ROSINANTE

U.S. Premiere

Watch Online

APRIL 4 - 15, 2025

Directed by Baran Gündüzalp

Written by Baran Gündüzalp, Deniz Yeşilgün

Cast: Nilay Erdönmez, Fatih Sönmez, Can Demir

103 min. / 2023 / with English subtitles

Istanbul, a world within a world…

Salih and Ayşe are trying to maintain their lives in the huge metropolis Istanbul with their 6-year-old mute son. Salih’s white-collar life has been interrupted after he got fired. Ayşe sells insurance over the phone through a home office system. They are looking for a new apartment because they can no longer afford the house where they have been living. They hear that there is a new job opportunity called motorcycle taxi driving. They sign up to the system under Salih’s name. Ayşe also starts carrying passengers, acting like Salih. She hides her identity under a closed helmet and never speaks to anyone like her son does.

While they are carrying passengers with their motorcycle, called Rosinante, they also discover Istanbul. Until Rosinante gets stolen...

Director's Statement

“We don't want to survive. We want to live.” -- Walking Words, Eduardo Galeano

With Rosinante, I tried to create a portrait of today's Turkey based on my personal experiences in motorcycle taxi driving. I dealt with the drama of highly educated but unemployed people who have to work without future or security, with an approach in the style of Italian neo-realism. While doing this, I aimed to create a fluent and audience-friendly film with occasional humor, rather than
one that surrenders to gloom.

However, I believe that the theft of Rosinante, the emotional devastation of a child and the weight of the family's financial collapse will leave a serious residue on the viewer. These are the realitie of Turkey and even the world we live in, and we have to face them. The whole world is on the verge of a housing crisis, high inflation, financial crises, hidden unemployment. In this sense, I believe that Rosinante will shed light on the post-pandemic period we live in. Even though the topics told are heavy and burdensome, it leaves a valuable note to the audience with its finale.

Selected Festivals and Awards

• Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan (2023): World Premiere
• Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada (2024): North America Premiere
• Ischia Film Festival, Italy (2024): European Premiere, Best Feature Film, Treccani Esperienze Special Award
• Istanbul Film Festival, Türkiye (2024): National Premiere
• Athens Marathon International Film Festival, Greece (2024): Honorable Mention for Best Director, Best Feature Film, Best Sound Design
• Annaba Mediterranean Film Festival, Algeria (2024): Best Screenplay
• Baku International Film Festival, Azerbaijan (2024): Best Director
• 15th Balneário Camboriú International Film Festival, Brazil (2024)
• Stockholm City Film Festival, Sweden (2024)
• Filmfest Bremen, Germany (2025):  In competition
• International Road Film Festival, Pilzen, Czech Republic (2025): In competition
• Zsigmond Vilmos International Film Festival, Hungary (2025): In competition
• MICMX International Film Festival, Mexico (2025): In competition
• Bucharest Film Awards, Romania (2025)
• Victoria Film Festival, Canada (2025)
• Girona Film Festival, Spain (2025)
• São Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil (2024)
• Sofia Menar Film Festival, Bulgaria (2025)

Director BARAN GÜNDÜZALP
	Baran Gündüzalp worked as a creative for global and national brands in advertising agencies in Istanbul. He received many national and international awards, screenings and exhibitions with his works in the fields of advertising, graphic design, photography and short films. In 2008 he attended the Dublin Film Festival as a guest of Jameson Irish Whiskey. His short films were shown in Turkey's most prestigious festivals between 2008-2018. He received the support of the Ministry of Culture in 2020 with "Rosinante" project. His debut had its world premiere at the 36th Tokyo film festival in 2023. It won “the best screenplay” award at the 4th Annaba Film Festival under the jury chairmanship of Nuri Bilge Ceylan in 2024. Lastly, at the 22nd Ischia Film Festival held in Italy, in the competitive section where Jugoslav Pantelic, Tiina Lokk, and Maurizio Nichetti served as jury members, it won the Best Film.
Filmography: Rosinante (Feature Film, 2023) Two Angry Men (Short Film 2016) 28th Ankara Film Festival, Official Selection Başka Sinema, Official Selection The Teacher (Short Film, 2014) 51st International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival 2nd Bosphorus Film Festival, Best Actor 5th Malatya Film Festival, Official Selection Eclipse (Short Film, 2009) 3rd İnönü Film Festival, Official Selection Sinepark Film Festival, Official Selection
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