Berlinale came to a close with two Heretic’s titles garnering awards in their respective categories:

Special Jury Award for Aliyar Rasti’s
Encounters title THE GREAT YAWN OF HISTORY

Aliyar Rasti’s debut feature mounts to a road trip turning allegory that begins with a man dreaming of a box of gold waiting for him at the end of a cave. Curbed by his religious belief that it is not permissible to go after it himself, he employs the assistance of a non-believer and together they embark on a long journey across the Iranian landscape in pursuit of a miracle. Their treasure hunt soon also turns tempting for those they meet along the way.
The film is an allegorical breakthrough, a play of hide and seek between faith and human frailty.

“A rigorous realist fairy tale that follows two men on a journey that they might
never come back from, but from which they’ll be forever changed.”
“A vision of Iran both beautiful and desolate, bustling and quiet.”
The Film Verdict

“Like a roadtrip version of Waiting for Godot.”
Rasti utilizes the vintage aspects of fable to present
a fractured portrait of contemporary morality.”
Ioncinema

Top FIPRESCI Prize for Asli Özge’s FARUK
at Berlinale Panorama.

Faruk, a man in his 90s, becomes the central character of his daughter’s film about the impending demolition of his block of flats in Istanbul. Simultaneously, Faruk attends building management meetings, hoping to delay the demolition process of the building he has been living in for decades. Gradually reality and fiction intertwine and the line between the two starts to blur. Shot in authentic locations and based on real characters and events, Asli Özge’s 3rd Panorama title offers a unique and intimate look at the life of an elderly man in the bustling city of Istanbul exploring not only the implications of gentrification but also the complexities of a father-daughter relationship.       

“Puts a quirky, personal spin on this important socioeconomic issue.”
“This immersive blending of documentary and fiction works to get under the skin
of its aging protagonist: a taciturn, stoic and engaging King Canute figure”
Screen

“An experience that feels true.
An engaging, personal story with a strong political and social aspect”
Cineuropa

“A wonderful contribution to the topic of resilience in old age”
Tagesspiegel