The Flag

Bayrak

Köken Ergun | Turkey | 2007 | 8' |

| IFFR 2007

The Flag is part two of a series of video works about Turkish national day ceremonies. This work was shot during Children’s Day on 23 April, a festive day celebrating the forming of the Turkish parliament and the official end – in 1920 – of the Ottoman Empire. On this day, children perform pompous patriotic rituals that were conceived by the elders. With the mayor and governor of Istanbul as host, and accompanied by a senior soldier, the schoolchildren recite poems and take an oath in which patriotism turns to ultra-nationalism.

Also in this combined programme

TNO Rijswijk 1998
Short: As Long As It Takes
What does a cat hear? We can find out in the lab.
Fly from the Dead
Short: As Long As It Takes
Sadism or a good deed? The life of a fly is taken and given back.
Prelude of Silence
Short: As Long As It Takes
In a psychiatric institution in Armenia, power relations are clear.
Justice to Insult
Short: As Long As It Takes
An invalid man looks for resistance and challenges a fellow citizen to a psychological battle.
Poster
Short: As Long As It Takes
A sign by the motorway to Kiev causes quite a commotion. A fictional film based on a dramatic event.