Rendezvous with Directors 5: Ümit Ünal February 1–11, 2018

Istanbul Modern Cinema presents the fifth installment of "Rendezvous with Directors," a program hosting a series of meetings featuring directors who stand out for their artistic identity and original approach in Turkey’s contemporary film culture. This year’s guest of the series is Ümit Ünal, a director who initially entered the world of cinema through Yeşilçam, writing screenplays of renowned films that left their mark on the 1980s. Among Ünal’s prominent screenplays from the time are My Aunt (Teyzem, 1986) directed by Halit Refiğ, which won the grand prize at the Milliyet Newspaper Screenplay Competition; Atıf Yılmaz’s My Dreams, My Love and You (Hayallerim, Aşkım ve Sen, 1987) and Tunç Başaran’s Piano Piano Kid (Piyano Piyano Bacaksız, 1989).

9 (2001), the first film Ümit Ünal directed and produced was shot digitally. Similar to his later films Ara (2008) and The Pomegranate (2011), 9 was a character-led drama turning into a psychological thriller, which was shot in a single location. Separating literature from cinema with low budgets and innovative methods in order to break classical dramatic narrative elements, Ümit Ünal is concerned with“intermediary” relationships and metaphysical tension in his stories. Although he includes elements from his own life, essentially he is interested in the tears and gaps that are found on the sociocultural plane. Adapted from Hasan Ali Topbaş’s novel, his film The Shadowless (Gölgesizler, 2008) depicts the story of a group of people lost in a labyrinth, while The Voice (Ses, 2010) is a poignant suspense-thriller about the relationship of a mother and daughter. The director’s latest film, Serial Cook (Sofra Sırları, 2018) is a dark comedy taking place in a kitchen and featuring Demet Evgar as its protagonist.

As part of the "Rendezvous with Directors" program, a selection of films from Ümit Ünal’s filmography will be shown along with presentations by film critics and the participation of cast members and film crews.

IN CONVERSATION WITH ÜMİT ÜNAL AND DEMET EVGAR

Thursday, February 8, 19.00

Moderator: Müge Turan, Film critic

The conversation held within the scope of the program focuses on Ümit Ünal’s cinema, his direction, and scriptwriting, including his latest film Serial Cook.