Toss Up

Colour, 35 mm
Turkey, Greece, 2004, 102 min
Section: Another View
Oficiální stránky: www.yaziturafilm.com

Synopsis

The story of two young Turks whose lives are deeply affected by war, is set in 1999. Before he left for the army, Ridvan, who comes from Cappadocia in central Anatolia, was a keen footballer, he had a fiancee and great plans for the future. Cevher lived in Istanbul with his father and he, too, imagined his life quite differently. Both enlisted and the battles in eastern Anatolia against Kurdish units brought them only pain and suffering. Ridvan lost his leg in a minefield and returned home an invalid. Cevher lost his hearing in one ear after an explosion. Their return home is a mass of bitter memories, because nothing is the same as before. The war has poisoned their soul and not even those closest to them understand why their sons have changed so much. Will they be able to find their way out of the vicious circle which confines them? Will they be able to conquer the past?

About the director

Uğur Yücel studied acting at the Conservatoire and began his acting career in 1983. He directed his first short film four years later and screened it during a special event combining film with his own acting performance. He consistently worked as a screenwriter, actor and producer, not only for television (e.g. on the series “Aziz Ahmed”, “Ikinci Bahar”, “Azinlikta Kaldik“, “Karanlikta Kosanlar”, “Alacakaranlik”), but also in film Eskyia - The Bandit (Bandita, 1996), Laleli ’de Bir Azize (1998), Gemide (1998), and Balalayka (2000). Toss Up is Yücel’s feature debut. It received several awards, including some from the Ankara IFF in 2005 - Best Film, Best Actor and Best Original Music and, at the Istanbul IFF in 2005, Best Direction and, in a national competition, the Audience Prize.