As part of her coverage of the 2017 Cinequest Film Festival in Silicon Valley, Ruth Copland talks to some very talented international film-makers about their unique stories and the power of film.
Ruth talks to Turkish Human Rights expert and film-maker Ruken Tekes about her life, work and award-winning short film The Circle, which had its California premiere at Cinequest. Listen here Ruken Tekes | It’s A Question of Balance. The film is set in a 12,000-year-old Mesapotamian ancient city which is slated to be flooded in 2017 to create a dam. It is based on true events and features 39 local children. It tells the story of Zelal, a petite 7-year-old whose different ethnic and religious background leads to trouble in the small school she attends on the day the teacher announces the letter of the week is ‘O’. It is a subtle and moving film, artfully capturing the natural beauty of the region and the different aspects of its characters. The film is the debut of Ruken Tekes and is an artistic exploration of the global reality of discrimination through the true story of the Ezidi Circle. The Circle has won best film awards at multiple International Film Festivals.
Ruth also talks to Australian director and writer Romi Trower about her art and first feature film What If It Works? a romantic and endearing film the unlikely subject of which is the burgeoning love between obsessive-compulsive and germaphobic Adrian, who spends his lonely days performing monotonous rituals and his equally lonely nights driving his race car, and Grace, a whimsical street artist suffering from dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities). Mental illness is increasingly in the news and What If It Works? takes a difficult subject and injects it with humanity and light. Listen here Romi Trower | It’s A Question of Balance
For more info and to listen to past shows visit It’s A Question of Balance.
