10 to 11

Mithat Bey is almost 80 and has been collecting since 1950: newspapers, alarm clocks, tape recorders with recordings of Istanbul, coups, various studies and careers, gifts and souvenirs. Everything has been archived to the last detail. This mania for collecting things once cost Mithat his marriage and now he’s in danger of losing his house – the building can no longer cope with the enormous amount he has collected, certainly not with the threat of earthquakes. Ali is the caretaker in Mithat’s apartment complex and is one of the few to be allowed into Mithat’s holy place. Slowly Mithat involves Ali in his life and with The Collection. The life of both men can be regarded as a metaphor for Turkey: the country is making great steps towards modernity and quickly losing its traditions.
The feature debut by Pelin Esmers (b. 1972), supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, focuses on the tension between progress and reminiscence, between looking back and facing the unknown future.

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