Istanbul, August 25 (HNA) — A documentary film about the Ottoman victory at Kut Al Amara during the First World War has won three consecutive international awards.
Directed by Historian Koray Demir and produced by Doludizgin Creative Films, the Documentary won the Best Documentary Film award at the Florence Film Festival and the Silver Award: Best Documentary Film award at the New York Movie Awards and Hollywood Gold Awards festivals.
Considered the story of a unique struggle against imperialist powers in the depths of history, Kut Al Amara, which took place on the Iraqi Front, is seen as the second-greatest victory after Gallipoli. Koray Demir, who scripted the project due to his special travels and investigations to the battlefields, shot the documentary film in 7 countries over three years.
Speaking to Hermes, Koray Demir said, “This film invites you to look at a moment in the story of the collapse of an empire, a civilisation, from a completely different perspective. This perspective was prepared with a point of view that emphasises questions rather than answers” and added:
“In today’s world, where knowledge is devalued, words are devalued, and everything is consumed very fast, it may not be expected to search for information that can enable questions to be asked instead of answering them. In doing so, I aimed to witness the stories of people whose names have been erased, whose memories have been battered, and most importantly, who have been marginalised in history even though they have written history by being discredited.
“These people may have suffered because they wanted to live as they believed, their sacrifices may have been ignored, their voices may have been silenced, and they may have been excluded from history books. But if we can ensure that they have a place in the memories of conscientious people, I can consider myself to have come close to doing my part.
“Of course, this task imposes responsibilities on the viewer and the director. I want to make an effort without failing to respect anyone searching for the truth and sweating for this cause. I hope to shed some light on the subtle difference between what happened and the narratives ‘supposed to have happened’.”
Demir emphasised that the documentary was filmed with the Bullet-Time special CGI sequence and battlefield reconstruction in Los Angeles Studio, and all actor performances were computerised and re-textured.
According to the information given by Demir, the visual world of the film was completed as a result of a months-long post-production process to combine thousands of minutes of interviews, battlefields and field shots where important events took place, map animations, drama sequences, motion graphics themes, CGI sequences and dramatic reenactments. The narrator’s voice belongs to the famous actor Halil Ergün, and the documentary’s music is composed by Yücel Arzen.
Film Synopsis
Film Title: Kut Al Amara – From Fairy Tale to Truth
Production Company : Doludizgin Creative Films
Director and Writer : Koray Demir
Producers : Aynel Hayat, Yasemin Demir, Koray Demir
Narrator : Halil Ergun
Director of Photography : Gokhan Tiryaki
Music : Yücel Arzen
Director of Editing : Eray Demir
Production Supervisor : Kasım Aşmer
Action Choreography : Raiim Muradov – NOMAD