YUSUF'S DREAM - SEMIH KAPLANOGLU
With his Yusuf Trilogy (Yumurta, Süt, Bal) completed in five years, Semih Kaplanoglu earned a respectful place for himself not only in Turkey but also in the world cinema. The Golden Bear he received for Bal in Berlin cemented his status as a prominent Turkish filmmaker.
In this extensive interview conducted by Uygar Şirin, an acclaimed film critic in Turkey, Kaplanoglu tells his life story starting from his childhood in Izmir up until today. In the book the reader is able to follow Kaplanoglu step by step in filmmaking; from script development stage, to casting, through sound design up until what happens in the festivals.
You will find the famous figures from art-culture scene in Turkey in big and small roles in this amazing adventure such as Ece Ayhan, the poet, Erol Akyavaş, the painter, Alim Şerif Onaran, founder of Film School in Izmir and Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel-winning novelist. You will also come across extraordinary things like granny Sureyya retrieving news from crows in Kuşadası, the bees invading the film set in Çamlıhemşin, film school students in aftermath of the coup d’etat of September 12.
“When Yusuf falls asleep under a tree in the forest that he took refuge after running away from home, a new cycle emerges bringing all the pieces together. (…) Yusuf’s dream is indeed Yusuf’s life. Yusuf’s life is indeed man’s story.” - Uygar Şirin / Sinema Dergisi, May 2010
