
North American Premiere
When thirty-something husband and father Salih (Fatih Sönmez) loses his job, his middle-class life with wife Ayşe (Nilay Erdönmez) and six-year-old son Emre (Can Demir) is thrown into jeopardy. In the face of mounting bills and a string of job rejections, he takes the unusual step of joining an app-based motorcycle taxi driving service. But when his bike, named Rosinante, one day goes mysteriously missing, the family starts to run out of options.
Directed by first-time filmmaker Baran Gündüzalp, Rosinante charmingly updates Vittorio De Sica’s classic Bicycle Thieves to modern-day Istanbul, with the harsh realities of post-war Italy traded for the crippling cost-of-living crisis in Erdoğan’s Turkey. Featuring a deft mix of domestic drama and absurdist comedy, not to mention a welcome emphasis on everyday finances, the film is at once a touching portrait of a family under pressure and a joyous but realistic exploration of contemporary urban life.
Community Partner
Nilay Erdönmez, Fatih Sönmez, Can Demir
Turkey
2023
In Turkish with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Deniz Yeşilgün, Baran Gündüzalp
Screenwriter
Deniz Yeşilgün, Baran Gündüzalp
Cinematography
Arda Yıldıran
Editor
İsmet Araç
Art Director
Levent Uçma

Baran Gündüzalp
Baran Gündüzalp graduated from the Communication Arts Department of Anadolu University in 2004. His short films were shown in Turkey’s most prestigious festivals between 2008 and 2018. His debut feature Rosinante had its world premiere at the 36th Tokyo Film Festival in 2023. It won the Best Screenplay Award at the 4th Annaba Film Festival and the Best Film Award at the 22nd Ischia Film Festival held in Italy.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Foreigner
An Iranian teenager who recently immigrated to Canada is desperate to make friends at her new high school. Pressured to dye her hair blonde, she unleashes a demonic force rooted within her. A humourous coming-of-age horror from Ava Maria Safai.
Clan of the Painted Lady
Jennifer Chiu’s engrossing documentary explores the Hakka — a people, a language, and a culture that have been obscured for far too long. Tracing her own lineage back to from Canada to China, the director creates an illuminating, bravely personal film.
Finch & Midland
Timothy Yeung’s film tells the story of four Hong Kong immigrants living in Scarborough, Ontario. With exceptional performances from its four leads, the film explores the Asian diaspora, social malaise, and the hardships of life under late capitalism.
The Essence of Eva
Tragically dying years before she’d rise to global fame, Eva Cassidy was an uncompromising artist whose transcendent voice still resonates. With never-before-heard recordings and footage, this intimate portrait captures the person behind the legend.
4: Um, womanhood
Shorts from: Canada, Columbia, France, Netherlands, Sweden.
The Strange Little Cat
This droll, perfectly executed comedy chronicles a day in the life of a multigenerational family prepping a celebratory dinner in their cramped Berlin apartment. Putting daily life’s absurdities on display, it's an exciting choreography of the quotidian.