''The story of Zin and Ali'', directed by Mehmet Ali Konar, was presented to moviegoers. The film, which was screened under the National Competition title of the festival, tells the struggle of a woman living in the village of Bingöl, whose son was killed in Istanbul, to establish a wedding aunt for her son, despite all social and political pressures.
A film interview was moderated by the cinema critic and writer Burak Göral. In the interview, the director of the movie, Mehmet Ali Konar, said, “It's been two years since we shot the movie. I usually make these kinds of movies. Feelings, people, families, I generally like to deal with such topics. This is what drove me to the cinema… I told my fellow actors that this is a mourning movie and that it would be a rare example in this language. While doing this, I said that my main way was to document the story of this mourning idea, with fantastic elements. I wanted to delve into a subject that is very sensitive to me. I wanted to prove to myself that I am not afraid of such things, and such a film came out.”
A Dystopian Movie by Erdem Tepegöz: In the Shadows
Director Erdem Tepegöz's cross-border film In the Shadows was screened under the festival's National Competition title. The film is a timeless and space dystopian story. In the sci-fi movie, a miner working in a factory managed with a primitive technology begins to question the system he is in when the machine he works for causes trouble and confronts the depths of the factory that he does not know.
After the screening, a film interview was held under the moderation of cinema critic and writer Burak Göral. In the interview, Erdem Tepegöz said, “As an Izmirian, I am very grateful to be able to show the film in this hall. The story of the movie was actually a question I asked myself before the pandemic; What are we in? the question is. I wanted to tell a little about it. I wanted to explain it allegorically. What if we are alone in a closed system! and if we are questioning what is behind the wall,'' the movie came out with the thoughts. I was having a bit of a hard time finding the answer and this movie came about because I wanted to ask the question together with the audience.”
The Story of Those Who Are Not Tired of Living an Endless Tale
The documentary film Unkapanı: Unending Tale, directed and scripted by Tayfun Belet, met with the audience. Tayfun Belet made a documentary about the new face of Unkapanı Records Market. The film tells the tragicomic story of people who do not abandon the fairy tale called "done" for the sake of their dreams.
In the interview moderated by Vecdi Sayar, Tayfun Belet; “I'm so excited because I'm at the place where I first came to the movies as a kid. I hope you like the movie very much. The documentary continues as my love. We do our best to make a movie with real faith. Ever since I started living in Istanbul, Unkapanı Records Market has always been on my mind. No cassette, no CD. Everything has been digitized. But what are these people doing? When the question arose with the instinct of a documentary filmmaker, we decided to go and see it. And such a process took place. The movie was a bit difficult, but we finished it,” he said.
The Movie Telling the History of Labor Migration from a Musical Perspective: Love Mark and Death
A film interview was held with Cem Kaya, the director of the documentary Aşk Mark and Death. The film tells musically the history of labor migration to Germany that began in 1961.
The film reveals the untold story of Germany's largest underground music scene, with the wave of immigration starting from various parts of Turkey. In the interview, Cem Kaya said, “The subject of the movie is the music of expatriates in Germany, but also the story of immigration to Germany as a theme. We tried to explain it by blending it, we divided the movie into three; Love Mark and Death. There is a love episode about the first generation. There is a mark section where we explain the economic situation. How is money earned? How is it spent? Entertainment culture, casino; There is also a death section. We interpreted it differently. Because so many people died as a result of attacks on foreigners in the nineties in Germany. From there, a new music culture and rap music of the second and third generations emerged. Especially in the nineties, this was reflected in Turkey. We divided the movie into these three parts. Now he is touring at festivals," he said.
The Power of Jazz's Struggle Against Racial Discrimination
The documentary film Leave the Door Open, directed by Ümran Safter, met with art lovers. The documentary film tells the story of two young people (Ahmet and Nesuhi) who went to America during a time of intense racial discrimination, and their struggle against racial discrimination with the help of music. After the movie, an interview was held with the director Ümran Safter. In his speech, Ümran Safter said, “In 2018, I read a little news about Ahmet Ertegün in an American newspaper. We all know Ahmet Ertegün; A very important musician. I didn't know much about how he fought against racial discrimination with the power of music in the 1930s and 1940s, when racial discrimination was so intense in America. He was talking about it in the news. I was very interested. I thought this would be a great documentary. I contacted the family in a short time and talked to producers, writers and journalists working on jazz in America, and then the shooting process started.”
For detailed information about the 2nd İzmir International Film and Music Festival, please Click here.
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