmFest, Italy (2021)

Director SERHAT KARAASLAN

Serhat KaraaslanSerhat Karaaslan has directed one feature film and several shorts. His debut film, Passed by Censor
(Cannes Cinéfondation Residence), premiered at the 2019 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it received the critics award, and won several awards at festivals around the world. His films screened and awarded in major film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, SXSW, Thessaloniki, Taipei, Montpellier, Sarajevo and Istanbul etc. His last film The Criminals world premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2021 and was awarded with the Special Jury Prize.

Serhat Karaaslan's films met with Boston Turkish Film Festival's audience through our Documentary and Short Film Competition since the beginning of his career, and received numerous awards:
Bicycle / Bisiklet: Best Short Film Jury and Audience Awards (2010)
Musa: Best Short Film (2012)
Ice Cream / Dondurma: Special Mention (2014)

Serhat Karaaslan's first feature film, "Passed by Censor" (Görülmüştür) was critically acclaimed, receiving numerous national and international awards, including Fedeora Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and was screened at the 20th Annual Boston Turkish Film Festival in 2021.

 

 

 
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