Mahir Gunsiray Movies

Actress Ayca Damgaci first met fellow thespian Hama Ali Khan when they were working on a movie together. The two quickly fell in love, and what first seemed like an on-set romance soon proved to be something much deeper. However, Ayca was from Turkey and Hama was an Iraqi Kurd, and as U.S. forces were poised to invade his homeland, he was unable to come to Istanbul to see her. Instead, Hama began sending Ayca a series of video letters in which he proclaimed his love for her while offering a portrait of the tension and violence that was sweeping through Iraq. Deeply moved by his videos, Ayca decided to throw caution to the wind and travel to Iraq to be with the man she loved. However, as American forces marched into Iraq, getting into the country proved impossible, and she found herself stranded near the Iraqi border in a village that seemed utterly alien to her. When Ayca finally was able to contact Hama, they decided to meet in Iran, and she found herself once again searching for her love in a strange land where she knew no one and understood precious little around her. Ayca Damgaci re-enacts the adventure of her ill-fated romance with Hama Ali Khan in Gitmek (aka My Marlon and Brando), a romantic drama based on her true story, with Hama appearing in the videos he shot for her. My Marlon and Brando was screened in competition at the 2008 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The first film of Turkish female novelist and screenwriter Isil Özgentürk is based on a highly praised novel, Tanta Rosa by another woman writer, Sevgi Soysal. The heroine comes from a non-Muslim family in the days when Istanbul used to be a melting pot of diverse cultures and religions. We follow Rosa from her childhood in her well-to-do family until her old age, her life changing with the destiny of Istanbul, which serves as a background to this story of life, love and disillusionment. Özgentürk lets the story unfold like a tale from the Arabian Nights, not forgetting to pass along a message or two for female audiences. The film received the Special Jury Prize of the Istanbul Film Festival in 1992 and travelled to major international film festivals. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi