20TH edition NOVEMBER 24 TO DECEMBER 2, 2023
20th edition
November 24 to December 2, 2023
Nehir Tuna’s work combines social commentary and an original visual aesthetic to tackle stories about Turkey’s complex present-day issues, whether masculinity or conservatism. A Sundance alum, Tuna was selected to take part in 2019 Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the 2020 Directors and Screenwriters Lab. He participated in the 2018 Nipkow Programm Film Residencies. He has written and directed seven short films, including The Shoes (2018), a prequel to Dormitory. Tuna studied at Columbia University's graduate film programme and holds an MFA in directing from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Dormitory (2023) is his first feature film.
In 1997, tension among religious and secular Turks is on the rise. Fourteen-year-old Ahmet is sent by his recently converted father to a yurt — an Islamic dormitory — to learn Muslim values. Ahmet works hard to become the perfect son but has trouble fitting in with the rough kids at the yurt and feels isolated at his secular day school, where he hides his new home from his classmates. His only solace is a new friend, a street-smart kid who knows how to work the yurt system. Together, they dream of making their own decisions.
Director Nehir Tuna
Producer Tanay Abbasoğlu, Dorothe Beinemeier, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter Nehir Tuna
Cinematographer Florent Herry
Editor Ayris Alptekin
Sound Simone Weber
Music Avi Medina
Colour Black and white
Production Company TN Yapim, Red Balloon Film, Cine Sud Promotion
International Sales Company Pyramide International