mustang ( film )
mustang is a superb, thought provoking film and one i really hope that you will watch .
ergüven studied at a film school in paris, where she met mustang’s co - writer, alice winocour .
turkish - french film director deniz gamze ergüven thanks parliament for awarding her the 2015 lux prize for her film mustang. © eu 2015 - european parliament
in 2015, mustang received an oscar nomination for best foreign film. it lost out to son of saul .
we' ve recently been at the edinburgh international film festival and the cannes film festival .
high - profile crowd gathers to celebrate u. k. film at the toronto film festival
ilyada akdoğan, centre, as sonay in mustang. photograph: allstar / canal +
arnaud desplechin’s “my golden years, ” xavier giannoli’s “marguerite” and deniz gamze ergüven’s foreign - language oscar nominee “mustang” were the frontrunners for the best film nod .
ci: you wrote mustang with a french co - author. how did the writing process work ?
ci: how do you explain mustang’s success? it could have just been a “confidential” independent turkish film. why do you think it resonates among so many people ?
foreign film oscar contender
mustang
is a turkish - language film from a turkish - born director that was filmed in turkey and tells a distinctly turkish story with turkish actresses. but it was not turkey that submitted the film for consideration for the academy awards  it was france .
mustang is now on dvd, blu - ray, and hd digital to rent and own. order your copy !
as a new yorker raised in turkey, i dig deep into the issues raised by “mustang” with the filmmaker below .
can ım istanbul: hi deniz! we’re very happy to talk with you today. first let’s talk about mustang’s life in the past few months. the film was well received in cannes, then 450. 000 people saw it in france, currently mustang is being shown at film festivals around the world and now it is perhaps on the road to the oscars… i guess you weren’t expecting all of this when you made the film. how does it feel ?
but the story in
mustang
represents a truth about the country and the situation for girls there that she needed to tell .
mustang
also recently won best picture at the lumiere awards, france & apos; s equivalent of the golden globe awards .
but i also thought your film was very universal about all women (not just turkish), perhaps thanks to the film’s fairytale - like nature .
ci: so now you started the path to the oscars, as france’s official movie for best foreign language film. would you have preferred mustang to represent turkey instead of france? or do you not care ?
from left, tugba sunguroglu, doga zeynep doguslu, elit iscan, ilayda akdogan and günes sensoy, who play sisters in “mustang. ”
she studied literature and african studies at university, after which she enrolled at film school in paris, one of only two women in her class (the other was mustang ’s co - writer, alice winocour) .
the florida film critics circle (ffcc) is an organization of 25 film critics and writers from florida - based print and online publications. founded in 1996, the ffcc strives to recognize outstanding work in film, further the cause of good movies, and maintain the highest level of professionalism among film critics in florida .
announcing season 2 of' cohen film classics' on kcet and link tv .
asghar farhadi' s the salesman wins the oscar® for best foreign language film .
the premise of “mustang” may sound familiar—and visually, director and co - writer deniz gamze ergüven does seem to have borrowed a few cues from sofia coppola ’s stirring 1999 debut, “ the virgin suicides, ” in making her own feature film debut. but “mustang” grabs you with its own sense of haunting melancholy, as well as an increasing feeling of urgency and outrage .
best foreign language film “son of saul” “mustang” “the fencer” “brand new testament” “the club” immediate reaction: “son of saul, ” from hungary, france’s “mustang” and the chilean film “the club” have been getting plenty of buzz. the big surprises here are “the brand new testament” (belgium), a comedy about god — who lives in brussels, apparently — and “the fencer” (finland), which follows an estonian fencer who gets mixed up with russian secret police .
the association voted son of saul as the best foreign language film of the year. runners - up included the assassin (2), the second mother (3), mustang (4) and goodnight mommy (5) .
we' re bringing you all the latest from the karlovy vary international film festival .
for now, ergüven is continuing work on a film about the l. a. riots that she & apos; s been toying with since before
mustang ,
and enjoying the final stretch of the experience of this little, personal film with a big global impact, regardless of whose name is called on sunday .
title mustang year 2016 distributor (s) artificial eye film co. ltd classified date (s) 09 / 02 / 2016 main language turkish submitted run time 97m 5s approved footage 8737 + 8 bbfc reference aff335920 registration number cfj38677 remarks subtitled
russell smith award (named for the late dallas morning news film critic. the honor is given annually to the best low - budget or cutting - edge independent film. )
it’s also cleaning up during awards season. the day before i get 37 - year - old director deniz gamze ergüven on the phone, it’s announced that mustang has received a pack - leading nine nominations for the césar awards (french film’s highest honor), and that’s not to mention its golden globe nod or its oscar nomination in the hotly competitive best foreign film category. mustang is one of only two female - directed films nominated for an oscar this year (the other is liz garbus’s documentary what happened, miss simone ?), and, true to the spirit of her film, ergüven had plenty to say about the state of women in the film industry. we also talked about the movie’s controversial reception in turkey, the oscars’ diversity problem, and, of course, that time the mustang sisters met george clooney .
semaj: but the situation is even a little different in “mustang, ” because there are five of them, and they’re all so good, so specific .
ifestival award: tisure by adrian geyer voted for by the 2015 stockholm film festival audience .
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james: i think this is my favorite film this year. at least so far .
james: as they should. it’s a beautiful film — beautiful acting and beautiful directing .
president martin schulz announced that mustang had won the 2015 european parliament lux prize for cinema at a ceremony in the chamber in strasbourg at noon on tuesday. mustang tells the story of five sisters who have been promised to husbands through forced marriages but who, determined to live their own lives, break the yoke of tradition .
on being awarded the prize, the winning director, deniz gamze ergüven said :
in its way, mustang promotes the ideals of the european union. [... ] thank you for the impact this film has through the lux prize .
beautifully shot and performed, the oscar - nominated mustang is both a rousing tale of spirited youth and a powerful, moving and timely work of engaging social cinema .
for
mustang
director deniz gamze ergüven, it makes sense. she was born in turkey, but raised mainly in france. france was also where she was educated in cinema, and the country has supported the film  her first  from the start, choosing it as an official directors & apos; fortnight selection at the cannes film festival .
‘it took us nine months to cast’: güneş şensoy, doğa doğuşlu, tuğba sun guroğlu, elit işcan and ilayda akdoğan in mustang. photograph: allstar / canal +
also recently acquired for u. s. distribution — this time by cohen media group — turkish - french helmer deniz gamze ergüven’s mustang nabbed the label europa cinemas prize. mustang will now receive the support of the europa cinemas network, with additional promotion and incentives for exhibitors to extend the film’s run on screen. sold internationally by kinology, it’s a drama about sexual repression that sees five orphaned sisters held captive in their grandmother’s home .
we had the chance to talk with deniz gamze ergüven, mustang ’s director. as you probably understood last week, we loved this film (it’s coming out tomorrow – if you missed our review, it’s here) so we were thrilled to spend some time with deniz .
dge: i’m slightly afraid that the film will go unnoticed. i would like for turkey to embrace it fully. the discussion around “is this a turkish film or not? ” went too far and shocked me. in cannes, there was a turkish producer who was writing a blog about the festival. here we have a film in turkish, with turkish actors, shot in turkey… and she didn’t even mention it. when we started talking about the film in turkey, we had to explain to people that it’s a turkish film but they would reply “no, it’s a french film” .
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the dallas - fort worth film critics association voted the newsroom drama spotlight as the best film of 2015, according to the results of its 22nd annual critics’ poll released today. this year’s awards are presented in memory of philip wuntch, the longtime dallas morning news film critic who passed away in october .
leads 2015 florida film critics circle (f. f. c. c .) awards nominations .
in this tuesday, feb. 9, 2016 photo, cast members tugba sunguroglu, from top left clockwise, director deniz gamze erguven, elit iscan, doga zeynep doguslu, gunes sensoy and ilayda akdogan from the film ,
mustang ,
pose for a portrait in west hollywood, calif. the 88th academy awards best foreign language film nominee
mustang
is a unique case, being a turkish language and made film submitted for consideration by france, and also for being the only narrative feature nominated from a female director, erguven. the oscars will be presented on sunday, feb. 28, in los angeles. (photo by rich fury / invision / ap )
best script: deniz gamze ergüven and alice winocour, mustang the writers of this film depict a serious topic with both humour and warmth. it is a touching story of sisterhood, an empowering film that challenges patriarchal oppression with its stale views on female sexuality. conservative values are placed in opposition to modern society, the life within each of us – and every person’s right to their own bodies .
the austin film critics association (afca) announced its 2015 awards today, with george miller’s “mad max: fury road” winning best film and best director and leading the group’s top ten list. “room” received three awards, the most for a single film. “ex machina” and “inside out” also won multiple awards this year .
“kumiko, the treasure hunter, ” directed by david zellner, received the austin film award. this award is given to a film made by a director whose primary residence was austin during the time of filming .
the louis delluc prize kicks off the french awards season, which culminates with the cesar awards in february. the louis delluc jury is presided by former cannes film festival president gilles jacob and comprised of film critics .
however, ergüven’s film is not, for the most part, a tough watch. (its most upsetting moments take place off camera .) instead, mustang has a lightness of touch. it is funny (i laughed much more than i thought i would) and there are many uplifting scenes .
the association voted tangerine as the winner of the russell smith award, named for the late dallas morning news film critic. the honor is given annually to the best low - budget or cutting - edge independent film .
you can film a point of view with desire by focusing on a specific parcel of skin. i remember a film of jean - claude brisseau [ “secret things” ]. during the first shot, i was so disturbed by the look he had on his [ female ] actors. some people—and it shocks me each time— say, “i see something erotic in a mustang. ” but again, it’s their look .
in this interview, she talks about mustang ’s incredible journey (from indie first - movie to the cannes film festival… to the oscars), how living between france and turkey gives her perspective on women’s condition here, the difficulty of talking about sex in turkey, female characters in cinema and much more .
some have likened the film to the virgin suicides. ergüven thinks it’s more like escape from alcatraz – with frocks
reviewed at cannes film festival (directors’ fortnight), may 13, 2015. running time: 97 min .
mustang is a subtitled turkish language drama about five young sisters who are imprisoned in their house by their grandmother as punishment for their perceived flirtatious behaviour, and to keep them unsullied for their future husbands .
mustang, by deniz gamze ergüven, won the europa cinemas award, which aims to enhance the promotion, circulation and box - office runs of european award - winning films on the screens of a cinema network stretching across europe. in the film, five turkish adolescent sisters have their basic freedoms unjustly stripped from them .
when asked about their oscar prospects, the “mustang” girls lit up and crossed their fingers in unison. “we’re so proud that france has trusted us, given this responsibility to us, ” said iscan. “it’s great for the women of turkey, because this film is making their voice heard all around the world. ”
ci: i heard in one of your first interviews that you were a bit worried about the film coming out in turkey. is it still the case? with the film’s success, are you feeling more relaxed or stronger ?
the washington, d. c. area film critics association comprises 52 dc - va - md - based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet. voting was conducted from december 5 - 7, 2017 .
summary mustang is a subtitled turkish language drama about five young sisters who are imprisoned in their house by their grandmother as punishment for their perceived flirtatious behaviour, and to keep them unsullied for their future husbands .
that this is happening in today’s supposedly enlightened world, is outrageous and almost beyond belief. and yet mustang does not incite a sense of rage. instead it provokes a more thoughtful (albeit insistent) response .
mustang ’s international success has brought with it some extraordinary experiences for its young stars. ergüven wasn’t able, in spite of her best efforts, to bag them tickets for the oscars (they had to stay back at the hotel). but at least they managed to get themselves photographed with george clooney at the toronto film festival .
best film: louder than bombs by joachim trier the prize for best film goes to an aesthetic masterpiece, a film that innovatively uses all cinematic components to move freely between present, past, dream and imagination. with this tightly woven family drama, the director gradually patches together our broken inner places and makes us visible to ourselves – and to each other .
the florida film critics circle is an organization of 30 writers from florida - based print and online publications. founded in 1996, the ffcc strives to recognize outstanding work in film, further the cause of good movies, and maintain the highest level of professionalism among film critics in florida. bill gibron of urltoken and urltoken has served as chairman since march 2013 .
“mustang” won four nods including first film, original screenplay, music and editing. “my golden years” won best director. both “my golden years” and “margerite” were nominated for 11 nods each. after winning best actor at cannes, vincent lindon won the best cesar nod for his performance in stephane brize’s social drama “the measure of a man. ”
“mustang” director deniz gamze erguven and cast members (ilayda akdogan, gunes sensoy, doga zeynep doguslu, elit iscan and tugba sunguroglu) sat down with variety‘s deputy awards editor jenelle riley to discuss the film’s real - life roots, the casting process and how the story deals with the end of childhood as part of the variety screening series .
the film’s reception speaks to a cultural divide that the director has been navigating for years. “mustang” was a box - office success in france, selling more than 500, 000 tickets. released in turkey in october, it met mixed reviews. one critic called it “disturbingly orientalist, ” and others said it was tailored to western tastes .
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the turkish reception to the film ranged in extremes. there was love, but then you saw the flip side too .
nicolas pariser’s “the great game, ” meanwhile, won for the louis delluc prize for best directorial debut. “the great game” won over deniz gamze erguven’s “mustang” which is the french candidate in the foreign - language oscar race. clement cogitore’s “the wakhan front, ” thomas salvador’s “vincent” and cyprien vial’s “young tiger” also competed for the first film award .
“mustang” director deniz gamze erguven and cast members (ilayda akdogan, gunes sensoy, doga zeynep doguslu, elit iscan and tugba sunguroglu) sat down with variety ‘s deputy awards editor jenelle riley to discuss the film’s real - life roots, the casting process and how the story deals with the end of childhood as part of the variety screening series .
mustang is a movie starring günes sensoy, doga zeynep doguslu, and tugba sunguroglu. when five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged .
at the cannes film festival' s atelier for beginner film makers where they were the only two women attending the program. ergüven was there to work on a film entitled
kings
about the la riots. after she failed to attract producers and financiers winocour suggested ergüven should do a smaller scale movie to prove that she was capable of directing. together they started working on
director lászló nemes’ “son of saul” won best foreign - language film and director joshua oppenheimer’s “the look of silence” won best documentary .
also competing for nine cesar kudos is “mustang, ” a coming of age tale centering around five sisters struggling to break free from their conservative upbringing in northern turkey. produced by charles gillibert’s cg cinema, the movie has been on a winning path since opening at directors’ fortnight. pic is nominated for best film, directorial debut, director and original screenplay .
xavier giannoli’s “marguerite” and arnaud desplechin’s “my golden years” are leading the nominations at this year’s cesar awards, along with “mustang, ” deniz gamze ergüven’s oscar - nominated feature debut, and jacques audiard’s palme - d’or winning “dheepan. ”
have you been following the # oscarssowhite controversy? what’s your take on that? i have. before mustang, i wrote a script that took place in south central los angeles, with mostly african - american characters. i remember, when i spoke with producers, people very candidly said that a film with african - americans is an urban film, and that’s a more restricted audience. it went way further than just the frontiers of the u. s. ! i remember a producer telling me, “i can’t sell a film with african - americans to japan or german television. ” i remember exactly those sentences .
for a long time, it seemed like mustang was a film that would never be made. set in a lush turkish village on the black sea, the five youthful, wild sisters at its heart have as much of a hold on the local boys as the lisbon girls do in the virgin suicides. and, though it is no fault of their own, their allure becomes the sisters’ downfall in their conservative muslim society. the controversial story and its message of freedom made it even harder for first - time filmmaker deniz gamze ergüven, a woman director working in turkey, to pull off. partly raised in paris, ergüven learned today that mustang was nominated for a best foreign language film oscar, as france’s entry .
in february, ms. ergüven and her husband welcomed a son. at cannes, in may, she was breast - feeding between meetings at which distributors from around the world vied to pick up “mustang. ” “he’s the co - director, ” ms. ergüven said of her son. “i was as much pregnant with the film as with the baby. ”
the short film illy award went to rate me! by fyzal boulifa with a special mention for the exquisit corpus by peter tscherkassky .
the oscar - nominated french - turkish film is a tender, funny, and painful portrait of five sisters fighting for their freedom .
ergüven is certainly doing that. mustang, nominated for best foreign language film at the 2015 oscars and the winner of four césar awards in france, has opened countless new doors for its director and, as a result, her appetite for work is more voracious than ever. even so, she finds it hard to imagine working in turkey again. her second feature, which she is shortly to start shooting, is an english - language picture set in los angeles at the time of the 1992 riots. “i detested the response [ to mustang ] in turkey, and so i withdrew from it. ”
after triumphing at the césars just two days ago, deniz gamze ergüven' s mustang has been named audience favourite at the 2016 glasgow film festival. i just eat lou mcloughlan' s documentary 16 years till summer, whose festival screenings may sadly have been its last in scotland after it was attacked by the brother of its subject, who called it a work of fiction .
on wearing chanel throughout the mustang press tour :
that has been a bit my shield during this experience. and in places where we were the most attacked, i felt like wearing chanel at 8 o' clock in the morning .
the french academy controversially selected the french - financed award - winner to contend for the oscar over a strong roster of festival hits including jacques audiard’s palme d’or - winning “dheepan” and xavier giannoli’s “marguerite. ” yet, an assured female point of view is always a welcome addition to the oscar race. “mustang” is playing well for academy members and is considered a best foreign film frontrunner .
in this tuesday, feb. 9, 2016 photo, director deniz gamze erguven poses for a portrait in west hollywood, calif. the oscar best foreign language film nominee
mustang
is a unique case, being a turkish language and made film submitted for consideration by france, and also for being the only narrative feature nominated from a female director, erguven. the 88th annual academy awards will be presented on sunday, feb. 28, in los angeles. (photo by rich fury / invision / ap )
this photo provided by courtesy of cohen media group shows, tugba sunguroglu, from left, as selma, doga zeynep doguslu as nur, elit iscan, as ece, ilayda akdogan as sonay, and gunes sensoy as lale in the film ,
mustang ,
directed by deniz gamze erguven, in turkey. the movie is nominated for best foreign language film at the 88th annual academy awards. the oscars will be presented on feb. 28, 2016, in los angeles. (cohen media group via ap )
sorrentino won best film two years ago with the great beauty at the efas, along with the directing prize and best actor for toni servillo. that movie went on to the best foreign language film oscar but youth is not eligible in the upcoming race as it’s predominantly in english. he said tonight that youth is “a small film about the perception of freedom, a theme more timely than ever in europe. ”
“beasts of no nation, ” netflix’s first move into original feature film making, also picked up a second nod for fukunaga for cinematography .
mustang' s sisters are full of life and are wonderfully at ease with one another. indeed, they are often seen as a single entity - a tumbling tangle of happy limbs. it is easy to forget that we are watching actresses here .
the film comes close to being a beautiful but ultimately tragic bit of cinema, until mustang ’s exhilarating final act rescues it from ending on a wholly grim note. some might see the conclusion as the product of wish - fulfillment. but ergüven isn’t peddling blind optimism so much as a realism animated by the belief that freedom—far from being inevitable—must be fought for. that it will be fought for .
the dallas - fort worth film critics association consists of 31 broadcast, print and online journalists from throughout north texas. for more information, visit
best animated film honorees include “anomolisa, ” “the good dinosaur, ” “inside out, ” “the peanuts movie” and “shaun the sheep movie. ”
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i realised just how invested i was in her story when, towards the end of the film, i had to remind myself to breathe .
in its final act, mustang becomes extremely tense. gone are the scenes of youthful rebellion - when escape was a game to play. lale’s situation is grave, her life at stake. she must use all of her strength and resourcefulness to break away .
the foreign language category includes two films on the academy’s short list. the biggest studio in contention for the foreign language trophy is sony pictures classics with the first person perspective holocaust film son of saul. the other ffcc nominee to share a spot on oscar’s short list is turkey’s mustang. the category was rounded out by hou hsiao - hsien’s intimate martial arts masterpiece the assassin, canada’s mommy and germany’s phoenix .
how have the girls dealt with the success of the film? it’s like a dream. we’ve been together a lot accompanying this film around, and they’re even more like a litter of kittens. they really became like sisters — and they take it as a responsibility as well. i feel responsible towards france right now, and they feel responsible, mostly, towards the girls who live lives close to the ones pictured in the film .
in september, france selected “mustang” as its official oscar submission. it was a surprising and political choice, given france’s historically turbulent relationship to its muslim immigrant population. despite french crew members and a distinctively western sensibility, the film is deeply turkish: it was shot in turkey, in the turkish language, with turkish actors and crew. but ergüven said this decision isn’t entirely unprecedented. she points out that france has a tradition of supporting foreign directors, and that the cannes film festival, supported by the french government, is the epicenter of world cinema .
“dheepan, ” meanwhile, is nominated for nine awards, including best film, director and original screenplay for noe debré, thomas bidegain and audiard .
alejandro gonzalez inarritu’s “birdman” won best foreign - language film, beating laszlo nemes’ “son of saul, ” one of the foreign - language oscar contenders .
they might have a better idea if they knew what you went through to get the film made. yeah, honestly it was quite a fight .
the academy in 2006 changed its rules to allow for countries to submit films that aren & apos; t in their native language, as long as the film played theatrically in the country. but it also reflects something bigger about the inherent complexities in tethering a foreign film to a particular country .
telia film award: mediterranea by jonas carpignano with a warm, humanistic touch jonas carpignano has written and directed a film with acute relevance and unexpected humour. populated by brilliantly crafted and depicted characters with complexity, throughout the story, with an outstanding koudous seihon in the male lead. a beautiful film that humanizes what it is to live in the world today and offers a unique glimpse into experiences shared by many of the people fleeing across the mediterranean sea .
james: yeah, that movie was awesome. but “mustang” is different because there is no mediating group of characters looking at the sisters here. the narrator is lale, the youngest of the sisters. we see almost all of the action through lale’s eyes, and because of that the sisters are more present to us. we are situated in a much closer relationship to them than in “the virgin suicides. ” there, the sisters are meant to be mysterious, and removed. semaj: and “mustang” is in some ways more active, less bleak. “the virgin suicides” gets much of its power from the pall of inevitable tragedy that is cast over the sisters. even the title tells us that things are not going to end well, as opposed to the “mustang” title, which i read as a characterization of the youngest daughter, lale, because she is like a little feral horse, bucking against her situation. james: yes, the sisters in “mustang” are less resigned to their fate. they all actively push back against their imprisonment, and the patriarchal mores forced upon them .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. what a space it opens…
getting intimate with the cast of the year' s most powerful (not to mention portentous) film about what happens when we hold young women back .
named for the wild - horse - like power of the sisters, “mustang” opens on the girls swimming in the ocean in their school uniforms and riding on the shoulders of boys, causing a scandal. the scene was taken from an incident involving ms. ergüven’s relatives. as soon as she recounted the story to her friend alice winocour, a screenwriter and director who co - wrote the film, they knew they had a movie .
she and ms. winocour wrote “mustang” quickly over the summer of 2012. “we were making fun and having jokes all the time, ” said ms. winocour, who met ms. ergüven when both had scripts chosen for the cannes’ cinéfoundation, which helps young filmmakers secure financing .
girls, both the song and the french - turkish film mustang declare, want to have fun. they want to go to dance all night, wear cute clothes, swim, go to soccer games, hook up with boys, and, generally speaking, not have fussy adults always telling them what they can and can’t do. but the five sisters at the heart of mustang also want to choose who they marry (or if they marry at all). they want to drive, have their own money, go to school, and see the world that lies beyond their remote, oppressive seaside town. they want their lives to be their own, even if it means taking drastic measures to make them so .
philippe faucon ’s “ fatima, ” a tender portrait of a devoted moroccan single mother living in france, won the louis delluc prize for best french film .
on an especially gray february afternoon in new york city, the five young stars of mustang are gathered with their director around small, warmly lit tables at cafe gitane. just weeks ahead of this sunday’s oscars, they’re taking a break from promoting their best foreign language film–nominated movie, which follows five young orphaned sisters in rural turkey as they become literally and figuratively imprisoned by an increasingly conservative society. “the film is written in a fairy - tale way, ” explains director deniz gamze ergüven. “but it’s very much a reflection on the question of freedom in turkey today and the place of women. ”
best short film: a few seconds by nora el hourch in a very unique and bold way of storytelling the director manage to show how much humanity in the characters in such a short time. there are so many layers of emotions in this film. we are excited to discover this new talent in her future work .
paris — for a film about death, “mustang” is incredibly alive. it tells the story of five orphaned sisters in rural turkey whose boundless lust for life runs up against the confines of a conservative muslim society, leading some to suicide. a first feature by deniz gamze ergüven — directed, written by and starring young women — it was a hit when it played the directors’ fortnight for independent films at cannes and is france’s foreign - language oscar submission .
. there are a few categories where the film i really think deserves the award was not even nominated, plus a few i don’t have a real opinion on .
though the “mustang” actresses — elit iscan (21), ilayda akdogan (17), güneş şensoy (14), doga zeynep doguslu (15) and tugba sunguroglu (16) — have experienced a liberal youth compared to the characters they portray, they too feel restricted by turkish gender norms .
mustang has been well received around the world. however, the reception in turkey has been deeply troubling. both ergüven and the five central actors have been threatened, leading the director to question (in a fascinating interview with the guardian) if she would return to her home country to work again .
natalie portman’s “a tale of love and darkness, ” based on amos oz’s bestselling novel, will receive its north american premiere following its debut at the cannes film festival .
so there was no way in the world that exists today that turkey could’ve claimed this film as their own? no, it didn’t happen that way. the feeling there has been uneasy to this point: it’s like, “okay, we’re not going to do anything against the film, but we’re not fine with it, either. ”
founded in 2005 by cole dabney and bobby mccurdy, the austin film critics association is a group dedicated to supporting the best in film, whether at the international, national, or local level. the afca has seen its numbers grow to more than 30 members with a diverse roster of professional film critics who regularly review movies for national television stations, daily newspapers, weekly alternatives, local radio, monthly magazines, and websites with international prominence. each december, afca members vote on the year’s best in film, celebrating excellence on both sides of the camera. the outlets afca members represent include ain’t it cool news, the austin american - statesman, the austin chronicle, birth. movies. death. , cinapse, dvdactive, fandango, film school rejects, firstshowing. net, gotchamovies. com, hill country news, horror’s not dead, koop 91. 7 fm radio, movies. com, one of us, screencrush, slackerwood, smells like screen spirit, twitch, we live film and ynn austin .
after getting a master’s degree in african history in johannesburg, she entered la fémis in paris, france’s premier film school, where the french director olivier assayas led the jury that chose her for its selective directing program. “deniz really stood out, ” mr. assayas said. he said her years of trying to get a bigger project off the ground didn’t weigh down “mustang. ” “it doesn’t feel like someone making her first feature, ” he said. “it’s very confident .
i imagined you already had a speech prepared from when mustang was nominated at the globes. are you basically going to just use that one since you didn’t get to deliver it? no. from where we stand in the world, the oscars is the one and only universal tribute. along with cannes .
“mustang” (deniz gamze erguven, france). set in a remote turkish village, erguven’s debut (co - written with alice winocour) tells of a 13 - year - old girl who tries to break free with her sisters from the rigid destiny imposed on them by their family. (sales: kinology )
while watching deniz gamze ergüven' s mustang, which became france' s official 2016 oscar entry for best foreign language film after it took home the europa cinemas prize at the cannes film festival, one gets the unsettling sense of being swallowed. the film follows a group of orphaned sisters living in turkey, whose budding sensuality is viewed as a threat to their marriageability. and as it progresses, the cinematography grows purposefully murkier―the light nearly siphoned from the frame―as does the livewire spark that makes the group of girls so irresistible. it' s as if we can actually see their inner flames being violently snuffed. and as the sisters find themselves figuratively (and literally) imprisoned by their caretakers in a fortress - like house, we find out that the key to breaking wild horses is simple: you have to break up the pack .
the florida film critics circle has announced its nominees for the best films and cinematic performances of 2015, and it looks to be a strong race between major studios indie subsidiaries .
turkish people look very closely into how you represent the country and i guess they wanted to have more of a film that looked like a postcard ,
said ergüven .
david gordon green’s “ our brand is crisis, ” starring sandra bullock and billy bob thornton; james vanderbilt’s cbs scandal film “ truth, ” starring cate blanchett and robert redford; and “twilight” director catherine hardwicke’s “miss you already, ” starring drew barrymore and toni collette, will world premiere at the 2015 toronto international film festival, it was announced tuesday .
philippe faucon’s “fatima, ” a tender portrait of a devoted moroccan single mother living in france, won the louis delluc prize for best french film. the film, which world premiered at cannes’ directors fortnight, raises contemporary issues, such as the economic and social situation of immigrants living in france through the tale of a middle - age woman [ … ]
semaj: oh, well it is and it isn’t. yes, it is about five sisters who get locked in their house ostensibly for their own protection, but the way their stories play out, and the way that the characters are accessed in “mustang” is completely different than what happens in “the virgin suicides. ”
though set in turkey, shot in turkish, and telling a turkish story about the demonization of female sexuality, deniz gamze erguven ’s beautifully mounted debut, “ mustang, ” has an unmistakable west european sensibility. whether that’s a good thing or not depends on audience perspective, but while many turks will find the final salvation distinctly inorganic, few can argue with the director’s talent or that of her exceptionally fine, largely unknown cast of young women. set in a remote black sea village where five sisters are forced to suppress their burgeoning sensuality, “ mustang ” will gallop through fruitful festival fields, finding fertile pastures on euro arthouse screens .
previous, 11 am pt: the european film awards are being handed out tonight in berlin and we’re updating the winners below as they’re announced. leading nominations for the 28th ceremony is paolo sorrentino’s bittersweet relfection on life, youth. sorrentino took the top prize from the european film academy for the greaty beauty two years ago, and went on to win the best foreign language film oscar. the efas regularly align with the u. s. academy’s eventual outcome, but two of tonight’s major nominees, youth and yorgos lanthimos’ the lobster, are in english which means they are not in contention for that race whose shortlist will be unveiled next week. of the other movies in the top efa category, three are their countries’ reps: sweden’s a pigeon sat on a branch reflecting on existence, france’s mustang; and iceland’s rams. check out the winners below :
by showing us the joyous, unrestrained nature of the five sisters, we feel the dangerous claustrophobia of their confinement. as the film progresses, so the situation becomes increasingly desperate .
the girls in
mustang
are essentially put under house arrest by their conservative uncle after they cause a minor scandal by playfully frolicking in the sea with a group of boys, and sitting on their necks in a game of chicken. the adults in their world see the act as disgusting and worthy of drastic punishment .
david gordon green’s “our brand is crisis, ” starring sandra bullock and billy bob thornton; james vanderbilt’s cbs scandal film “truth, ” starring cate blanchett and robert redford; and “twilight” director catherine hardwicke’s “miss you already, ” starring drew barrymore and toni collette, will world premiere at the 2015 toronto international film festival, it was announced tuesday. natalie [ … ]
received a nod for best director, and the film is also in contention for best picture. it’s other nominations include best score, best art direction / production design and best cinematography .
indies dominated the best documentary and foreign language film categories. the most recognizable distributor is a24 with the tragic story of singer - songwriter amy winehouse via amy. another musician, however, took to directing a film essay on death and national surveillance with the moving heart of a dog. other documentaries nominated include best of enemies, cartel land and the look of silence .
1 km film - scholarship: i turn to you by victor lindgren two siblings are forced to experience the implosion of their parents’ relationship. the director poses an inconvenient question to us in the audience, can a child’s will to survive overcome the self - destructive desires of the parent. the film seamlessly connects refined form with emotional impact and the director shows great courage and promise .
inside out was named the best animated film of 2015, with anomalisa as runner - up. tom mccarthy and josh singer shared the best screenplay award for spotlight over emma donoghue for room .
zhao is one of three female filmmakers represented in the program: the others are turkey’s deniz gamze erguven, making her debut with “mustang, ” a drama about rigidity and intolerance in a remote turkish village; and chile’s marcia tambutti, presenting “allende, mi abuelo allende, ” a documentary portrait of her grandfather salvador allende. another film from south america, bolstering the region’s limited presence in cannes this year, is “embrace of the serpent, ” an amazon - set drama from the colombian director ciro guerra (“the wind journeys”) .
there’s such striking intimacy between the actresses that sometimes it’s hard to believe “mustang” isn’t a home movie. “there was this scene where we were playing in our rooms, and i felt like there was no camera there, that’s how comfortable we were with each other, ” said iscan. “the camera became like our sixth sister, ” added akdogan .
it was the norwegian director joachim trier who received the bronze horse at the award ceremony on friday evening. below are all the winners who were awarded at the stockholm international film festival award ceremony .
zita hanrot won best female newcomer for her perf in “fatima” while the film’s protagonist, soria zeroua, had scored a nomination but lost to catherine frot for her role in xavier giannoli’s “margerite. ”
sometimes they also redo scenes from the film. when we were in new york, they were in a car with the top open, and of course they had to redo the bus scene .
though set in turkey, shot in turkish, and telling a turkish story about the demonization of female sexuality, deniz gamze erguven’s beautifully mounted debut, “mustang, ” has an unmistakable west european sensibility. whether that’s a good thing or not depends on audience perspective, but while many turks will find the final salvation distinctly inorganic, few can [ … ]
production: (france - turkey - germany) an ad vitam release (in france) of a cg cinema, vistamar filmproduktion, uhland film, bam film, kinology production, with the participation of canal plus, cine plus, zdf / arte. (international sales: kinology, paris .) produced by charles gillibert. co - producers, frank henschke, anja uhland, mine vargi .
alicia vikander received best supporting actress for “ex machina, ” which was tied for # 6 on the afca top ten list. directed by alex garland, “ex machina” also was named best first film .
rounding out the program are “peace to us in our dreams, ” the eighth feature from lithuanian director sharunas bartas, and “the here after, ” a first film by swedish helmer magnus von horn .
are the ones predicted to win by our readers (we’ll have a full rundown of the predictions at noon, after the contest ends). if i am predicting a different film, those are in
she dumped it because she thought a pregnant woman shouldn’t be out of the house? yeah. she sent a letter to everyone on the film saying that i was pregnant. and she’s a woman !
while ergüven must be commended for her light touch with some of the more tragic sequences, she and co - writer alice winocour have a few opportunities for a snip. some of the voiceover narration has a tendency to describe exactly what it is we’re seeing, and while some of the third act’s action (ish) scenes are thrilling, there are one or two contrivances that don’t quite feel realistic. nevertheless, mustang is a gripping film, and one that ought to stir up a bit of controversy in turkey. it’s worth noting that this is a french production .
what’s beautiful for me is that this is prolonging the life of the film’s family. we’re always together, living this adventure all together. that’s a big luxury and it makes us all stronger over time .
not just as a woman filming in turkey, but a pregnant woman. yes! the producer dumped the film three weeks before shooting. i had found out i was pregnant just one week before that.
mustang is a 2015 internationally co-produced drama film directed by turkish-french film director deniz gamze ergüven . the film is set in a remote turkish village and depicts the lives of five young orphaned sisters and challenges they face growing up as girls in a conservative society . the event that triggers the family backlash against the five sisters at the beginning of the film is based on ergüven 's personal life . it was screened in the directors ' fortnight section at the 2015 cannes film festival where it won the europa cinemas label award . mustang is the first feature film directed by deniz gamze ergüven . she explains her motivation to make the film was to uncover the women issue in turkey . the film won the 2015 lux prize . it was selected to be screened in the special presentations section of the 2015 toronto international film festival . the film won polish filmmakers ' association award for best feature movie at the 33rd ale kino ! festival . the film was nominated for the best foreign language film at the 88th academy awards . it was also nominated for a golden globe award for best foreign language film . it received nine nominations at the 41st césar awards , and won four , for best first feature film , best original screenplay , best editing and best original music . mustang has received widespread critical praise . 
mustang is a 2015 internationally co-produced drama film directed by turkish-french film director deniz gamze ergüven. the film is set in a remote turkish village and depicts the lives of five young orphaned sisters and challenges they face growing up as girls in a conservative society. the event that triggers the family backlash against the five sisters at the beginning of the film is based on ergüven's personal life. it was screened in the directors' fortnight section at the 2015 cannes film festival where it won the europa cinemas label award. mustang is the first feature film directed by deniz gamze ergüven. she explains her motivation to make the film was to uncover the women issue in turkey. the film won the 2015 lux prize. it was selected to be screened in the special presentations section of the 2015 toronto international film festival. the film won polish filmmakers' association award for best feature movie at the 33rd ale kino! festival. the film was nominated for the best foreign language film at the 88th academy awards. it was also nominated for a golden globe award for best foreign language film. it received nine nominations at the 41st césar awards, and won four, for best first feature film, best original screenplay, best editing and best original music. mustang has received widespread critical praise.
mustang is a 2015 internationally co-produced drama film directed by turkish-french film director deniz gamze ergüven. the film is set in a remote turkish village and depicts the lives of five young orphaned sisters and challenges they face growing up as girls in a conservative society. the event that triggers the family backlash against the five sisters at the beginning of the film is based on ergüven's personal life. it was screened in the directors' fortnight section at the 2015 cannes film festival where it won the europa cinemas label award. mustang is the first feature film directed by deniz gamze ergüven. she explains her motivation to make the film was to uncover the women issue in turkey. the film won the 2015 lux prize. it was selected to be screened in the special presentations section of the 2015 toronto international film festival. the film won polish filmmakers' association award for best feature movie at the 33rd ale kino! festival. the film was nominated for the best foreign language film at the 88th academy awards. it was also nominated for a golden globe award for best foreign language film. it received nine nominations at the 41st césar awards, and won four, for best first feature film, best original screenplay, best editing and best original music. mustang has received widespread critical praise.