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Suddenly

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North American Premiere

A woman in her 40s, Reyhan has lost something monumental. Her sense of smell is entirely gone, without explanation. Rather than seeking further treatment, she decides to vanish from her life to find a new one. To others, she is missing. To herself, she has discovered a newfound freedom. In Istanbul, she takes a job at a cheap hotel, despite being overqualified, and volunteers at a school for blind children. Her body is at war with itself, her loss of smell keeps her at a distance from the world around her, while a childhood injury has left her with a limp that she can’t overcome. Lead actress Defne Kayalar delivers a masterfully subtle performance as a woman aiming to circumvent the limitations we face as members of the human race. She wants no possessions, no obligations, no career aspirations, and no relationships. As she tries to remove herself from the boundaries of her body, she uncovers a greater understanding about her desires and where her happiness truly lies.

 

October 3 & 5: Q&A with director Melisa Önel

 

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Defne Kayalar, Öner Erkan, Şerif Erol, Ayşenil Şamlioğlu, Dilan Çiçek Deniz

Credits
Country of Origin

Turkey

Year

2022

Series

Panorama

Language

In German and Turkish with English subtitles

18+
113 min
Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits

Executive Producer

Sinan Eczacibasi, Firat Isbecer

Producer

Alara Hamamcioglu, Melisa Önel, Paul Zischler, Jelena Angelovski

Screenwriter

Feride Çiçekoğlu, Melisa Onel

Cinematography

Meryem Yavuz

Editor

Ozcan Vardar

Original Music

Branislav Jovancevic

Director

Melisa Önel headshot

Melisa Önel

Melisa Önel is a filmmaker and photographer. After studying International Relations at Tufts University, Melisa continued with Film Studies at Istanbul Bilgi University. Her photography work has been presented in many international exhibitions and she collaborates in theater, making video installations. She has been writing and directing shorts, fiction films and documentaries since 2007, including Me and Nuri Bala (Best First Documentary at Antalya Film Festival 2009), Seaburners and Coastliners.

Filmography: Me and Nuri Bala (2009); Seaburners (2014); Coastliners (2016)

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