Hakki has a simple life, but a good one. He sells souvenirs and tours at the archaeological ruins at Bergama, in the Aegean; enjoys a loving marriage, takes pride in family, friends, and the home that has been passed down through generations. Another inheritance, poverty, scarcely warrants a second thought until a stroke of good fortune alters Hakki’s way of thinking. While cutting back the troublesome roots of a tree beside his house, he comes across buried treasure: an ancient figurine. This, he senses, will be a life-changing discovery.
And so it proves. Hikmet Özcan’s film is content to tell us a story—a fable, really—without pretension or gratuitous adornment. The early scenes have a pleasing lightness of touch that’s entirely in keeping with Hakki’s unaffected lifestyle. As the tale turns we’re drawn into the protagonist’s determination to stake his claim and prove his worthiness. The movie rests squarely on the psychologically acute performance of Bülent Emin Yarar in the title role. He’s in nearly every scene and commands our attention throughout.
Community Partner
Bülent Emin Yarar, Hülya Gülşen, Cem Zeynel Kılıç, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Duygu Gökhan, Durukan Çelikkaya
Turkey
2024
In Turkish with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Zeynep Santiroglu Sutherland, Alex Sutherland
Producer
Oyku Canli, Hikmet Kerem Özcan
Screenwriter
Hikmet Kerem Özcan
Cinematography
Burak Baybars
Editor
Tatlıhan Tuncel, Hikmet Kerem Özcan
Original Music
Ahmet Kenan Bilgic
Hikmet Kerem Özcan
Hikmet Kerem Özcan is director born in Izmir, Turkey. He studied at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in their Cinema & Television department where he learned from important figures in Turkish Cinema. He has worked on commercials and documentaries while also directing his own short films, which have won various awards.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret Agent
Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.
The Blue Star
In crisis, a popular singer quits Spain to backpack in Argentina. There he comes under the spell of a veteran musician, who teaches him the art of chacareras, zambas and vidalas. It's a journey of musical kinship and spiritual reawakening.
The Mother and the Bear
Johnny Ma’s film stars Kim Ho-jung as a Korean woman who flies to Winnipeg when her immigrant daughter is hospitalized there. This crowd-pleaser plays up cultural differences to hilarious effect and offers a touching take on mother-daughter tension.