KVIFF | More

Film Archive

Official Selection - Competition 2017 / Daha / Turkey 2017

Fourteen-year-old Gaza lives with his father Ahad on the shores of the Aegean Sea. The intelligent kid would like to continue his studies, but Ahad sees his son’s future differently. He gets Gaza to help with his side business – smuggling refugees from the Mideast. A directing tour de force, this disturbing psychological study of an adolescent boy’s transformation under the influence of those around him bears dark tidings about the contemporary world.

Synopsis

Fourteen-year-old Gaza lives with his father Ahad in a small town on the coast of the Aegean Sea. The intelligent youngster has a talent for learning and he’d like to continue his studies at a prestigious school in Istanbul. But Ahad, known in the area as a fruit and vegetable carrier, sees his son’s future differently. He gets Gaza to help with his side business – smuggling refugees from the Mideast. Despotic and unscrupulous, Ahad keeps groups of refugees in demeaning conditions until it’s time to send them on their way. And he is slowly passing on his experience in dealing with refugees to Gaza. Is it possible to maintain innocence in such an environment? A directing tour de force, More is the debut effort from Turkish actor Onur Saylak, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Hakan Günday. Complexly conceived, this disturbing psychological study of an adolescent boy’s transformation under the influence of those around him bears dark tidings about the contemporary world.

Lenka Tyrpáková

About the film

115 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Onur Saylak / Screenplay Hakan Günday, Onur Saylak, Doğu Yaşar Akal podle stejnojmenného románu / based on the novel of the same name by Hakan Günday / Dir. of Photography Feza Çaldıran / Music Uygur Yiğit / Editor Ali Aga / Art Director Dilek Ayaztuna, Aykut Ayaztuna / Producer Kerem Çatay / Production Ay Yapim / Coproduction b.i.t. arts / Cast Hayat Van Eck, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Turgut Tunçalp, Tankut Yıldız, Tuba Büyüküstün / Sales Heretic

About the director

Onur Saylak (b. 1977, Ankara) is a Turkish actor and director. After studying physics and public administration, he graduated in acting from the theater department of Bilkent University in Ankara. He made his debut as an actor in Autumn (Sonbahar, 2008, dir. Özcan Alper), which premiered at the Locarno IFF and celebrated international success. He directed the short film The Jungle (Orman, 2015), first shown at Anthology Film Archives in New York. His debut in features is More.