LIFE

Hayat

North America Premiere

FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2024 | 6:00 pm

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue

Director Present. Q&A following film screening.

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Written and Directed by Zeki Demirkubuz

Cast: Miray Daner, Burak Dakak, Cem Davran, Umut Kurt, Melis Birkan, Osman Alkaş, Ozan Dağara, Doğu Demirkol, Kayhan Açıkgöz, Muttalip Müjdeci, Seyit Nizam Yılmaz, Berfun Basel, Hande Özen, Özlem Türkad, Caner Cindoruk

193 min. / 2023 / with English subtitles

“As a filmmaker, what attracts me most in human nature is its dark side.” – Zeki Demirkubuz

Hicran runs away from home when she is forced into an engagement with Rıza by her father. Rıza, who thinks that Hicran doesn't want to be with him, doesn't care at first. But when it begins to bother him, he decides to confront the situation and embarks on a long search for Hicran in Istanbul.

From the Director

"In 1985, I had a job hanging advertising posters in gas stations all over Anatolia. At one point on my travels, I found myself waiting for the bus on a deserted road just outside a village. Across the road, I noticed a girl waiting by a small grocery store, as bored as I was. We began by making eye contact and then quickly became carried away by the moment.

After a while, a bus turned up. I got on and naturally never saw the girl again. I don't remember much about the place or how long we were there; but I have never forgotten that encounter, the girl's loneliness, and the deep pain I felt for no reason."

"Hayat" is a story I wrote inspired by this memory, by stories I have experienced, witnessed and heard over the years, and by lifelong observations. Although it may have the look of a youth and family drama set within a specific group of people, it is fundamentally an age-old story about human destiny, our helplessness in the face of it, and the sense of sheer impossibility that goes with it."

Selected Festivals and Awards

• International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2023)
• Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece (2023)
• Orient-Express Film Days, Germany (2023)
• Filmekimi, Istanbul, Türkiye (2023)
• SIYAD (Turkish Film Critics Association) Awards (2024): Best Actor in Supporting Role (Cem Davran)

Director ZEKİ DEMİRKUBUZ

Zeki Demirkubuz (Isparta, 1964) graduated from the Istanbul University Faculty of Communications. He directed Block C, his first feature film, in 1994. He first gained the notice of film critics with Innocence and The Third Page. This was followed by the successful reception of Fate and Confession, both of which were screened simultaneously in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. All Zeki Demirkubuz films were screened at the Boston Turkish Film Festival in previous years and he was presented BTFF Award for Excellence in Turkish Cinema.

Filmography:

Life / Hayat (2023)
Ember / Kor (2016)
Nausea / Bulantı (2015)
Inside / Yeraltı (2012)
Envy / Kıskanmak (2009)
Destiny / Kader (2006)
The Waiting Room / Bekleme Odası (2003)
Fate / Yazgı (2001)
Confession / İtiraf (2001)
The Third Page / Üçüncü Sayfa (1999)
Innocence / Masumiyet (1997)
Block C / C Blok (1994)

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