:: IFFK 2008 ::

He came with a political saga swathed in a love story, saw a lot of passion here — and conquered hearts. "A man of compassion," I would call him. Here is a chat I had with Huseyin Karabey, the director of the film My Marlon and Brando, which is showing in the competition category at the IFFK 2008.

I was deeply moved when I watched Ayca's strife in My Marlon and Brando. I loved the way you treat this issue.

HK: I am always interested in making films on issues I am familiar with. My film is about the life of ordinary people in the place I come from. It is based on my own experiences along with Ayca's. I believe that the overflow of media coverage of any war ultimately poisons the information. That's why I wanted to make a movie that focuses on a more personalized story of individuals affected by the war.

The fact that Ayca plays her own role is very intriguing. How did you meet her?

HK: I met her years ago, when we were working together in the same theatre group in Istanbul. Later on, when I was thinking of making a feature film, I wanted her to be part of it. She agreed right away. She was very excited to work on her own story. Also, many other people whom I know personally were involved in the film. The taxi driver, for example, who goes to the cemetery, or the artist who is an illegal migrant, and the mother who waits for her son at the border are among them.

What happened in real life to Ayca's love story?

HK (laughing): Hamali and Ayca are friends now. If they weren't friends, this project would not have worked out. A "live happily ever after" love or a tragic ending would have made it impossible. Both decided to be friends, because their love couldn't survive the war. Since traveling became more and more difficult and the possibilities to meet almost impossible, they realized that it was better to stay friends.

Their love was something anyone could gradually become jealous of. The unconventional casting of the hero and the heroine surprised me in the beginning and made me curious, but finally it seems to me that she is the most beautiful actress I have come across.

HK (laughing): I wanted to break the usual stereotypes of the scintillating beauty or the Brad Pitt hero in lead roles. Normally we would like our partners in life look like these role models, which can make our life complicated. It's not whom or why we love, but how we love that is to be considered.

You are a distinguished documentary filmmaker – what motivated you to make a feature film? Was it this particular subject?

HK: Whether it is a documentary or a feature film, what matters is the sincerity in our work. I don't want to categorize myself as a documentary filmmaker or a full-fledged feature filmmaker because I believe that the way I approach the subject decides the style and the genre of the film.

How was the film received all over the world?

HK: I think anybody can easily identify with the issues in the film. As a matter of fact, it's a universal subject, and that's what makes it powerful. The film has been shown in numerous film festivals all over the world and received so far six international awards. And more importantly, wherever the film was shown, it got an overwhelming response from the audience.

How do you look at the issues in Turkey?

HK: It is the Kurdish-Turkish issue that prevails in Turkey. I am a Kurd born in Turkey. I grew up in a society where I was not considered as being a part of the Turkish mainstream. I was a political activist and jailed for participating in a demonstration for almost one year. I have learned that when people are ignorant, it is easy to provoke them. I should say that nowadays, the situation is improving. People in Turkey and the Middle Eastern countries are gradually becoming aware of the senseless borders and sensationalized political issues

How did you decide to become a film maker?

HK: I have studied economics and was involved in political issues. But then I discovered cinema and I realized that film can be used as a powerful tool. So I switched to film studies. I wanted to make films which deal with the real concerns of the people. With mainstream Turkish films copying the Hollywood style, it is hard to find the real life of Turkey reflected in the movies. There may be thousands dying in a war. But when our beloved is lost, that hurts the most.

Whom do you consider as your role model in filmmaking?

HK: Yilmaz Güney, the Kurdish film director. His works are devoted to the plight of ordinary people in Turkey, a rare one of its kind. His films Hope, and Road are my favorites. I love watching films which are close to reality.

How do you look at the movies from other parts of the world, and in particular from India? Can we expect to have an Indian theme in one of your next movies?

HK: I am happy to discover such a wide variety of films coming up here. The more you have films in India that deal with issues like communal riots, conflicts between India and Pakistan and cross-border terrorism, the more people will become aware of these problems. But you can only identify with the problem if the issue becomes personal. Whatever the issue, the underlying fact which is similar in them is nothing but a pseudo-superiority we feel about our existence. I don't want to impose anything on the people, instead I want them to discover themselves in my films. I believe that you have to be sincere as a filmmaker. It is then the sincerity covers the mistakes. I can't get involved in projects where I don't have first hand experience.

Experiences in IFFK...

HK: People here are expressing themselves freely, as I could see in IFFK. They applaud when they enjoy the movie, which is hard to find anywhere else. They are friendly and I feel here at home. I always wanted to come here and have rejected other offers just to be in India.