'On Dried Grass' Released to Cinema Goers at Altın Koza

'On Dried Grass' Released to Cinema Goers at Altın Koza
'On Dried Grass' Released to Cinema Goers at Altın Koza

📩 23/09/2023 12:27

Nuri Bilge Ceylan's last film, ''Dry Grass Üstüne'' had its Turkey premiere at the 30th International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival. The film, which won Merve Dizdar the "Best Actress" award for her acting performance at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, appeared before moviegoers in Turkey for the first time at the Golden Boll.

The screening, where the income from the sale of movie tickets will be delivered to earthquake zones through the Needs Map, was held simultaneously in seven halls. Among those who watched the movie, where all theaters were sold out and tickets were sold days in advance; Among the actors of the film, Merve Dizdar, Deniz Celiloğlu, Musab Ekici, Ece Bağcı, Ahmet Erdem, Şenocak Cindoruk, Savaş Özbilir, producer Mediha Didem Türemen were present.

At the screening attended by Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar and Nuray Karalar, Halil Ergün, Mert Fırat, Gani Müjde, Berkay Ateş, Özge Acar, Yeliz Arman were among those who watched the film. Gülay Avşar was also there.

Speaking after the premiere, Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar stated that they watched a magnificent film with its script, Nuri Bilge Ceylan's direction, actors and the cinema-loving audience of Adana. President Zeydan Karalar said:

“I would like to thank Ms. Merve Dizdar for once again showing the whole world what our women can do, thanks to the rights provided to Turkish women by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Founder of the Republic of Turkey, in an organization such as the Cannes Film Festival. After the sultans of the net, the best actress award that our actress Merve Dizdar received at the Cannes Film Festival also made us proud. I would like to especially thank Mr. Nuri Bilge Ceylan, you have enriched Altın Koza. It means a lot to us that you have the premiere of "On Kuru Herbs" in Adana. "The only movie that was shown as part of the Golden Boll and had a paid entrance was Kuru Otlar Une, because the proceeds will go to the earthquake victims."

At the end of the film, the actors, who received a standing ovation for several minutes, came to the stage together with the film crew, director Nuri Bilge Ceylan and screenwriter Ebru Ceylan, and answered the questions of the audience under the moderation of Esin Küçüktepepınar.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan "I love Adana very much. It is obvious from his intellectual knowledge. It is the city where the most artists come from in Turkey. "I'm very happy to have the premiere here," he said. Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who said "It happened by coincidences" about the starting point of the film, said: "I wanted to get rid of school work. Akın, with whom we wrote Pear Tree, had notes he kept during his military service. I read them, but I didn't think of making a movie at first. Then came the feeling of "should I do it?" I said I probably wouldn't. It was the longest script we wrote. It reached 250 pages. I don't like throwing scenarios in fiction. This is a great freedom. I decided to zoom in on other sides and shoot everything. We shot so much that it was five hours. But there were very different scenes, for example the finale was not like this. The scenes we spent the most money on did not make it into the movie. I don't like very crowded scenes. "The end of the movie ended with Merve, we returned to Deniz," he said.

Merve Dizdar, who received the "Best Actress" award at Cannes, amid the applause of the audience; Nuri Bilge Ceylan said that it was a great chance for him to be in the movie. Dizdar said, "I am very happy to have the opportunity to work with Nuri Bilge. Just being anywhere in the movie was very important to me. The stories told by Nuri Bilge Ceylan touch everyone. '' said.

Deniz Celiloğlu, who played Samet in the movie, said that he played a difficult character and said, "I still get influenced by it from time to time." I have always been impressed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan's characters. When I read the character by imagining myself playing it, the first thing that comes to my mind is; There were times when I felt naked. I felt like, am I this visible from the outside? I wanted the role very much. "When I first read it, I said, 'I will take this role,'" he said, giving an important detail about his role.

Ece Bağcı, the young actress of the movie, said, "It was a great experience" for her first movie, "Kuru Otlar Üste". My first movie. "The character Sevim has a very special place in my heart," he said, and also expressed his admiration for Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

Ebru Ceylan, who wrote the script of the film, said, "When creating all the characters, power is not a determining factor for me. My priority is not whether the characters are right or wrong. We are trying to create characters who can act freely in the face of events. On the contrary, their weaknesses, frailties and contradictions attract my attention more. "I work on the emotional states of the characters," he said.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who also answered the questions of the audience, responded to a question; ''The idea that my films are always shot in the countryside is greatly exaggerated. People are the same everywhere. It was always the same. There are things that do not change, I make films about them. There are people who cannot find anything to write about, they should not fall into these traps. What difference does it make whether it happened in the country or not? It doesn't matter where it takes place. "The same things can happen everywhere," he said.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan said that the characters in his films should not believe everything they say, just like in real life, and said, "The main thing is the characters. The center is always there. Everyone has so many emotions. Everything becomes invisible. "We have to shake off the dust and reveal what we want to see," he said. Adding that we alienate people very easily, Nuri Bilge Ceylan said, "I do not put into the character what I do not feel in my own soul."

This year, the festival cooperated with the "Needs Map" in order to provide some assistance to the regions where great suffering was experienced due to the earthquake disaster that shook our country deeply on February 6. The income from the movie's ticket sales will be transferred to the "Needs Map". Various training and activities will be organized by establishing permanent places for children and young people in different container cities and areas, especially the Hatay Community Center established by the Needs Map in the disaster area.