''Black Dogs Barking'' ( tr, Kara Köpekler Havlarken) is a 2009 Turkish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

, written, produced and directed by Mehmet Bahadır Er with co-director

Maryna Er Gorbach Maryna Er Gorbach (born 1981, Kyiv) is a Ukrainian filmmaker who writes, directs, produces, and edits films, often with her husband, Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Bahadir Er. She won the directing award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 20 ...

, starring Cemal Toktaş as a naive young parking attendant who gets mixed up with the mob in pursuit of his dream of running his own car park. The film, which went on nationwide general release across Turkey on , won awards at film festivals in Antalya and Ankara and its newcomer directors have been hailed as Turkey's answer to

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

, for their inventive shooting style and authentic ear for the city's underground slang demonstrated in this their debut film.

Production

The film was shot on location in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

Plot

Selim's family has migrated from Anatolia to İstanbul. A naive young man without any special training or expertise, he likes to feed pigeons on the rooftop of the building he lives in. Selim's best friend, Çaça Celal, is a local tough guy. Selim and Çaça work for a man they refer to as Usta, running car parks in the ritzy neighborhood on the other side of the road. Their greatest dream is to have a car park of their own. In a club that Selim frequents, he meets Mehmet, who makes an offer that will change their lives forever

Release

Premiere

The film premiered on January 25, 2009, at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. After postponing its much anticipated release for months, the film opened across Turkey on .

Festival screenings

* 38th International Film Festival Rotterdam (January 21-February 1, 2009) * 28th

Istanbul International Film Festival The Istanbul Film Festival ( tr, İstanbul Film Festivali) is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Tu ...

(April 4–19, 2009) * 35th

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

(May 21-June 14, 2009) * 23rd Wine Country Film Festival (September 17–27, 2009) * 36th

Flanders International Film Festival Ghent Film Fest Ghent, spelt Film Fest Gent in Flemish and also known as International Film Fest Gent, is an annual international film festival in Ghent, Belgium. The festival held its first edition in 1974, under the name Internationaal Filmgebeuren ...

(October 6–17, 2009) * 25th

Warsaw International Film Festival Warsaw Film Festival ( pl, Warszawski Festiwal Filmowy, abbreviated as WFF) is an annual film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries from all around the world. The festival ha ...

(October 9–18, 2009) *

46th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival The 46th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival ( tr, 46. Uluslararası Antalya Altın Portakal Film Festivali) was a film festival held in Antalya, Turkey which ran from 19 to 17 October 2009. This edition of the International Anta ...

(October 10–17, 2009) * 32nd Starz

Denver Film Festival The Denver Film Festival is held in November, primarily at the Denver Film Center/Colfax, in Denver, Colorado, now the Anna and John J. Sie FilmCenter (Sie FilmCenter). Premiere events are held in the Buell Theatre and Ellie Caulkins Opera House ...

(November 12–22, 2009) * 4th Bursa International Silk Road Film Festival (November 14–22, 2009) * 11th New York Turkish Film Festival (December 2–5, 2009) * 21st Ankara International Film Festival (March 11–21, 2010) * 21st Munich Turkish Film Days (March 21–29, 2010)

Reception

Reviews

Emrah Güler, writing in ''

Turkish Daily News Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...

'', states that the film "delves into a recurring theme in Turkish cinema for the last couple of years, the existential angst faced by second-generation men whose families have migrated to Istanbul in the hopes of better lives," and recommends it to those "who are curious about the hype surrounding Turkish cinema's answer to Martin Scorsese and Guy Ritchie," but not to those "who are bored by the recurring theme."

Accolades

(October 10–17, 2009) - Best Supporting Actor:

Volga Sorgu The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchmen ...

(Won) * 21st Ankara International Film Festival (March 11–21, 2010) ** Best Supporting Actor: Volga Sorgu (Won) ** Cinema Writers Association Best Film Award (Won)

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 1399198, Kara köpekler havlarken 2009 films 2009 drama films Films set in Turkey Turkish drama films