Omar ve biz
Ismet is a Turkish soldier who served on the border with Greece as a commander of the coast guard. He recently retired. Now out of uniform, as a civilian he struggles to communicate with his family and people around him. He isn’t doing too well. His only son left for the United States and now Ismet’s wife wants to join her son, too. After suddenly becoming neighbours with refugees Omar and Mariye, Ismet has to face up to his political views and his prejudices. The actors playing the parts of the refugees are actually two Syrian refugees who live in Turkey under temporary immigration status. France’s immigration office recently accepted Hala Alsayasneh, who plays Mariye, as an “artist immigrant”. (Festival information, Warsaw 2019)
The contact with two Syrian refugees leads a retired Turkish police commander to gradually reconsider his prejudices. The film shows that people can help each other despite cultural, religious and national differences. There’s no „us and them” – we are one.
The jury finds particularly important that two Syrians are played by real refugees, therefore they couldn’t attend the Warsaw Film Festival. What is more – this Turkish film assumes specific value of the actual historical moment for the region.