Wind, Sand and Stars
current state of production: It is a living organism taking its shape in the post-production phase. For more information please visit the blog.
tagline: Memories of peasants, dreams of bourgeoisie.
short synopsis: Wind, Sand and Stars is a factual film told in a tale form. Real life scenes intermix with momentary dream states. The film's main goal is to encapsulate the pace of time in each unique location it travels. It meditates on work, environment and time.
synopsis: Wind Sand and Stars was shot on location in the village of Urva in Kastamonu, Assos (Bektas) in Canakkale province and in Istanbul, Turkey. Assos (Bektas) is a coastal town on the Aegean Sea. It had been the site of Aristotle's academy, presently it is a ravishing fishing community amidst rapid physical and cultural change. Urva is located inside of the Kure Mountains National Park in Kastamonu and offers bounteous beauty and a humble village life. The culture and nature of this remote village had been invaded by modern life and evaporates rapidly. As well as being a popular tourist destination, Istanbul is a booming business center. As the city grows rapidly, it struggles to balance its historic and natural heritage with the demands of a global business center and a major hub of migration. Wind, Sand and Stars strives to capture the pace of time in each location through following the routines of locals, i.e. 73 and 80 year old village couple in Urva, middle aged fishermen, farmers and the young in Assos (Bektas), a young copy writer, a middle aged artist and an architect in Istanbul. It is a meditation on work, environment and time.
Production Company: Pacing Dreams
Director: Emre Ozdemir
Cinematographer: Megan LaMon
Producer: Rini Yun Keagy
Executive Producers: Michael Garden, Elif Sozen Kohl, Adnan Ozdemir, Ayten & Galip Inanc
Sponsors: Sean Buffington, Ahmet Çoban, Penny Green, Christopher Gwin, Caner & Nazan Kuzgunkaya, Mahmut Miski
Distributor: N/A
URVA (view)
2010
hd video
12'45"
Urva is a short documentary of a remote village called Urva in Kastamonu, Turkey. The premise of the movie lies within filming a dematerializing setting, vanishing aesthetic of a certain space, a soon to be lost culture that has no room in the reality of Turkey and the world at large. A handful of people in ripe age are the only ones to inhabit the once populous village. The village and its elderly population complement each other on the borders of an existence. Customs of the village life and culture is bound to disappear without the lifeblood of citified younger generations, afar.
"A powerful and haunting poem of a film. An elegy for a way of life that is being erased by the modern world. I was very moved by it. Gorgeous cinematography and a keen eye for detail."
Sam Green, Academy Award nominated director of Weather Underground, Utopia in Four Movements
"Urva is a lovely short documentary which features stunning cinematography and atmospheres. Emre Ozdemir may well be the next Andrei Tarkovsky!"
Albert G. Nigrin, Executive Director/Curator, New Jersey Film Festival, Rutgers University
"Urva, a place unknown to most, comes to life with the story of Tevfik--a solitary soul who wanders through his orchards' now diminished lives to see a day when his trees will reflower and bring fruits to his table."
Laurence Salzmann, Documentary Filmmaker and Photographer
"A poignant, nuanced portrait of an imminently vanishing world."
Wendy Weinberg, Documentary Filmmaker, Academy Award nominee "Beyond Imagining"
"In its quiet and poignant observations, Urva presents a moving portrait of a vanishing village life. I am impressed every time I see it."
Peter Rose, Experimental Filmmaker