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Turkish director Reis Çelik unveiled “Night of Blindness,” a Turkish-German co-production set during Turkey’s 1980 military coup, at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival. The film is competing for the Golden
Goblet Award in the main competition section.
The film centers on Fatma, a left-wing activist who goes into hiding in a cramped space between wooden planks at a construction site and must rely on a group of workers she has never met to evade capture. Çelik, who drew from personal experience in shaping the story, chose to place a woman at the center of the drama.
“Many countries are no strangers to political oppression, and most similar films feature male protagonists,” Çelik said. “By having a female protagonist, I hope to give voice to women in this genre.”
Shot in black and white, the film reflects Çelik’s view that color can obscure a story’s emotional core. He said at the film’s SIFF press conference that he wanted audiences to focus on the nakedness of the story and the eyes looking out through the narrow wooden gap.
“Night of Blindness” is the second entry in Çelik’s planned Night Trilogy, following “Night of Silence” (2012), which won the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Çelik said at the press conference that the trilogy as a whole reflects his concern that humanity is moving toward a point where people no longer hear, see or understand one another. He added that a third film, tentatively titled “Sağır Gece” (Night of the Deaf) is also planned.
Çelik added that as a filmmaker he hoped to illuminate “certain aspects of reality that are being downplayed and ignored,” and said he expected Chinese audiences to connect with the material. “Turkey and China have a lot in common in terms of worldview and history,” he said.
Appearing alongside the director at the press event were lead actors İştar Gökşeven, who plays the military commander, and Aydin Orak, who portrays an inspector. Both were visiting Shanghai for the first time and described the experience as “very enjoyable.” Gökşeven said at the press conference that performing in near-total darkness forced him to rely on voice, posture and shadow to convey emotion, calling it a great gift for an actor.
The Shanghai International Film Festival runs through June 21.
