Vizontele

Review by Ulas Cini

The Short 
This movie follows the mayor of a small village in Southeastern Turkey in the 1970s as he battles with an opportunist capitalist, Latif, in the village’s entertainment industry.

The Long 

The mayor recruits an electrician and calls upon his friend and some of his office staff to help him to set up a television transmitter on the highest position of the mountain. However, Latif seeks to undermine his efforts by belittling television as the work of the Devil and a slap in the face of Islamic tradition. The story is based on the childhood memories of the director Yılmaz Erdoğan during the arrival of the first television to Hakkâri, Turkey in the early 1970s.

To watch or not to watch? 

Watch! This film is a comedic gem but also shows the vast differences and conflict between religious and secular groups. Vizontele shows the issues that still persist in Turkey today, and those present back in the 1970’s.