COCOON

“Koza”

Directed and written by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Cast: Fatma Ceylan, Mehmet Emin Ceylan, Turgut Toprak

1995, 20 minutes. No dialogue.

Directed and written by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Cast: Mehmet Emin Toprak, Fatma Ceylan, Mehmet Emin Ceylan, Muzaffer Ozdemir

1997, 82 minutes. In Turkish with English subtitles.


Told from the perspective of two children, and in four parts which run parallel to seasons, KASABA describes relationships between members of a Turkish family in a small town. The first part is in a primary school where the family's 11 year-old daughter faces feeling of shame and some merciless clues of life as she tries to adapt to the social life and its difficulties… The second part is in spring. We see the girl with her brother, and their journey to the corn field where their family are waiting for them. As they pass through the countryside, they encounter the mysteries of nature and wildlife... In the third part the brother and sister witness the complexities and darkness of the adult world... The fourth part takes place at home. This is a tranquil sequence moving between reality and dream.

Based on an autobiographical story (Cornfield) by the director's sister, Emine Ceylan, the film is “A remarkable first feature. . . a strikingly original, vibrantly sensitive portrait of an extended family living in a remote Aegean village” (Variety). One of the most evocative films about childhood memories ever made, Ceylan’s first feature shows both his remarkable craftsmanship and exquisite ability to create atmosphere. Ceylan acted as cinematographer as well as director, and the film’s nostalgic black-and-white images seem to spring from his own memory, making The Small Town a magnificently intimate debut (Toronto Film Festival).

CLOUDS OF MAY

“MAYIS SIKINTISI”

Directed and written by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Cast: Mehmet Emin Ceylan, Muzaffer Özdemir, Fatma Ceylan, Mehmet Emin Toprak

1999, 131 minutes. In Turkish with English subtitles.


"Clouds of May" tells the story of Muzaffer, who returns to his native town to make a movie. His father, Emin, is bent on saving the small forest he cultivates on his property from confiscation by the authorities. And Muzaffer's cousin, Saffet, a young town dweller whose affords are all doomed to failure by bad luck - or is it by his own rebelliousness - dreams of going to Istanbul. Muzaffer sets about recruiting family and friends to work in his film. Told with subtle comedy and charm, and inscribed with beauty and a reverence for the lives of its characters, Clouds of May captures and strengthens the bond between a people and their land.

DISTANT

“Uzak”

Directed and written by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Cast: Muzaffer Özdemir, Mehmet Emin Toprak, Zuhal Gencer, Nazan Kırılmış, Feridun Koç, Fatma Ceylan, Ebru Ceylan

2003, 110 minutes. In Turkish with English subtitles.

Mahmut is a relatively successful commercial photographer who has been struggling to come to terms with the growing gap between his artistic ideals and his professional obligations. As he clings to the melancholic and obsessive routines of his solitary life, without warning, Mahmut’s distant relative Yusuf arrives in Istanbul. As the two men struggle to make a connection, communication is slowly reduced to the bare minimum, and their time together must come to an end. Elegant cinematography and a deeply pensive tone evoke the style of Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky. "Distant is an arthouse film par excellence, a consummately made study of loneliness and frustration that confirms the emerging talent of Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan" (Variety).