11th New York Turkish Film Festival - MOMMO

Debut Films
2009, 94 minutes,35mm, Color;
Turkish with English subtitles
Written and directed by Atalay Tasdiken
Cinematography by Ali Ozel
Music by Erkan Ogur
Featuring Elif Bulbul, Mehmet Bulbul, Mehmet Usta
Based on a true story and debuted at the Berlin Film Festival, Mommo portrays the inner world of two siblings: nine-year old Ali and his younger sister Ayse. Rejected by their step mother, the pair decides to move in with Hasan, their crippled elderly grandfather. Filmed in Cavus village, near Konya in central Turkey, Atalay Tasdiken sheds light on one of modern lifes most tragic realities using locals as actors, and authentic landscapes as the backdrop for the film.
FESTIVALS-AWARDS
2009 14th Nurnberg Turkish Germany Film Festival: Best Film and Best Public Jury Award
2009 16th Adana Golden Boll Film Festival: Best Film in Public Jury Award and Best Supporting Actor (Mustafa Uzunylmaz)
2009 23th International Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults (Hamedan): Best Director and Best Eco Film Awards
2009 8th International Nueva Mirada Film Festival for Childen and Youth: Best Youth Film and Special Mention Awards
2009 International Children Film Festival, Yarevan (Armenia): Best Film Award and Best Film Award for Children Rights, UNICEF Award
2009 Dada Film Festival, Erzurum (Turkey): Best Film Award
2009 Asia Pasific: Nominee for Best Children Film
2009 London Film Festival
ATALAY TASDIKEN
Born in 1964 in Beysehir, Konya, Atalay Tasdiken graduated from Konya's Selcuk University with a teacher-training degree in physics. In 1991 he began working in advertising where he honed his skills as a dark room technician, media representative, copywriter and creative director. Over the next ten years, he directed over 300 commercials and served as creative director on some 30 product campaigns. He wrote and directed Be Numaral Kamp (Camp Number Five), a television film and Turkish-Russian-Uzbek co-production. In 1996, he made the documentary Gunes Bile Zor Ayrilir Bu Sehirden (Even the Sun Is Loath to Leave), a short piece about his hometown, Beysehir.
Filmography
2009 Mommo