Motherland (2015)
Ana Yurdu
Dir.: Senem Tüzen
anayurdu.com
94 minutes
‘Motherland’ is an uncompromising portrait of a woman torn apart by both love and hatred for her mother, and struggling to reconcile within herself the same cultural schisms that divide modern Turkey. Nesrin—an urban, middle-class woman recovering from a divorce—goes back to her deceased grandmother’s old village house in Anatolia to finish a novel and live out her dream of being a writer. When her conservative mother turns up uninvited and refuses to leave, Nesrin’s writing stalls and her fantasies of village life turn bitter. The two women are forced to confront the darker corners of each other’s inner worlds.
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
72nd Venice Film Festival, Critics’ Week
Warsaw International Film Festival
FIPRESCI Award (International Critics’ Prize)
NETPAC Award (Best Asian Film)
22nd Adana International Film Festival
Best Script
Best Cinematography
Best Actress
SİYAD Best Film (awarded by the Turkish Film Critics’ Association)
FİLM-YÖN Best Director (awarded by the Turkish Directors’ Association)
Reykjavík International Film Festival
31st Haifa International Film Festival
56th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Best Screenplay
UNESCO Award nominee
16th Tbilisi International Film Festival
Golden Prometheus (Best Film)
19th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
21st Gezici Festival on Wheels
39th Göteborg International Film Festival
Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award nominee
16th Black Movie Film Festival, Geneva
8th Bengaluru International Film Festival
21st Turkey/Germany Film Festival, Nuremberg
upcoming festivals
21st Vilnius International Film Festival, Lithuania
23rd Sguardi Altrove International Film Festival, Milan
opening film, main competition
15th Boston Turkish Film Festival
main competition
35th Istanbul Film Festival (April 10, 16:00, Atlas)
main competition
PRESS
“It is today’s Turkey in its most profound sense.” –Luca Pellegrini Venice Critics' Week
“…a human drama so intense and powerful, that it will leave you gasping for air.” “...unsparing and devastating...strikingly genuine, carefully realized and incredibly moving story of a woman’s lonely struggle.” “...a tour-de-force testament to the current state of Turkish cinema, always fresh and highly inventive…” –Ohad Landesman FIPRESCI - International Federation of Film Critics
“…a female portrait of rare intensity…” “…a film that is complex and brave…with uncommon depth.” –Mariella Cruciani National Union of Italian Film Critics
“…a new twist on the subject of mother-daughter relationships…” –Cineuropa
“…a dark and deep core…” “…Senem Tuzen’s film is a wonderful surprise…” “The intelligence of Motherland lies in its disturbing ambiguity…” –Quinlan, Rivista di Critica Cinematografica
English:
All About My Mother - FIPRESCI
Motherland: The traditional community and the modern individual come face to face - Cineuropea
Interview with director Senem Tüzen - FRED Radio
Turkish:
Senem Tüzen’e çifte ödül - BirGün
Senem Tüzen: Kadın yönetmenler ciddiye alınmak için erkek karakterler üretiyor - Evrensel
5 ödülün ardından festival yolculuğuna devam - F5 Haber
“Bugünün Türkiyesi, en derin anlamıyla…“ - Cut Online
Italian:
SIC2015, Ana Yurdu - Sindacato Nazionale Critici Cinematografici Italiani
Ana Yurdu (Motherland) di Senem Tüzen - Indie Eye
Madrepatria: la comunità tradizionale e l'individuo moderno faccia a faccia - Cineuropa
Motherland - Quinlan, Rivista di Critica Cinematografica
Senem Tüzen racconta la donna moderna in Motherland - Cameralook
Spanish:
Motherland: la comunidad tradicional y el individuo moderno frente a frente - Cineuropa
Greek:
Review by Calliope Poutouroglou - Cinephilia
French:
Ana Yurdu, « Mère Patrie », le présent de l’imparfait - Kedistan
Motherland: face à face entre communauté traditionnelle et individu moderne - Cineuropa
cast
ESRA BEZEN BİLGİN
NIHAL KOLDAŞ
FATMA KISA
SEMIH AYDıN
director
SENEM TÜZEN
original screenplay
SENEM TÜZEN
producers
OLENA YERSHOVA
ADAM ISENBERG
SENEM TÜZEN
co-producers
NIKOS MOUTSELOS
associate producers
AVRAHAM PIRCHI
SEVİL DEMİRCİ
director of photography
VEDAT ÖZDEMİR
sound recorder
GÜRKAN ÖZKAYA
art director
METİN ÇELİK
editors
ADAM ISENBERG
YORGOS MAVROPSARIDIS
sound designer
VALIA TSEROU
sound mixer
LEANDROS NTOUNIS
production company
ZELA FILM
co-production company
TWO THIRTY FIVE
in association with
UCM
supported by
THE TURKISH MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
MEETINGS ON THE BRIDGE
MELODIKA
CONNECTING COTTBUS
THE POST REPUBLIC
CROSSROADS CO-PRODUCTION MARKET
HOLLAND FILM MEETING
