Underplayed Gems

Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (1989)

Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite poster
Original title
Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar
Directed by
Tunç Başaran
Genre
drama film, prison film
Country
Turkey
Runtime
1h 40m
Rating
7.9 of 10 from 73 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

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How it feels

In 1984 Ankara after the Turkish coup, a female political prisoner in jail bonds with the young son of another inmate. The story shows their quiet connection amid the harshness of prison life.

poignanttendermelancholicintimateslow-pacedgroundedsomberwarm

What happens

Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (Turkish: Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar) is a 1989 Turkish drama film, co-written, co-produced and directed by Tunç Başaran based on a 1986 novella by Feride Çiçekoğlu, featuring Nur Sürer as a female political prisoner who befriends the child of a fellow inmate. The film was screened in competition at the 26th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, where it won Golden Oranges for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography, the 10th Mediterranean International Film Festival, where it won 2nd Best Film, and the 8th Istanbul International Film Festival, where it won Best Turkish Film. The film was selected as the Turkish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. The film is set in 1984 Ankara, during the aftermath of the 1980 Turkish coup. It is currently available to legally stream with English subtitles through the German media website Pantaflix. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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