The Montreal World Film Festival

Some say about the fate of any girl ‘like mother, like daughter’. But, Mum, I swear to God that my little girl’s fate will be nothing like mine.” - NUR

Ten years after being thrown out of her parental home, Nur hears that her mother is at death’s door. Taking her young daughter with her, Nurhurries back to her father’s world to see, and reconcile with her mother before it is too late. While the universal theme of mother-daughter relationships lies at the centre of the film, this is underpinned by an allusive subtext of incest, one of most common but least addressed social problems in Turkey. The individual stories of the family members combine with a sense of hope fuelled by tragedy to paint a portrait of the socially disconnected.

Director’s Note 

Mehmet Eryılmaz Director

Mehmet Eryılmaz graduated from the radio and television department ofMarmara University. He continued his studies at the cinema and television department of Mimar Sinan University, he started writing and directing his own short, experimental and documentary films, Eryılmaz has also earned recognition known for his series of documentary flms on traditional turkish music and “The Songs of Nazım Hikmet”, His first feature debut film is “hazan mevsimi”-“a fairground attraction” and his last one dramatic documentaries is “a holly day morning in İstanbul “The visitor” his second feature film. He also acted in “climates” and his first debute film “a fairground attraction” He has produced and directed several films and won 13 awards. He has participated in several local and international festivals and served on festival juries.

2015 Misafir - The Visitor 2. Feature film
2011 İstanbulda Bayram Sabahı - A Hollyday Morning in İstanbul - Doc.drama
2008 Hazan Mevsimi - A Fairground Attraction - Feature Film
2007 İklimler (oyuncu) - Climates (Actor) directed by nuri bilge ceylan
2005 Türk Musikisi Ustaları - turkish Music Masters Series 6 Films - Doc.
2002 Nazım Hikmet Şarkıları - The Songs of Nazım Hikmet - Doc.

"As an independent filmmaker and seasoned producer-director, I attach more importance to the concept of a filmmaking vision than specifically to a producer’s view.

Seven years ago I described my previous film, Hazan Mevsimi (A Fairground Attraction), as a story of the socially disconnected. In a sense, this is also true of my new film, The Visitor. However, what I would add to give a more rounded picture of the film is the idea of hope built on tragedy, as referred to by Hungarian director, Béla Tarr.

While the universal theme of mother-daughter relationships lies at the centre of the The Visitor, I also deal with the widespread problem of incest as a subtext. I should make the point that my approach to filmmaking is no different from my approach to life. That is to say, if cinema is not based on humanity, and does not have at its core humanity and the unfathomable corridors of the human soul, then it amounts at best to a piece of celluloid or video tape.

Art, for me, is a personal adventure; and if it must incorporate a social aspect, this could be at most to help in some small way to liberate audience perceptions from conventional patterns and to open up new horizons. I see the idea of new horizons as having many dimensions. It covers all the values that make us human, all doors free of dogma, and at the same time as a spiritual meaning the Sanskrit mantra, ‘Om mani padme hum’. In short, opening up new horizons could be defined as contributing to the process of a person genuinely knowing him/herself.

Atlanta Film is the successor to Çan Film, a production company founded 25 years ago. Besides taking on various commercial visual projects, the company has so far produced 10 documentaries by Mehmet Eryılmaz, in addition to three dramatic documentaries and two full-length fiction films."

TRAILER

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