Shorts

Bir Gerçek, Bir Roman, Bir Film (A Truth, A Novel, A Film), 44’, Turkey

Director:Yıldırım Eskici

In his novel “Devastated Mountains,” renowned author Necati Cumalı, himself a Balkan immigrant, writes about the Balkans during the fall of the Ottoman Empire. In 2005 the novel was adapted to television as an international coproduction and broadcasted. The documentary “A Truth, A Novel, A Film” is about the historical facts during and after the Balkan Wars, the reflection of reality in the novel, and how the subject and characters of the novel are treated in the film.

Bu Şehir Kimdir? (Who’s That City?),26’, Bulgaria

Director: Maria Averina

More than 45 days of shooting… Over 30 hours of film footage… More than 5000 close-ups of the city… 100 interviews with citizens and guests of the capital… 36 months of preliminary research by the scriptwriter… All of this gathered in less than 30 minutes… Dedicated to Sofia and to its people, “Who’s That City?” is the biggest cinematic documentary made about the city during the 7000 years of its existence.

Sessiz Olmaz (Selim Sesler) – Nothing But Sound (Selim Sesler), 30’, TurkeyDirector:Pelin Asal

Beginning in Keşan, Edirne, where famous clarinetist Selim Sesler was born, “Nothing But Sound” conveys how the musician came to Istanbul and his music as told by himself and the people he influenced with his style.

Asla Eve Dönmek Yok (Never Back Home), 56’, Kosovo

Director:Sami Mustafa

Many Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian families fled after losing their homes in the Kosovo conflict, which began in 1999. In 2000 they were placed in temporary community shelters in the town of Plementina. This documentary tells the 10-year-long story of their return home.

Sessiz Balkanlar (The Silent Balkans), 27’, Greece

Director:Andreas Apostolidis

“The Silent Balkans” explores the lives of ordinary people in the midst of dramatic changes that transformed the Balkans at the turn of the 20^th century. It seeks an answer to how, after nearly four centuries, the co-existence of people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds during the Ottoman Empire ended with the rise of nationalism and the emergence of conflicts.