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Features: DVD
Mehmet, a young man from western Turkey, and Berzan, a Kurdish rebel living in the underground, develop an unlikely friendship while living in Istanbul. When Mehmet is mistaken for a Kurd and arrested, he begins to understand his new friend's struggles, which ultimately lead to tragedy and Mehmet taking a long journey to Berzan's homeland. Stars Newroz Baz and Nazmi Qirix. Winner of the Blue Angel at the 1999 Berlin International Film Festival. In Turkish and Kurdish with English subtitles.
"Sensitive, gritty and courageous..." Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Editor's Note
Set among the urban grime of working class Istanbul, JOURNEY TO THE SUN focuses on two Turkish men on opposite sides of the political fence who become fast friends while escaping a flood of drunken, angry football hooligans. Young Mehmet (Newroz Sahin) is generally conservative, while Berzan (Nazmi Qirix) seems invested in the hunger strikes and Kurdish rebellion in the east. During a routine roadblock, Mehmet is mistakenly arrested for gun possession, and his dark skin makes him look like a Kurdish rebel to his interrogators. After days of questions and beatings, he wanders home dazed and broken through the industrial underbelly of the city. Arriving in his smoky, cramped flat, Mehmet discovers the police have marked his door with a red X, and he is kicked out of his apartment. Berzan comes to help, constantly skipping him around to new jobs and new beds to avoid the rebels' scarlet letter. As Mehmet moves from town to town, his new girlfriend, the laundress Arzu (Mizgin Kapazan), comes with him and their young love begins to blossom. However, their union is short-lived, as tragedy forces Mehmet to leave her and begin moving again. He changes his haircolor to a daybreak yellow with a can of spraypaint, and with this new disguise, Mehmet heads in the direction of the sunrise, by truck, tram and carriage, hauling with him a very heavy burden.
| Features | Audio: Turkish, Kurdish | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Facets Multimedia |
| Release Date: 9/28/2004 |
| Running Time: 104 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 79747 | | UPC: 00736899083922 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Memorable Quotes| "Less talk, more work. Less talk, more pay."----Arzu (Mizgin Kapazan) to Mehmet (Newroz Sahin), conspiratorially responding to the laundress's command. | | "Is it a crime to have dark skin?"----Mehmet (Newroz Sahin) ponders his arrest. |
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| | Professional Reviews | Los Angeles Daily News
"...Sensitive, gritty and courageous, this film gathers a power and focus....Its principals are engaging, and it has a shimmering score, at once plaintive and seductive..." 05/18/2001 p.12Village Voice 8 of 10
Hers is a remarkably vivid portrait of a teeming third-world metropolis, with its combustible mix of - Leslie Camhi
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