SON MEVSIM: ŞAVAKLAR / DEMSALA DAWÎ: ŞEWAXAN /
THE LAST SEASON: SHAWAKS
2008, 92 min.
Color, English Subtitles
Written and directed by Kazim Öz
Music by Ardavan Kamkar, Abas Kemendi, Reza Shajarian
Produced by Kazim Öz, Suncem Koçer
Featuring Ağa Erel, Emine Erel, Ayşe Erel, Osman Erel, Simar Erel, Rabia Erel, Yeter İlki, Dilara Erel, Kader Topal
This is a documentary without narration in which filmmaker Kazim Öz depicts a year in the life of members of the nomadic Shawak community who live in the villages of Emigezek and Pertek near Tunceli in Eastern Turkey. The Shawaks divide the year between winter stone houses in villages and summer tents in rural hilltop pastures. Öz accompanies the Shawaks on their journey to the rolling hills both on foot and in pickup trucks as spring rains arrive and temperatures warm. A herd of livestock and entire families are unloaded at the foot of the mountains, and a massive hike uphill begins. Far away in these hills, the Shawaks spend their summer. The documentary is a true and poignant recount of the cycle of life between seasons, as the Shawak community forges through its humble existence; breeding and raising livestock in the winter, and making cheeses in the summer. The audience sees the Shawaks story unfold in a fable-like fashion as they content with everyday problems. In his work, Öz has tirelessly painted a beautiful picture of a way of life that is slowly disappearing.
FESTIVALS-AWARDS
2009 Istanbul International Film Festival (Turkey)
2009 Visions du Reel International Documentary Film Festival (Switzerland): International Competition
2009 Trento International Film Festival (Italy)
2009 Paris Cinema International Film Festival: International Competition (France)
2009 Docboat Warsaw International Film Festival: International Competition (Poland)
2009 Cinemed International Film Festival: Documentary Competition (France)
2009 Doclisboa International Film Festival: International Competition (Portugal)
2009 Corsica Doc Film Festival (France)
2009 Mannheim – Heidelberg International Film Festival (Germany): International Competition
KAZIM ÖZ
Born in 1973, Kazim Öz went on to spend his college years working with Teatra Jiyana Nû (The New Life Theatre) honing his acting and directing skills. He has worked with the Mesopotamia Cinema Collective since 1996. His first short film Ax (The Land) was well received both domestically and internationally. His first long feature Fotograf (2002) has won a number of prizes. His later work, a feature documentary of 74 minutes entitled Dûr (The Distant), was awarded “the best documentary” in the Turkei & Deutschland Film Festival, Nürnberg in 2004. In 2008 he completed his second feature fictional film, The Storm. Recently he finished his second feature documentary, The Last Season: Shawaks, which is a co-production with ARTE-France.
FILMOGRAPHY
2009 Demsala Dawî: Şewaxan (The Last Season: Shawaks) Co-production with ARTE-France
2008 Bahoz/The Storm
2006 Son Oyun/The Last Game (short film)
2005 Dûr/The Distance (documentary)
2001 Fotograf/The Photograph