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Two films represented Turkey at the VIFF There were 2 films from Turkey at the world known Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) this year. My Marlon
and Brando Director Huseyin Karabey's "My Marlon and Brando" has a different title in Turkish which is 'Gitmek". 'Gitmek" means "to go", which in essence summarizes the film, for it is about a journey to reunite with the beloved. The funding for this film was via Ministry of Culture of Turkey and some European sources. What made this film special for the Turkish Canadians in Vancouver is that, one of its co-producers is a second generation Turkish Canadian named Dennis (Deniz) Tal who lives in Vancouver. Dennis had a dynamic question and answer session after the film, and was very much liked by the audience for his vivacious personality. Dennis stated that they feel that "the film would be more of a hit in Europe than in North America". The film was shot in Turkey, and Iraq and Iran, and based on a true love story, a love story between a Turkish actress (Ayca Damgaci) and a Kurdish actor (Hama Ali Khan) who were separated. The parts were acted by themselves, which made the film more interesting, and more close to a documentary. Here is how the plot goes: Hama Ali who lives in Turkey, and of Kurdish origin, works at a film set with Ayca where they have an intense love affair for 25 days- so explains Ayca in the film to a fellow actress friend. Ayca who lives in Istanbul, is forever tormented after the beautiful 25 days that she had Hama Ali in her life; as Hama Ali had left her for Iraq to be with the Kurdish people there. She desperately tries to reach him on the phone with much difficulty due to poor receptions and language barriers. As if this separation was not hard enough on her, the USA decides to bomb Iraq, which makes her very worried for her beloved. She watches the bombings on TV with terror. The communication gets worse, much more difficult between them. She keeps a journal where she writes her emotions and her devotion for him. In there among many analogies, she says that he is "her Marlon and her Brando". He sends her videotapes of himself talking to her, and showing his background. He over and over promises that he would come back for her, and that he loves her, but he fails to come back. Each time he postpones the re-uniting date, which frustrates Ayca. In the videotapes he looks like he is in a comfortable home and actually reluctant to leave. He also shows scenes he shot of places and people around him, in a documentary style. Ayca, who is in love with Hama Ali terribly, decides to travel across the borders to find him. She gets help from some illegal Kurdish refugees who fled Iraq, and living in Istanbul by the hundreds at least. The film gets more interesting at this point, as we see the South Eastern Turkey and the border crossings. These images are "foreign" to most of the Turkish audience as well as the International audience. The scenery and the mountains prove to be spectacular. She is not allowed to cross the Iraq border as it is closed due to war. She then decides to cross the border to Iran and meet her beloved in Iran. She instructs him to meet her at a specific town in Iran near the Turkish border. The scenes at the border crossings were intriguing, where strangers, speaking different languages, have some decent human connections. They are different yet similar. She manages to cross to Iran, and settle in a hotel and wait for her Hama Ali to come and find her. She has to fight the intimidation caused by the fundamental Islamist regime, which frown upon a women traveling alone. She is asked to cover her hair and buy a big overcoat. The men at night harass her on the road while she is walking back from the post office to the hotel. Finally Hama Ali is shown walking over the mountains to meet her, but he gets shot!!! And falls... End of the story!!.. In fact we never see Hama Ali in the film except from the videotapes he sends to her where his opening line is "I kiss you", which adds amusement to the whole film. Through these videotapes the audience is shown a lot about the Kurdish life and rituals as well. Dennis Tal answered a question and told the audience that Hama Ali was actually not shot dead, and was very much alive, and the couple were not a couple now; but they decided to use their meaningful, and useful material to make a film, few years later. This is a bittersweet story of one-sided love and longing, and a Turkish woman's quest to cross any borders and difficulties to reunite with her loved one. It also is a film promoting the Kurdish culture and way of living. We may say, it is truly a universal story of love, shot at extraordinary locations, which makes it more stunning; with a strong emphasis on the Kurdish way of life. I must add, it did not have nearly as much about promoting the Turkish culture. By Bahar
Çinarli September 2008 Old Articles
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