The World Premiere of the Documentary “Kavur” by Fırat Özeler, a KHAS RTC Student, Will Take Place in Rotterdam

Fırat Özeler, a senior KHAS Radio, Television and Cinema (RTC) student, has achieved great success. The documentary film called “Kavur,” on which Özeler has been working for three years, will be world-premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, one of the world’s most prestigious festivals, to be held for the 52nd time on January 25 – February 5, 2023, within the scope of the “Cinema Regained,” the program which contains restored classics, film culture documentaries, and archive discoveries.

This documentary film focuses on director and screenwriter Ömer Kavur, one of the most influential figures in Turkish cinema; having great movies such as “Anayurt Oteli/Anayurt Hotel,” “Gece Yolculuğu/Night Journey,” “Gizli Yüz/Hidden Face” and “Akrebin Yolculuğu/ A Scorpion’s Journey,” a short film called “Hamal/The Porter,” which has not been previously released anywhere, will meet with the audience under the program Cinema Regained. Another short film by the director, which has not been previously released, called “İntihar/Suicide,” will be on the screen during the documentary film “Kavur,” telling the story of how they have been unearthed. 

Fırat describes the journey of the documentary film “Kavur” from the idea stage until the world premiere in Rotterdam as follows:

“The adventure of ‘Kavur’ started three years ago. Ömer Kavur was someone I had been interested in for many years due to his movies and characteristics, and I believed that I must tell his story. I let this idea be complicated in my head for a while and then talked about this idea with Asst. Prof. Elif Akçalı for the first time during the documentary class. It was the beginning of the process to develop the project concretely. Dr. Akçalı and Assoc. Prof. Melis Behlil has supported the project the most.

“We started to develop the film on paper with the support of many people while funding it. The Creative Industries Platform (YEP) at Kadir Has University has provided the first support for the movie, which was a trigger for us. Sevgi Özentürk from the YEP and Melisa Artan has helped us a lot. After that, we obtained support from many institutions, particularly the Turkish Ministry of Culture, and started shooting. It took place in 3 countries and 21 cities, about one year to complete. We have also carried out a comprehensive archive study. During this research, we have unearthed two short films of Ömer Kavur, which had not been previously released and no one was aware of, and digitalized them (“Hamal/the Porter,” 13′, Turkey, 1971; “İntihar/Suicide,” 9′, Turkey, 1971). 

“The team was only three people until that point: our producer Emir Melek, legal advisor Zehra Kurt and me. When the shooting was completed, we decided to expand our team. Ömer Akgün, an RTC, and BA (minor) student, has successfully held the position of executive producer. Melis Terlemez, another RTC student, started to edit the film. A great team has appeared, with many other people involved in the project.

“Cem Yılmaz, Funda Eryiğit, and Tilbe Saran, a lecturer from KHAS Theater department, have narrated three different characters in the film. It was a great step for us and also for the movie. The post-production stage is now in progress; the movie will be completed at the end of December, and the world premiere will take place at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. We will screen two short films we have found: ‘Hamal/The Porter’ will be world premiered in a separate screening, while ‘İntihar/Suicide’ will be within the documentary, telling the story of how they have been unearthed. I want to say that I am so proud of this. 

“Kavur is a film I have achieved to create with the support of many institutions and people and based on the great efforts of my teammates. I am fortunate to have had a chance to have worked with such a great team. I am also glad that I have contributed, even if just a bit, to a process getting the attention that Ömer Kavur deserves.” 

We congratulate Fırat and wait for the new success stories of his documentary.

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Kavur by Fırat Özeler, 89′, Turkiye, 2023

Hamal (The Porter) by Ömer Kavur, 13′, Türkiye, 1971

Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR): https://iffr.com/

Click to view the IFFR Cinema Regained program.