Altan Erkekli Movies
- 2006
The atrocities committed by the military dictatorship that assumed control of Turkey in 1980 are explored by director Omer Ugur in this drama detailing the brutal interrogation and relentless torture of an apolitical factory worker. Mustafa (Memet Ali Alabora and Esma (Sibel Kekilli) are a married couple attempting to put enough overtime at the factory to build a better future for their young daughter. When the military takes over and arrives at the factory to root out union organizers, Mustafa pays little attention since he has never been involved in such activities. When the police burst through his door and accuse Mustafa of being a communist who operates under the codename Sehmuz, however, he fails to convince them of his innocence. Subsequently tortured for three grueling weeks, Mustafa finds his fate taking a grim turn when members of the true leftist cell confirm that he is Sehmuz. Later, when police eventually discover that they have been torturing the wrong man, they release Mustafa with an ominous warning more torture will follow if he dares speak out about his experience. Though subsequently allowed to return to his wife and child, the emotionally shattered and physically battered man finds it impossible to forget the deep-rooted pains of the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Memet Ali Alabora, Sibel Kekilli, (more)
- 2001
Ever since the 1950s, television and the movies have been engaged in an ongoing war for the mind of the average Joe, but this battle for cultural supremacy takes a very different form in this comedy from Turkey. It's 1974, but in a small village in Southern Turkey, the 20th century is only grudgingly acknowledged by most of the residents. The state of the art of entertainment is represented by open-air film screenings hosted by Latif (Cezmi Baskin), a sleazy opportunist with access to a collection of aged motion pictures from Turkey and France. Nazmi (Altan Erkekli), the mayor of the town, bitterly dislikes Latif and boycotts his screenings out of spite -- though he encourages his wife and children to watch the films for free from the rooftop of a nearby building. Nazmi, however, has learned of a new invention that could conceivably put Latif out of business once and for all -- a "picture box" that seemingly pulls images and sounds out of the sky. Television is all but unknown in the village, and Nazmi is the first man in town to own a set, but having a TV and getting a decent picture are two very different matters, and the search for a strong signal eventually leads to a journey up a nearby mountain. Latif, meanwhile, counters the news of the "vision-tele" everyone is talking about by spreading word that the TV is the work of the Devil and a slap in the face of Islamic tradition. Vizontele was written by Yilmaz Erdogan, who also collaborated on the direction with O. Faruk Sorak. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yilmaz Erdogan, Demet Akbag, (more)
