Movies

SYNOPSIS

A village in the highlands of eastern Anatolia. As is required by age-old tradition, families here celebrate circumcision with a feast. Little Mert is to undergo the procedure but his father İsmail has no money to pay for the feast. Poor but determined, Medine puts the family to work cutting branches to earn something towards the price of the sheep they need. Ismail, Medine’s unemployed husband, is worried by his wife’s assertive behaviour. Envious of the attention Mert gets, his elder sister Vicdan makes Mert believe that if a sheep is not found he will be slaughtered instead. The village leader finds Ismail a job in the slaughterhouse. Friends there lead Ismail astray, and his weakness makes it even harder to buy the sheep. Medine persists. Mert has his own motivation to search for an animal, with determination that rivals his mother’s. Refusing even her grandmother’s support Medine receives help and solidarity from an unlikely source.

Kutluğ Ataman

Kutluğ Ataman was born in Instanbul, Turkey in 1961. He studied film at the University of California in Los Angeles and at the Sorbonne in Paris. His first feature, Serpent’s Tale (1994), brought him rapid acclaim, winning him prizes in Istanbul and Ankara for best film, screenplay and director. Besides narrative cinema, Ataman also creates film installations which have been shown among other venues at the 2002 Documenta 11 in Kassel. KUZU is his fifth feature film.


Filmography
2014 Kuzu / The Lamb
2009 Aya Seyahat / Journey To The Moon
2005 2 GENÇ KIZ / 2 Girls
1998 Lola+ Bilidkid
1994 Karanluk Sular / The Serpent’s tale

Festivals
Berlin, Sarajevo, Pusan, London, Haifa, Solun, Antalija

Awards
Berlin (C.I.C.A.E. award), Antalya - Golden Orange for Best Picture

The world of these Turkish children is more fun, believable and, occasionally, scary than that of the adults in this gorgeously shot family drama.

Boyd van Hoeij, Holywood Reporter