Faruk Bey, now in his nineties, faces a familiar challenge for many in today’s Türkiye, especially for those in Istanbul: urban gentrification. Beyond the fear of the long-anticipated great Istanbul earthquake, the growing real estate crisis amplifies the difficulty of this transition. Filmmaker Aslı Özge has been documenting her real-life father Faruk’s struggle with these issues for years, eventually turning it into a film project. The extended production process, prolonged, especially due to economic constraints, enriched the narrative by uncovering the complexities of the father-daughter relationship as they live in different countries.

Faruk is a fictional film with documentary elements, shot in real locations and based on real events, with many people playing themselves. In this sense, it brings to mind Özge’s first feature-length film, Men on the Bridge. The film’s notable features include the sense of humour and the compelling performance of Faruk Bey, who emerges as a genuine star in front of the camera.

Berlin 2024

FIPRESCI Prize