The Photograph

The Photograph is set against the backdrop of the 15-year struggle for independence of the Kurds in the face of the Turkish army. Faruk and Ali meet on the bus. They are about the same age, but have very different aims: Faruk is going to do Turkish military service and Ali is on his way to the mountains to join the Kurdish rebels. Without knowing each other’s backgrounds, a temporary but genuine friendship develops during their 20-hour journey by bus. Several months later they bump into each other again, in very different circumstances: during bloody battles between the army and the rebels, one of them almost trips over the lifeless body of the other.The Photograph is an intense film about the devastating effect of the war. Öz made his film, in which both Turkish and Kurdish are spoken, in a treacherously simple style. The leading roles are played by actors from the Jiyana Nu theatre company, part of the Mesopotamian Cultural Centre, the film department of which produced the film. Also see: Ax