Aus der Ferne (Thomas Arslan, Deutschland 2006)

In the organizer's words:

Thu 4.7., 20h, Introduction: Matthias Dell & Wed 10.7., 20h
AUS DER FERNE Thomas Arslan D 2005 OmeU 89' Images of a journey through Turkey in 2005, from Istanbul and Ankara eastwards to close to the Iranian border: everyday street scenes, people in railroad station concourses and marketplaces, long car journeys, military controls, imposing wide landscapes and, time and again, (school) children. Arslan, who spent four years in Ankara as a child and returned to his father's homeland for this documentary after more than 20 years, sees himself as an outside observer, which is marked by the recurring motif of looking out of a window. Only in a conversation with his aunt does he become personal. Arslan, who also operated the camera himself, provides brief geographical or historical information in sparse off-screen comments. A dense portrait of Turkey emerges from many snapshots.