ENCOUNTER (Karsilasma)

U.S. Premiere

 

Directed by Omer Kavur
 
Screenplay by Omer Kavur and Macit Koper
 
Cast: Uğur Polat, Lale Mansur, Çetin Tekindor, 
İsmail Hacıoğlu
 
2003, 124 minutes
 
In Turkish with English subtitles  

Synopsis:

Sinan and Mahmut meet at the therapy sessions of a fatal disease. Sinan, an architect, holds himself responsible for the death of his son in a motorcycle accident.

As for Mahmut, he runs a gambling house and is in shady business, he suffers from a crime committed in his youth and now is inclined to end of his life. However, news about a person he is in search for causes him to leave Istanbul. Sinan senses that the one Mahmut seeks is a young woman whose photograph he has seen.

A short while later news of Mahmut arrives, he has been victim of an unresolved murder.

Sinan goes to the island where his friend was killed to try to find out the truth about the murder. Here, he first meets a young man in whom he finds the image of his lost son and then the woman on the photograph.

For Sinan, walking the thin line between life and death, a new life is offered on the island. This is almost a miracle.

Festivals and Awards:

Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Young Actor (Ismail Hacioglu), People's Jury Award, the 40th Gold Orange Film Festival, Antalya, 2003
Screened in the Chicago Film Festival.
Scheduled to be screened in various international film festivals.

About the Director: Omer Kavur

Born in Ankara in 1944. He received his education on cinema in Paris. He also held a degree in journalism and social sciences. He attended masters program in cinema history in Sorbonne, France. Spoke English and French. A veteran film maker of Turkish cinema, he received numerous national and international awards. He is one of the finest directors of Turkish cinema with such unforgettable works as Motherland Hotel (Anayurt Oteli),  The Secret Face (Gizli Yüz), and Journey on the Hour Hand (Akrebin Yolculugu) which was screened in the First Boston Turkish Film Festival. His latest work, Encounter (Karsilasma) is a psychological drama about life, love and overlapping destinies. Omer Kavur died in Istanbul on May 12, 2005 at the age of 61.
 
Filmography:
 
Yatik Emine (1978)
Yusuf ile Kenan (Yusuf and Kenan, 1979)
Ah Guzel Istanbul (Oh Beautiful Istanbul, 1981)
Kirik Bir Ask Hikayesi (A Broken Love Story, 1981)
Gol (The Lake, 1982)
Korebe (1985)
Amansiz Yol (1985)
Anayurt Oteli (Motherland Hotel, 1986)
Gece Yolculugu (The Night Journey, 1987)
Gizli Yuz (The Secret Face, 1991)
Akrebin Yolculugu (Journey on the Hour Hand, 1997)
Melekler Evi (House of Angels, 2000)
Karsilasma (Encounter, 2003)

In Memoriam: Omer Kavur (1944-2005)

OMER KAVUR, distinguished filmmaker of Turkish cinema, has passed away on May 12, 2005 at the age of 61 after a long battle with cancer. Kavur was one of the directors who brought international attention to Turkish cinema with his unique style and with his unforgettable works such as The Secret Face (Gizli Yüz), Journey on the Hour Hand (Akrebin Yolculugu), and Motherland Hotel (Anayurt Oteli), which was selected by Turkish movie critics as one of the ten best Turkish films of all times and screened at the 4th Boston Turkish Film Festival in 2005. Winner of many national and international awards, Kavur's last film was Encounter (Karsilasma), a psychological drama about life, love and overlapping destinies,  which he filmed in 2003.  Boston Turkish Film Festival pays respect to the great auteur of Turkish cinema.

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