Will director, Emre Sahin (pronounced sha-heen) be credited with kicking off a new generation of Turkish cinema with his debut film, "40"? Only time will tell. I had a chance to sit down with the young director and his producer (and wife) Sarah Wetherbee yesterday to talk about the film which had it's International premiere on Friday night. Sahin and Wetherbee are from the world of documentaries, which is probably why their film about a bag of money and how it affects the life of three people, comes to life so well on the big screen. As, the two are at ease working with the general public, so when scouting the streets of Istanbul for shoot locations, they were able to make friends with some locals in order to gain access to a very sketchy neighbourhood in the city. The team were not shooting a tourist brochure; they wanted to bring their city to life for Turks as well as an international audience. Little did the two dream that their film would make it in to the Toronto International Film Festival, and even after "40" was accepted, they still were nervous thinking that there may only be a handful of people in the audience--were they more than pleasantly surprised! They were also pleased that although "40" has definite youth market appeal, that the film were appreciated by the mix of ages at their first screening.What role will fate/God/luck have on a screw up, a Nigerian refugee, and a nurse living in the "heaven, hell, purgatory" of Istanbul. Go see the film and find out. As for Sahin and Wetherbee’s filmmaking fate, the answers are in the stars--or should I say, the sales market at the Toronto International Film Festival?
Monday, September, 13th, Varsity 7th
NB: My interview with Emre and Sarah will air on CIUT 89.5 FM' s The More the Merrier Arts Radio at date to be determined.
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