19-04-2009

Greek distribution for Turkish film

By Deniz Ziya Temeltas
    Pains of Autumn (Guz Sancisi) by Tomris Giritlioglu will open April 3O on 15 screens in Greece, following its gala premiere in Athens on April 27 with lead actress Beren Saat and producers from C Yapim will in attendance.
    The film is love story between a Turk and a member of the Greek minority before the September 1956 conflict during which nearly 4,000 minority homes and stores were destroyed.

    While few Greek films make their way to Turkey, almost no Turkish films have been released in Greece. The barriers began to crumble with the surprise success in Greece of the Turkish TV series Yabanci Damat (Foreign Groom), a dramatic comedy of two families whose kids marry in spite of opposing families.

    Nest came the release of Cagan Irmak's Alone (Issiz Adam) by Village Roadshow on 14 screens in mid-April.

    In Pains of Autumn (www.guzsancisifilm.com) the Turkish director opens up the subject that is considered a dark part of shared history. The love story unfolds before the political tableau of 1956.The shared history and social/political contentions are the key element to the ability of these stories to travel.

    Signs point to a new opening of doors for film productions. Irmak is considering directing a co-production between Turkey and Greece via Village Roadshow. A second production group is working on a dramatic series on the forced population exchange after WWI.