Dondurmam Gaymak /

Ice Cream, I Scream

2005, 100 minutes, 35mm, color

Turkish with English subtitles

Written and directed by Yüksel Aksu

Cinematography by Eyüp Boz

Editing by Sedat Karadeniz

Art Direction by Yıldız Uysal and Figen Erdöş

Music by BaBaZuLa

Produced by Yüksel Aksu, Tankut Kılınç and Eyüp Boz; Makara Film; Elif Dağdeviren Güven and Bülent Helvacı; Hermes Film

Starring Turan Özdemir and the people of Muğla

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Turkey’s official entry for the 79^th Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, Dondurmam Gaymak (Ice Cream, I Scream) is “a film telling the tragicomical story of the hopeless struggles of small business owners (represented by an ice cream vendor) in today’s global economy” according to the film’s director. In the summer of 2005, director Yüksel Aksu, a native of Muğla, a small town on the Aegean coast of Turkey, brought together the city’s natives to produce a movie of international standards. Approximately 2,000 residents were chosen from Muğla and its surrounding locations as actors. Trained by Mehmet Ali Alabora, a well-known Turkish actor, the actors have received rave reviews for their outstanding performances. The film focuses on Ali, a local ice cream vendor, who tries to survive in the face of fierce competition from the big ice cream brands. While trying to promote his ice cream, he tours the village with his brand new motorbike and ice cream trailer. The naughty boys of the town steal the motorbike while Ali is away. Ali accuses the big ice cream companies of stealing the motorbike in order to destroy him, while the children are enjoying their free ice cream.

Festivals and Awards

2007 HBO/U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (U.S.A.): Best Foreign Language Film

2007 Palm Springs International Film Festival (U.S.A.)

2006 Queens Film Festival (U.S.A.): Best Director, Best Comedy

2006 International İstanbul Film Festival (Turkey): Special Prize of the Jury

2006 Adana Golden Boll International Film Festival (Turkey): Special Prize of the Jury, People’s

Jury Special Award, Best Actor (Turan Özdemir)

2006 Antalya Film Festival (Turkey): Special Screening

Yüksel Aksu

Born in the Ula province of Muğla, Turkey in 1966, Yüksel Aksu graduated from Dokuz Eylül University Department of Cinema in 1993. He later completed his postgraduate studies in the same department. After working as a door-to-door salesman, waiter, trader and agricultural worker, Aksu became a miner for the Mining Research Institution (MTA). Between 1988 and 1993 he worked as an actor in İzmir Public Theatre and several private theatres. In 1990 he started working as an assistant to director Yusuf Kurçenli. In the years that followed, he continued to work as an assistant, coordinator, supervisor and writer in many film productions and TV series. After working as Zeki Ökten’s assistant, he started directing highly successful series for TV. Dondurmam Gaymak (Ice Cream, I Scream) is Yüksel Aksu’s first feature film.

Filmography

1993  Zamanın Labirentinde Karşılaşma / Meeting in the Maze of Time (short)

1995  Underground Kadir ve Sinema Çetesi / Underground Kadir and the Cinema Gang

(documentary)

1996 Maksat Namım Yürüsün (short)

1999  Yasemince (TV)

2000 Yılan Hikayesi (TV)

2002 Yasemince (TV)

2003  Pilli Bebek (TV)

2004 Bir Dilim Aşk (TV)

2004 Büyük Yalan (TV)

2005 Dondurmam Gaymak / Ice Cream, I Scream

Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? / Who Killed the Shadows?

2006, 134 minutes, 35 mm, color

Turkish with English subtitles

Directed by Ezel Akay

Screenplay by Levent Kazak and Ezel Akay

Editing by Mustafa Preşeva

Cinematography by Hayk Kirakosyan

Art Direction by Naz Erayda and Hakan Yarkın

Music by Ender Akay

Computer animations by Anima

Produced by Bahadir Atay, Serkan Cakarer, Ufuk Ahıska, Ezel Akay and Ercan Avcı; IFR

Starring Beyazıt Öztürk, Haluk Bilginer, Şebnem Dönmez, Güven Kıraç, Levent Kazak, Ayşe Tolga, Ayşen Gruda, Altay Özbek and Ragıp Savaş

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Karagöz and Hacivat lived and died during the first clashes of the decaying Eastern Roman Empire and the early Ottomans of the 14th century Anatolia. Their stories and characters have been adapted for the traditional shadow theatre of the later Ottoman Empire, in modern Turkey and all over the Middle East, Greece and western Asia. Their legend and the truth about their tragic deaths are twisted and distorted, but their caustic humor still lives on. Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? (Who Killed the Shadows?) opens in 14th century Bursa, a lovely city on the border of the Byzantine Empire. Bursa hosts a multicultural life under the rule of the Ottomans, an emerging small Turkish tribe of that time. People who are exhausted from the tax hungry Mongolian attacks immigrate for a new life to this liberal city, which is also a shelter for the ruling class from various crumbling states and governments. Among those seeking refuge, is an illiterate but highly intelligent and sensitive Turkoman nomad, Karagöz, and a sharp, garrulous messenger, Hacivat. From the moment they meet, their conversations entertain those around them and eventually, they start to present stand-up shows where they humorously criticize the religious and civil authorities, and quickly accumulate a long list of enemies. 

Festivals and Awards

2006 International İstanbul Film Festival (Turkey)

2006 Adana Golden Boll International Film Festival (Turkey): Best Director, Best Screenplay, 

      Best Art Direction

2006 Ankara International Film Festival (Turkey): Best Actor (Haluk Bilginer), Best Art

      Direction, Best Music

2006 Nürnberg Turkey/Germany Film Festival

Ezel Akay

Born in 1961 in Kastamonu, Ezel Akay graduated from Bosphorus University Department of Engineering and studied theatrical arts at Villanova University in the United States. Before entering the film production sector as the founding partner of IFR film production company, he worked as a copy writer for commercials, stage director, actor, production assistant and production supervisor. He produced Tabutta Rövaşata (Somersault in a Coffin), directed by Derviş Zaim in 1996, and Güneşe Yolculuk (Journey to the Sun), directed by Yeşim Ustaoğlu in 1999. Both films won numerous awards at international film festivals. Akay also produced Şellale (The Waterfall), directed by Semir Aslanyürek in 2001, and the internationally acclaimed Karpuz Kabuğundan Gemiler Yapmak (Boats out of Watermelon Rinds), directed by Ahmet Uluçay in 2004. Following his directorial debut with Neredesin Firuze? (Where’s Firuze?), Akay comes forward as a writer, director, producer and actor in Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? (Who Killed the Shadows?). In 2007, he co-produced and acted in Adem’in Trenleri (Adam and the Devil), directed by Barış Pirhasan.

Filmography

2004 Neredesin Firuze? / Where’s Firuze?

2006 Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? / Who Killed the Shadows?

Beynelmilel / The International

2006, 106 minutes, 35 mm, color

Turkish with English subtitles

Directed by Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Muharrem Gülmez

Screenplay by Sırrı Süreyya Önder

Cinematography by Gökhan Atılmış

Editing by Engin Öztürk

Music by Kalan Müzik, Aytekin G. Aktaş, Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Tolga Kılıç

Produced by Necati Akpınar

Starring Cezmi Baskın, Özgü Namal, Umut Kurt, Bahri Beyat, Meral Okay, Nazmi Kırık, Dilber Ay and Oktay Kaynarca

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Set in Adıyaman, the business for a group of local musicians hits rock bottom due to curfew laws implemented in 1982. The solutions they seek end up with the group in jail. The region’s martial law commander puts a twist to the story when he decides to create a ‘modern orchestra’ with the local musicians. The orchestra is asked to prepare a welcoming ceremony for the military council’s visit to the town. There is yet another group who is eagerly waiting for the arrival of the council: the activist university students lead by Haydar, a political science student, and Gülendam, the daughter of the new local orchestra chief plan a protest during the welcoming ceremony. The military law and the local orchestra on one side and the protesters on the other, unexpected events are about to unfold during the ceremony.

Festivals and Awards

2007 Ankara International Film Festival (Turkey): Best Film, Best Screenplay

2007 International İstanbul Film Festival (Turkey): Special Prize of the Jury, Best

      Actress (Özgü Namal)

2007 Adana Golden Boll International Film Festival (Turkey): Best Film, Best Screenplay, Special Prize of the Public Jury, Best Actor (Cezmi Baskın), Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actress (Meral Okay and Dilber Ay)

Sırrı Süreyya Önder

Sırrı Süreyya Önder was born in Adıyaman in 1962. He was a political science student at Ankara University during the military coup of September 12, 1980. He was one of the students arrested during the riots and was convicted as a political felon. Önder served 12 years in Mamak Prison. He defines himself as a distressed person, a man who feels a responsibility for the land he lives in. He is a writer and recently has moved towards writing screenplays. He also works as a consultant for motion pictures and TV series. Beynelmilel (The International) is the first feature film he wrote and directed. Currently, Önder works at the “Scenario Studio” and gives creative writing lessons.

Filmography

2006 Beynelmilel / The International (with Muharrem Gülmez)

Muharrem Gülmez

Muharrem Gülmez was born in Ankara in 1968. He studied at Dokuz Eylül University and received a degree in television from the Faculty of Fine Arts. Since 1990, Gülmez has been active in the film industry as the assistant director and producer for many motion pictures and TV series. The International is the first feature film he directed. Currently, he directs a TV series titled Bebeğim for Turkish Television.

Filmography

2006 Beynelmilel / The International (with Sırrı Süreyya Önder)

2006 Bebeğim (TV)

Beş Vakit / Times and Winds

2006, 110 minutes, 35mm, color

Turkish with English subtitles

Written and directed by Reha Erdem

Editing by Reha Erdem

Cinematography by Florent Herry

Art Direction by Ömer Atay

Music by Arvo Pärt

Produced by Ömer Atay, Atlantik Film

Starring Özkan Özen, Ali Bey Kayalı, Elit İşcan, Bülent Emin Yarar, Taner Birsel, Yiğit Özşener, Selma Ergeç, Tarık Sönmez, Köksal Engür, Tilbe Saran and Cüneyt Türel  

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This unforgettable, beautifully shot film is a lyrical and haunting portrait of life in a remote Turkish mountain village, where three preteens struggle with dreams and desires that are utterly specific and personal, and yet somehow universal. Beş Vakit (Times and Winds) is a haunting portrait of the tensions that lie beneath the seemingly placid surface of a remote, beautiful and rugged mountain village perched between sea and sky, untouched by the modern world. It recounts the dreams and desires of villagers whose simple lives are regulated by the calls to prayer that divide the day (and the film) into five sections (the Turkish title literally translates as "five times"). The main characters are three youngsters, two boys and a girl living in this harsh, strictly disciplined culture, where both animals and children are frequently beaten. In subtle touches, the picture deals with the early sexual awakening of the three, their communion with nature and revolt against their parents. Ömer, the imam's son, fantasizes about killing his father. He collects scorpions, hoping they will do the job for him. Ömer’s best friend Yakup has fallen in love with the beautiful schoolteacher and turns against his own father when he discovers that his dad is a Peeping Tom who has been spying on the young woman Yakup worships. The girl, Yıldız, is obliged to mother her baby brother, while her budding sexuality is troubled after she witnesses her parents making love. Erdem's lyrical and meditative film is visually stunning, shot by his talented regular director of photography Florent Herry and with an extraordinary score by Arvo Pärt. (Elliot Stein, The Tribeca Film Festival Catalog).

Festivals and Awards

2007 Nurnberg Turkey/Germany Film Festival (Germany): Special Mention for

Directing, Young Jury’s Award, Jury’s Special Mention (Özkan Özen, Ali Bey Kayalı and Elit İşcan)

2007 Bucharest Film Festival (Romania): CineBlackSea Best Director

2007 Melbourne Film Festival (Australia)

2007 Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosnia)

2007 Haifa Film Festival (Israel)

2007 Copenhagen Film Festival (Denmark)

2007 Rotterdam Film Festival (The Netherlands)

2007 Mons International Love Film Festival: Competition (Belgium)

2007 Prague Film Festival/ Febiofest (Czechoslovakia)

2007 Buenos Aires International Film Festival (Argentina)

2007 Tribeca Film Festival (U.S.A.)

2007 San Francisco Film Festival (U.S.A.)

2007 Sydney Film Festival (Australia)

2007 Los Angeles Film Festival (U.S.A.)

2006  International İstanbul Film Festival (Turkey): Best Turkish Film, FIPRESCI Award in National Competition

2006 Adana Golden Boll International Film Festival (Turkey): Best Turkish Film, Best Supporting Actor (Bülent Emin Yarar), Best Promising Actor (Ali Bey Kayalı), Best Promising Actress (Elit İşcan)

2006  Montpellier International Film Festival of Mediterranean Films (France): Golden Antigone Mention, Nova Award, Young People's Award

2006 Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (Germany): Special Mention for Photography

2006 The Cinema and Film Critics Association (Turkey): Best Picture, Best Director,

      Best Cinematography

2006  International Mediterranean Film Festival Brussels (Belgium)

2006 Toronto International Film Festival (Canada): Contemporary World Cinema  
2006 Pusan International Film Festival (Korea): Critic's Choice

2006 Roma Film Festival: Competition (Italy)

2006 Vienna International Film Festival (Austria) 
2006 London Film Festival (U.K.)

2006 Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Greece)

2006 Stockholm International Film Festival (Sweden)

Reha Erdem

Reha Erdem graduated from the Cinema Department of Paris 8 University and received his M.A degree in Plastic Arts from the same school. His first feature film, A Ay (Oh Moon), was nominated for The European Film Academy Awards in 1990, received the Turkish Writers’ Association’s Best Film of the Year Award and was screened at numerous international festivals. Kaç Para Kaç (Run for Money), his second feature-length film, was selected as the official entry from Turkey for the Academy Awards in the Foreign Language Film category. Reha Erdem shot his third film Korkuyorum Anne (Mommy, I’m Scared) in 2004. The film was first screened at 23rd International İstanbul Film Festival and received the FIPRESCI Award, winning more awards at the subsequent film festivals in which it was screened. Erdem also has short films and directed a theater play, Les Bonnes (Maids) by Jean Genet at the İstanbul National Theater in 1991.

Filmography

1989 A Ay / Oh Moon

1995 Deniz Türküsü / Song of the Sea (short)

1999 Kaç Para Kaç / Run for Money

2004 Korkuyorum Anne / Mommy, I’m Scared

2006 Beş Vakit / Times and Winds

2006 Ekimde Hiçbir Kere / Anytime in October (short)