''Mrs. Salkım's Diamonds'' ( tr, Salkım Hanım'ın Taneleri) is a 1999 Turkish drama film, directed by

Tomris Giritlioğlu Tomris Giritlioğlu (born 1957) is a Turkish film director and producer. She is best known for directing the 1999 film ''Mrs. Salkım's Diamonds''. Selected filmography References External links

* 1957 births Living people Turkish ...

. It is based on the

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

Mrs. Salkim's Diamonds by Yılmaz Karakoyunlu. The film, which went on nationwide general release across Turkey on 19 November 1999, won awards at film festivals in Antalya and Istanbul, including the Golden Orange Award for Best Film. This film was submitted to Turkey's 72nd Academy Awards for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Novel

The novel ''Mrs. Salkım's Diamonds'' (''Salkım Hanımın Taneleri''), written by

Turkish 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 mi ...

author and ANAP party member Yilmaz Karakoyunlu in 1990, recounts stories and witnesses of the non-Muslims during the Varlik Vergisi. The novel was developed into a film in 1999.

Film

The film is set during the period of the Varlik Vergisi where many non-Muslims were forced to pay higher taxes, often in an arbitrary and unrealistic way. Around two thousand non-Muslims, who could not pay the amount demanded for the tax within the time-limit of thirty days, were arrested and sent to a forced labor camp in

Aşkale Aşkale is a town and district of the Erzurum province of Turkey. The mayor is Enver Başaran (AKP). The population is 12,509 (as of 2010). Kandilli Ski Resort, which hosts cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions at some international wi ...

in the Erzurum Province of eastern Turkey. Twenty-one of these laborers died there. The movie language is in Turkish, however some scenes include Armenian. The film follows the plight of one family and traces how they were affected by the tax and other policies directed at non-Muslim ethnic minorities. The plot has a young Armenian man named Levon who is sent to Askale along with a man who considered himself ethnic Turkish, only to find out that there was Jewish ancestry in his bloodline ( donme). Nora, an Armenian woman who was raped, kills herself and her baby because she did not want to bear a child of an involuntary pregnancy.

Production

The film was shot on location in

, Büyükada and

Mardin Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...

Cast

*''

Hülya Avşar Hülya Avşar (born 10 October 1963) is a Turkish actress, singer, businesswoman, and former beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for numerous films and hit revenge series "Kadın İsterse". Her international roles include Safiye Sultan ...

'' as ''Nora'' *''

Kamran Usluer Kamran Usluer (1937 – 26 July 2004) was a Turkish film actor. He appeared in more than fifty films from 1966 to 2004. Selected filmography References External links * 1937 births 2004 deaths Actors from İzmir Turkish male fi ...

'' as ''Halit Bey'' *''

Zuhal Olcay Zuhal Olcay (; born 10 August 1957) is a Turkish actress and singer. Biography Graduated from Ankara State Conservatory in 1976, she first started as a stage actress. Since 1983 she also started acting in films and became famous with films like ...

'' as ''Nefise'' *'' Uğur Polat'' as ''Levon'' *'' Derya Alabora'' as ''Nimet'' *''

Güven Kıraç Güven Kıraç (born 5 April 1960) is a Turkish actor. He won the IFFI Best Actor Award (Male) at the 41st International Film Festival of India. Biography Kıraç was born on 5 April 1960 in Istanbul, Turkey. He studied theater at the conserv ...

'' as ''Bekir'' *''

Zafer Algöz Zafer Algöz (born 30 August 1961) is a Turkish actor, best known for his films '' Salkım Hanımın Taneleri'' (1999), '' A.R.O.G'' (2008) and '' Yahşi Batı'' (2010). Biography He began acting classes in 1975, which were held by Bursa Stat ...

'' as ''Durmuş'' *'' Murat Daltaban'' as ''Clarinetist Artin''

Awards

Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival

*Best Picture ''(Golden Orange)'': Tomris Giritlioğlu *Best Actor: Uğur Polat *Best Music: Tamer Çıray *Best Art Direction: Ziya Ulkenciler *Best Film Editing: Mevlüt Kocak

Istanbul International Film Festival

*Best Actor: Güven Kıraç Istanbul Film Festival awards
, retrieved 2008-08-08

Reactions

Ahmet Çakar, a member of Parliament from the MHP, was outraged at the screening and believed it is indecent and unacceptable under the guidance of nationalism.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mrs. Salkim's Diamonds 1999 drama films Turkish drama films Films set in 1942 Films set in Istanbul Films shot in Turkey Golden Orange Award for Best Film winners Films based on Turkish novels 1999 films 1990s Turkish-language films