The in-competition film My Father’s Wings delves into the work environment of blue-collar workers in Turkey, where the system, geared toward economic development, ignores the living conditions and rights of workers, even forcing them to take desperate measures. “Workers in Turkey have to help each other. There are no trade unions or anything to protect their interests,” said director Kıvanç Sezer at the press conference.
The oppressive situation of construction workers is illustrated on the character of Ibrahim, an aging foreman. He reaches rock bottom after his family loses their home because of an earthquake and he is diagnosed with lung cancer. Ibrahim searches desperately for any way out.
The film takes place on the construction site of a luxury residential housing complex on the outskirts of Istanbul, where workers of various ethnic backgrounds work in shifts. According to director Sezer, ethnicity is not the central theme of the film: “The ethnic element adds realism to the film, but it is chiefly the working conditions of the workers that I wanted to focus on.”
Sezer is presenting his debut at Karlovy Vary. His actors, however, already have extensive experience. “I began acting forty years ago and have appeared in about 120 films. I choose only those roles that try to address certain issues, that reflect the situation in my country. This film calls attention to the situation of blue-collar workers, and that affects me a lot. And I put my whole heart into it,” said Menderes Samancılar, the actor who played Ibrahim, at the press conference.
