Boston Turkish Film Festival and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston are proud to present the first retrospective of Director Reha Erdem films in North America.
Written and Directed by Reha Erdem
112 min. / 2006
Cast: Özen Özkan, Ali Bey Kayalı, Elit İşcan
The pain of growing up, as seen by three Turkish youths: Ömer, the son of the local imam, who wishes the death of his father; his best friend, Yakup, who’s enamored with the village schoolteacher; and Yildiz, who is forced to balance her studies with the needs of her demanding mother.
Selected Festivals and Awards:
Written and Directed by Reha Erdem
94 min. / 1999
Cast: Taner Birsel, Bennu Yıldırımlar, Zuhal Gencer
Selim is a shop owner in Istanbul. Selim is an affectionate family man who has devoted his life to his home and his work, and is known for his honesty and integrity. One day, Selim finds a bag full of dollar bills in a taxi. This brings a small crime and a big tragedy to him and his family.
Selected Festivals and Awards:
Directed by Reha Erdem
Written by Reha Erdem, Nilüfer Güngörmüş
129 min. / 2004
Cast: Ali Düşenkalkar, Işıl Yücesoy,
Köksal Engür, Şenay Gürler
After being knocked unconscious in an accident and losing his memory, Ali is like a newborn baby, exploring his new world and putting the pieces of his identity back together. Focusing on a group of families and close friends, the story is set in a nostalgic version of the “Istanbul neighborhood”.
Selected Festivals and Awards:
Written and Directed by Reha Erdem
98 min. / b&w / 1988
Cast: Yeşim Tozan, Gülsen Tuncer,
Nurinisa Yıldırım, Münir Özkul
A young girl with a vivid imagination exasperates her grandparents when she begins communicating with the ghost of her mother.
Selected Festivals and Awards:
Written and Directed by Reha Erdem
Short / 26 min. / 2006
Written and Directed by Reha Erdem
Short / 4 min. / 2001
Cast: Cüneyt Türel
Part of the ‘10 Poets 10 Directors’ project, Song of the Sea transforms a poem into moving image, offering a meditation on rhythm, language, and the invisible pulse connecting words and water.
Reha Erdem began his studies in history at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. In 1983, he went to Paris 8 University to major in Cinema and Modern Art and completed a graduate degree. He directed his first feature film, A Ay (Oh Moon) in 1989. It received awards at the Nantes Film Festival, and was screened at the Locarno, Moscow, Vancouver and Dunkerque Film Festivals. His second feature, Kaç Para Kaç (A Run for Money, 1999) represented Turkey at the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. It was featured at the Tokyo, Munich, London, Oslo, Thessaloniki and Seattle Film Festivals, and also was screened in the 3rd Boston Turkish Film Festival in 2004. Erdem was invited to direct Hizmetciler (The Maids) by Jean Genet for the Istanbul National Theater in 1991. He directed a short film called Deniz Türküsü (Song of Sea), inspired by the poem of famous Turkish poet Yahya Kemal Bayatlı. Since 1990, he has directed over a hundred TV commercials. In 1993, he founded Atlantik Film production company with Ömer Atay.