The 2015 Vancouver Turkish Film Festival
The Vancouver Turkish Film Festival is now 5 years old, and has grown from its modest start in the classrooms of Langara College to its new venue of Vancity Theatre. I remember the inaugural year in 2011, when I caught the great doc, On the Way to School, about a new teacher faced with Kurdish-speaking children in the east of the country. Last year I saw My Child, about the families of trans children in Istanbul.
This year I’m excited to catch more than one. The festival makes it easy, with 3-pack bundles for $24, and Women’s Showcase 6 Pack for $42. Hadi, gidelim! Let’s go! I really appreciate that the festival takes places in the winter, when we can come in from the rain and cold, sink into our seats, and imagine ourselves into another world.
5 Film Recommendations
Ich Liebe Dich / I Love You
Saturday Dec 5, 5:45 PM / 74 min / Turkish and Kurdish with English subtitles
For all you language learning enthusiasts, here is a classroom of women in eastern Turkey set on learning German before they join their husbands in an entirely new country. Tickets.
Uzaklarda Arama / Not So Far Away
Monday Dec 7, 3 PM / 101 min / Turkish with English subtitles
In this opening-night melodrama, a big-city tavern relocates to a conservative town, with predictable backlash and antics. The director, Türkân Şoray, is one of the most famous actresses of Yeşilçam, Turkey’s golden era of cinema. Tickets.
Patika / Country Road
Saturday Dec 5 2015, 12:15 PM / 22 min / Turkish with English subtitles
Part of the Short Film Showcase, this lush film looks at a father and son and what happens when the bicycle that connects them to their wife/mother is gone. Tickets.
There Where Atilla Passes
Saturday Dec 5, 7:30 PM / 89 min / English, French, and Turkish with English subtitles
Made-in-Canada! Atilla, adopted by a family in Quebec as a child, and now a young man, explores his Turkish roots when he meets some new people. Tickets.
8 Saniye / 8 Seconds
Sunday Dec 6, 7 PM / 121 min / Turkish and German with English subtitles
This big-budget film with incredible visual effects takes place across Turkey, Germany, and Mexico, to witness a Turkish-German woman experiencing visions and eventual metamorphosis to overcome the restrictions of her surroundings. Tickets.
