Directors of International Films at IFFI meet the Press ‘Oray’ is about searching for personal and cultural identity: Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay
BCR News (Swati Bhat/Goa): Cinema is not just about entertainment. It is also about touching minds, conveying messages and bringing about social change. ‘Oray’ and ‘Interdependence’, two international films scheduled to be showcased at the 50th International Film Festival of India resonates the same.
Sharing his idea about the movie, German-Turkish film director and screenwriter Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay said that ‘Oray’ is about searching for one’s personal and cultural identity.
Recalling the constraints faced in producing his debut movie, Mehmet said that the most difficult part was to get financial support for the movie. “ It was also hard to find actors of Turkish origin in Germany as most of the Turkish actors were working in television. Since Television has got stereotypes, Turkish and Muslim actors always plays the roles of terrorists and gangsters. It took me almost one year to find actors”, he said.
Differentiating between the practise of Islam in Germany and India, the director said that Islam in Europe is kind of a ‘You Tube Islam’ as the new generation Muslims there are learning the religion through internet.
Shri Nila Madhab Panda, one of the eleven Directors of the film ‘Interdependence’ said that this film talks about the emotional impact of climate change. “It is the story of a family in Delhi that is going through the phase of a divorce due to grave air pollution that engulfs the city. Idea behind the film is creating a dialogue so that some measurable actions are taken to mitigate the problem,” he said.
The director further added that though the government and several organisations are trying to find solutions to air pollution, it is the people of Delhi who need to take a decision first regarding this menace. He also recalled personal experiences about how climate change is affecting relationships between people.
Backgrounder
Oray
Oray by German-Turkish film director and screenwriter Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay revolves around the concept of Triple Talaq. Oray the protagonist in the movie strives to be a better person but struggles with his shady past. His dream of being a good Muslim and the perfect husband is suddenly shattered while arguing with his wife. Oray goes to Cologne, where he tries to rebuild his life in a new Muslim community. But he is constantly torn between his faith, everyday reality and identity.
The director employs a quasi-documentary style to tell the story of an individual exhausting himself as he works his way through a religion’s complex belief system and his search for fulfilment as a human caught between his belief in love and his love for his faith.The film premiered at the International Film Festival in Berlin in 2019 and was awarded the “Best First Feature Award”there. In IFFI 2019, the movie is competing in ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi medal category.
