The Match Factory has taken international sales rights to German filmmaker Türker Süer‘s “Edge of Night,” and has debuted a clip from the film (above). The film will make its world premiere in Venice Film Festival‘s Horizons Extra section, and its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
The film centers on Sinan, a young lieutenant in the Turkish army, who is asked to hand over his brother Kenan to a military court. Burdened by the tragic death of their father, both brothers embark on a journey through a land marked by political unrest. As they confront their beliefs, Sinan’s convictions are put to the ultimate test on the night of the coup. In a country where the state demands absolute loyalty, the brothers must decide if they are ready to face the sacrifices required by their duty and their conscience.
The film, starring Ahmet Rıfat Şungar and Berk Hakman, is written and directed by Süer. The director of photography is Matteo Cocco.
Süer comments: “This story began for me with the destruction of graves in eastern Türkiye. Angry residents knocked over tombstones, believing the freshly buried were members of a separatist terrorist organization. A local politician warned that such hatred could cost us our humanity. I was deeply shaken. Where does this hatred come from that doesn’t even spare the dead?
“Turkey has always been a land of strong contrasts, but today it looks like society has never been so polarized. There appears to be a climate of deep mistrust. What interests me here is trying to understand what it means to live in such a context, where everything and everyone can quickly become suspicious. To live in a country where the state seems to demand unquestioning and uncritical loyalty from its people.”
The producers are Viola Fügen, Michael Weber and Nadir Öperli. The lead production companies are MFP GmbH and Liman Film. The film is co-produced by WDR in collaboration with Arte, and with the support of Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Eurimages and DFFF.