Burning Days

Original title: Kurak Günler
Genre: Political thriller
Director: Emin Alper
Country: Turkey, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Greece, Croatia
Year of production: 2022
Czas: 128 min

Awards and nominations:
2022 Ankara International Film Festival: Best Film, Best Actor, Best Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress
2022 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival: Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best
Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Actor
2022 European Film Awards: Best Editing
2022 Pula Film Festival: Best Film
2022 Thessaloniki Film Festival: Audience Award

The main character of this suspenseful thriller is a young prosecutor Emre (a brilliant and awarded role by Selahattin Pasali) who has just got a job in a Turkish province. Driven by ambition and full of ideals, he is supposed to solve a murder mystery. What he encounters, however, is a reality in which no one cares about the law, people have been living according to an established order for years, and the absolute power belongs to a conservative mayor. At the beginning it seems that what’s at stake here is the main character’s innocence and integrity. Soon enough it turns out that Emre will have to fight for his life in this world riddled with rakija, corruption, and dirty tricks. Emir Alper, a master of contemporary cinema from the Bosporus region, has created a universal metaphor of extreme political groupings’ rule. Their deranged leaders are able to do anything to keep their power even if it means playing the poor, taking over private media, and abusing women. The director doesn’t deny that his film is aimed at Erdoğan’s rule. But this brilliantly told story is equally compelling even without a political context. It’s a great genre film, a thriller with a vividly depicted conflict, stuffy atmosphere, and surprising twists. And an unexpected finale makes it difficult to forget. No wonder the film was praised by viewers and critics after its premiere at Cannes Film Festival.
Author: Artur Zaborski

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Emin Alper – one of the most important filmmakers of contemporary Turkish cinema. In his work he comments on socio-political situation in Turkey. He’s won over 40 awards at film festivals in Ankara, Antalya, Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Sarajevo, Sofia, and Venice.