Motherland

Nesrin is an urban, middle-class woman recovering from a divorce. She has quit her office job, abandoned her house in Istanbul, and came to the village house of her deceased grandmother to finish a novel and live out her childhood dream of being a writer. When her conservative and increasingly unhinged mother turns up uninvited and refuses to leave, Nesrin’s writing stalls and her fantasies of village life turn bitter as the two are forced to confront the darker corners of each other’s inner worlds.

Motherland is set in Turkey, where millions of people—like Nesrin, the film’s main character—have grown up in modern cities after their parents migrated from traditional villages. The outlooks and expectations of many of these children are often far from the traditional and religious ways of their parents. In modern Turkey, this conflict makes it hard for some people to integrate their family’s influence and that of the modern society they grew up in. This is especially true for young women in Turkey. With this film, my aim has been to explore the nature of the mother-daughter relationship while examining the specific psychological complexities one faces as a daughter in Turkish society.”

Türkiye Greece
96'
2015

Director
Senem Tüzen

Script
Senem Tüzen

Cinematography
Vedat Özdemir

Editing
Adam Isenberg
Yorgos Mavropsaridis

Production
Adam Isenberg
Olena Yershova
Senem Tüzen

Cast
Esra Bezen Bilgin
Fatma Kısa
Habibe Doygun
Nihal Koldaş
Semih Aydın

Awards
Adana Best Script - Best Cinematography - Best Actress - Turkish Film Critics’ Association Best Film Award - Turkish Directors’ Association Best Director
Warsaw Film Festival Fipresci Award - Netpac Award

Festivals
2- Turkey 2015
21st Festival on Wheels