Salvation (Kurtuluş)

Two clans stand facing each other, knives drawn, in a remote Turkish mountain village. The Hazerans have successfully defended the village against a terrorist attack, whilst the Bezaris fled. Now that calm has returned, the latter want their land back, leading to an ever-escalating spiral of violence. In Salvation (Kurtuluş), director Emin Alper slowly builds the tension and allows the boundary between dream and reality to fade imperceptibly. This story of a local dispute evolves into a universal parable about power. Rumours, religious visions and collective paranoia create a reality of their own in which fanaticism flares up. The soundtrack by Dutch composer Christiaan Verbeek heightens the sense of foreboding. Awarded the 'Große Preis der Jury' – the second prize, you could say – at the Berlin Film Festival, Salvation confirms that Alper is one of the most original voices in contemporary Turkish cinema.