ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA

A night on the Anatolian steppe. A convoy of three cars drives along country roads: a prosecutor, a police commissioner, a doctor, soldiers and two suspects, one of whom has confessed to killing a man and burying him – except he cannot find the spot again in the dark, one hill looking like the next. As the search drags on, the men talk about trivial things, and gradually their own stories, lies and self-deceptions come to the surface. “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (original title “Bir zamanlar Anadolu’da”) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey 2011, is based on the experiences of one of the screenwriters.

Ceylan tells the story in 157 minutes, for long stretches at night in the light of headlamps, turning the procedure of a search for a body into an inquiry into guilt and truth. At the Cannes Festival in 2011 the film won the Grand Prix, shared with “Le gamin au vélo” by the Dardenne brothers. It was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2011.

Shown at the 2011 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2011 · Film Archive