kıraathane

Next up in the University of Sheffield Turkish Society film screenings:

Beynelmilel – The International.

In 1982, a group of local musicians in Adıyaman, southeastern Turkey, can not earn their living due to the curfew implemented under the military junta, and they finally end up in jail. The commander in charge of the region decides to create a “modern orchestra” with these local street musicians. They decide to prepare an interesting welcome ceremony for the members of the military Council, who will visit the town. Meanwhile, Haydar, a university student, is planning a protest and Gülendam, daughter of Abuzer, the conductor of the “modern orchestra”, is assisting him. A surprise is on the way, which will occur as these two preparations collide.

The screening will be on Monday 23 February in Arts Tower Lecture Theatre 1 from 7:00 till 9:00pm. Feel free to follow us down to the Interval afterwards for discussion and drinks. Do not miss!

Politiki Kouzina (A Touch of Spice) by Tassos Boulmetis

The University of Sheffield Turkish Society’s next screening will be Politiki Kouzina (A Touch of Spice) by Greek director Tassos Boulmetis. It is a fascinating and emotional story not to be missed, especially for those who enjoy the similar nature of Greek and Turkish cultures. The screening is free and will be held on  Monday 25th October in the  Arts Tower Lecture Theatre 1, from 7:00pm till 9:00pm.

The historical conflicts between Greece and Turkey and the lives of those caught in between are explored in Tassos Boulmetis’ debut feature, the autobiographical drama A Touch of Spice. A box-office smash in Greece, the film won the Audience Award at the 2003 Thessaloniki Film Festival, and had its U.S. premiere in competition at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival.

After a brief prologue, which introduces its astronomer-chef protagonist, Fanis (Georges Corraface of Escape From L.A.), who lives in Greece and is preparing for a visit from his grandfather, Vassilis (Tassos Bandis), the film flashes back to his boyhood 35 years earlier in Istanbul, where Vassilis, who owns a grocery store, teaches Fanis about the connection of various spices to life and to the universe. The precocious Fanis makes a deal with a girl he likes, Saime (played as an adult by Basak Köklükaya), that he’ll cook for her if she dances for him. Eventually, political turmoil intrudes on the family’s happiness, and Fanis’ father, Savas (Ieroklis Michailidis), a Greek, is forced to take his wife (Renia Louizidou) and son out of the country. They settle in Athens, but never get over the trauma of being deported. In addition to missing his grandfather, Fanis never gets over his connection to Saime. His grandfather repeatedly promises to visit, and to bring the girl along, but always has an excuse for canceling the trip at the last minute. Meanwhile, Fanis grows up despondent and depressed. He quickly develops a great talent for cooking, which his parents strongly discourage. It’s not until he’s in his forties that Fanis makes the voyage back to Istanbul to resolve his relationship with the two most important people in his life.

From The New York Times

Gegen Die Wand (Head-On) by Fatih Akin

The Turkish Society of the University of Sheffield is screening this fantastic contemporary European cinema masterpiece on Monday 27 October at 7:00 pm in Arts Tower Lecture Theatre 2. It’s free of cost and open to everyone. Bring along your friends. We are heading down to Interval for some coffee or drinks after the film, so feel free to join if you wish.

Here’s a short synopsis taken from IMDB:

Cahit is a German Turk in his 40′s. He has given up with his life after his beloved wife’s death, and he’s living a miserable life right in the core of cocaine and excessive drinking. One night, he semi-intentionally crashes into a wall, and barely survives. At the hospital he’s taken to, he meets a girl, Sibel, another German Turk who’s tried to commit suicide. She’s sick and tired of her family’s ultra-traditional issues, and asks Cahit to carry out a white marriage with her out of the blue, so that she can become a married woman and get rid of her family’s revolting pressure. Cahit is turned off by the idea at first, but then he agrees to take part in this plan. As Sibel tells him straightaway that she’s interested in absolute freedom involving other men and he agrees, they live as roommates with separate private lives for a while. Then things take a different turn, and they’re no longer two indifferent roommates. But their love story won’t be anywhere as simple as any other.