The 2017 Boston Turkish Film Festival, part of the overall Boston Turkish Festival, begins tonight at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
BTFF will be happening several days a week for the next month with films that celebrate Turkish filmmakers, and will also present a series of concerts throughout the festival as well.
Opening night film this year is the award winning film 61 Days, from director İftarlık Gazoz, who will be in attendance to take audience questions following the screening. Here’s a description of the film from the BTFF website:
The 1980s. Adem is behind bars and semi-consciously ranting, ‘Soda, soda…’ The 1970s. Adem is a diligent boy living with his family in one of those Aegean villages blessed with peace and tranquility. He quarrels with his family about being an apprentice to soda seller Cibar Kemal, and he wins. Just before Ramadan, the local imam gives a sermon on fasting, which makes a deep impression on Adem. Added to this, Berna, his childhood crush, will also be fasting. But his parents, his boss, Cibar Kemal, and his role model, the “leftist” Hasan, are openly against him fasting when he is so young. Be that as it may, Adem secretly vows to go ahead, no matter how tough it will be to fast under the scorching Aegean sun and sell soda at the same time. As if that weren’t enough, Adem has also learned that to break the fast intentionally would require an extra 61 days of fasting as penance! Thirst and hunger wear Adem down and every day becomes a real challenge. How will the ordeal end for Adem and his boss, Cibar Kemal? And why is he still thinking about soda in prison 10 years later.
Tonight’s opening screening will be followed by a reception featuring live music from Esthema.
As always, all screenings take place at the Museum of Fine Arts. Tonight’s film is in the Remis Auditorium and begins at 7:30 PM. Tickets for tonight and all the films being presented can be purchased at the MFA website.
The festival will continue tomorrow and Sunday this weekend, and then pick up next Wednesday for more films throughout next weekend as well. Check with eCinemaBoston tomorrow for Fridays offerings!