Men on the Bridge
Encyclopedia
Men on the Bridge is an award-winning 2009 Turkish drama film
directed by Aslı Özge. The film, which tells about the young generation who lives in the suburbs of Istanbul and come to the center of the city to make a living, follows a rose seller, a taxi driver and a traffic police officer whose lives unknowingly intersect every day on the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul
. It wowed the audience in last year’s Locarno and London Turkish film festivals, and won Best Film awards at last year’s Istanbul International and Golden Cocoon film festivals, according to Emrah Güler, writing in Turkish Daily News
.
At certain times of the day I traveled many times from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side crossing the Bosporus Bridge, where there is a continuous gridlock. Often while I was sitting in the car, I photographed the illegal street hawkers, who sell to the bored drivers bananas, pretzels, water, flowers.... I recognized that police, shared-taxi drivers and street hawkers are the ones, who are working directly at the bridge. It is a kind of microscopic view of Turkey through the social statuses of order-illegal-private. After a while I thought I am always passing them by, why don't I go home with them once. Then I began to get to know the real protagonists. Aslı Özge.
The production, which was funded by the Turkish Ministry of Culture, was not granted permission by the Turkish police authorities to feature a real police officer and so Murat Tokgöz, the brother of the real policeman upon whom the character is based, koined the production to play the part, with all other police roles are acted by professionals. Producer Fabian Massah and co-producer Sevil Demirci also joined the production at the beginning of shooting, which was done on location in Istanbul
, Turkey
.
In April 2008, during the development period, the was entered into the Pitching du Réel at Visions du Réel Festival, and in November 2008 a rough cut was entered into the Rough Cut Pitching at the International Film Festival Amsterdam, co-producer Mete Gümürhan from Rotterdam-based Kaliber Film subsequently joined the production, which was completed in April 2009.
Umut (Umut İlker) is a dolmuş driver on the Taksim-Bostancı route. He and his girlfriend struggle to pay their apartment rent from their combined wages.
Murat (Murat Tokgöz) is traffic policeman on the Bosporus Bridge. He has dates with women he knows from chatting on internet. Some women are disappointed about his low wages.
The lives and dreams of these three men who live in the ghettos of the big city intersect unknowingly every day with each others’ and those of millions of Istanbulites on the Bosporus Bridge, the heart of the city.
where it was awarded the Golden Tulip Award for Best National Film. The film went on to win the Golden Boll Award for Best National Film at the 16th Altın Koza International Film Festival.
The film had its international premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, and went on to do a tour of the international film festival circuit, picking up additional awards at the London Turkish Film Festival and the 21st Ankara International Film Festival
.
, states that the film contains similar themes and characters to the director's debut feature A Little Bit of April but despite being another movie based on migrant men and machismo, it impressively blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Aslı Özge. The film, which tells about the young generation who lives in the suburbs of Istanbul and come to the center of the city to make a living, follows a rose seller, a taxi driver and a traffic police officer whose lives unknowingly intersect every day on the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. It wowed the audience in last year’s Locarno and London Turkish film festivals, and won Best Film awards at last year’s Istanbul International and Golden Cocoon film festivals, according to Emrah Güler, writing in Turkish Daily News
Turkish Daily News
The Hürriyet Daily News, formerly Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey....
.
Production
The film, which is based on the real lives of three men, with Fikret Portakal and Umut İlker playing themselves, was originally intended to be a documentary film, but after an extensive research period in Istanbul starting in 2006, Özge along with director of photography Emre Erkmen got to know the main characters, who are working around the bridge, and decided to write a script based on the protagonists' own stories.At certain times of the day I traveled many times from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side crossing the Bosporus Bridge, where there is a continuous gridlock. Often while I was sitting in the car, I photographed the illegal street hawkers, who sell to the bored drivers bananas, pretzels, water, flowers.... I recognized that police, shared-taxi drivers and street hawkers are the ones, who are working directly at the bridge. It is a kind of microscopic view of Turkey through the social statuses of order-illegal-private. After a while I thought I am always passing them by, why don't I go home with them once. Then I began to get to know the real protagonists. Aslı Özge.
The production, which was funded by the Turkish Ministry of Culture, was not granted permission by the Turkish police authorities to feature a real police officer and so Murat Tokgöz, the brother of the real policeman upon whom the character is based, koined the production to play the part, with all other police roles are acted by professionals. Producer Fabian Massah and co-producer Sevil Demirci also joined the production at the beginning of shooting, which was done on location in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
In April 2008, during the development period, the was entered into the Pitching du Réel at Visions du Réel Festival, and in November 2008 a rough cut was entered into the Rough Cut Pitching at the International Film Festival Amsterdam, co-producer Mete Gümürhan from Rotterdam-based Kaliber Film subsequently joined the production, which was completed in April 2009.
Plot
Fikret (Fikret Portakal) earns a living by selling roses on the Bosporus Bridge. He also tries working in a restaurant, but it is not an improvement.Umut (Umut İlker) is a dolmuş driver on the Taksim-Bostancı route. He and his girlfriend struggle to pay their apartment rent from their combined wages.
Murat (Murat Tokgöz) is traffic policeman on the Bosporus Bridge. He has dates with women he knows from chatting on internet. Some women are disappointed about his low wages.
The lives and dreams of these three men who live in the ghettos of the big city intersect unknowingly every day with each others’ and those of millions of Istanbulites on the Bosporus Bridge, the heart of the city.
Premiere
The film had its world premiere on in competition at the 28th Istanbul International Film FestivalIstanbul International Film Festival
The Istanbul International Film Festival is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts , a non-profit organisation. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Turkey...
where it was awarded the Golden Tulip Award for Best National Film. The film went on to win the Golden Boll Award for Best National Film at the 16th Altın Koza International Film Festival.
The film had its international premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, and went on to do a tour of the international film festival circuit, picking up additional awards at the London Turkish Film Festival and the 21st Ankara International Film Festival
21st Ankara International Film Festival
The 21st Ankara International Film Festival is a film festival held in Ankara, Turkey that ran from March 11 to 21, 2010.This edition of the Ankara International Film Festival, organized by The World Mass Media Research Foundation and accredited by FIPRESCI, opened with a gala on the evening of...
.
General Release
The film opened in 10 screens across Turkey on at number twenty-three in the Turkish box office chart with an opening weekend gross of $3,602.Reviews
Emrah Güler, writing in Turkish Daily NewsTurkish Daily News
The Hürriyet Daily News, formerly Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey....
, states that the film contains similar themes and characters to the director's debut feature A Little Bit of April but despite being another movie based on migrant men and machismo, it impressively blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
Awards
- 28th Istanbul International Film FestivalIstanbul International Film FestivalThe Istanbul International Film Festival is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts , a non-profit organisation. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Turkey...
- Golden Tulip Award for Best National Film - 16th Altın Koza International Film Festival - Golden Boll Award for Best National Film
- 21st Ankara International Film Festival21st Ankara International Film FestivalThe 21st Ankara International Film Festival is a film festival held in Ankara, Turkey that ran from March 11 to 21, 2010.This edition of the Ankara International Film Festival, organized by The World Mass Media Research Foundation and accredited by FIPRESCI, opened with a gala on the evening of...
- Best National Feature Film Award