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:: PASSPORT CONTROL 4 - Kars (East Turkey) 2007 :: DIARY FROM KARS

Details about the Passport Control 4. International Film, Photo and Music Workshop organised in Kars (East-Turkey) in the framework of the Festival of European FIlms on Wheels

 

17 November, 2007 (Saturday) 23.00
SZENTES

written by Noémi Aponyi
Back at home for one day, at least being here with my body, but being far, far away from here, in North-East Turkey, in Kars in soul (, as one of the kind workshop participants put it into words). Violetta calls me, she would like to get a summary from me about my experiences, but I hold my mobile in my hand and try to find the right words as helplessly as I am keep tapping the keyboard right now while I am making quite hard attempts to activate those parts of my grey matter which survived the eight-day long party to summarize everything what happenned to us. It does not work. István Örkény, whose Turkish translator, Sevgi was our interpreter, once wrote, that we did not need to speak out everything, because if we said everything, we would say nothing. (So now I will tell you everything and nothing.)

7 November, 2007 (Wednesday)
BUDAPEST - GYŐR
written by Noémi Aponyi
After an interview with Menzel rush home, to Érd, where editing of the interviews made with the participants of the workshop (about their wishes, plans and expectations on our journey into Kars) is waiting for me, then racing to Pest to pick the S8 films up at KODAK Hungary (thanks KODAK Hungary, especially Péter Szakács for your support), to effect the insurance of Feri (Ferenc Török - teacher of the film workshop), finally running back home to pack up. Of course (if traffic circumstances are familiar to you in Budapest), running rather means being stuck in traffic jams, which is a great starting point for our journey (while I'm standing in the endless string of cars, lighting my tenth cigarette, gazing madly my watch whether I miss the last train to Győr or not, I have plenty of time to turn my thoughts to Turkey, since every bit of me wishes to escape not just from Budapest, but from Hungary as well.) Finally I manage to do everything, Péter and the guys (Szabó Peti, Béres Dani, Török Feri) are so kind to pick me up at a petrol station in Budaörs - I don't have to go by train.
In Győr I decide not to risk falling asleep, I rather spend time until our departure at 3.45 am in the office with arranging a workshop meeting with Esra, an organiser of FESTIVAL OF EUROPEN FILMS ON WHEELS), for next day 7.00 pm (we'll miss it), writing an other e-mail to Ögünc, the only Turkish participant of the workshop, then to Professor Oncuer, teacher of Kars University, who still plans to make his twelve students help us in our workshop, finally to Mujgan, translator, who will help us in communicating with the Kurdish musicians in Sarikamis. Meanwhile I get the news from Gergő (Somogyvári Gergő) from his way somewhere between Istanbul and Kars on the bus, that his lag-tooth is aching, he needs some medicine for it. My mobile rings again a few minutes later: it is Cimbi telling me quite embarrassing news, Sanyi doesn't have his ID card with himself, and since his passport has been left at me when I asked the visa into it, they will probably unable to get through the border.

8 November, 2007 (Thursday)
GYŐR - WIEN - ISTANBUL - ERZURUM - KARS
written by Noémi Aponyi
3.45 am: meeting Zsófi (Rechnitzer Zsófi - a participant of the photo workshop), his father and Pusi at Dunakapu Square, departure to Wien. Jenő calls me, Kacsa (Deésy Gábor) has left his ID card at home, too (and, of course, his passport also was at me.) As soon we manage to solve this problem (we meet before getting to the border, and everyone gets his passport back), my mobile rings again. This time it's Cimbi speaking, they didn't get through the border with the lack of Sanyi's passport, that's why they are coming towards Mosonmagyaróvár (from Sopron). I try to get Kacsa to coordinate the business with the officer at the border (although I haven't met him before, I've heard a lot about his communication skills), but Jenő ticks me off, saying I'm a nicer jane than Kacsa, all I have to do is smiling at the officer, pass him Sanyi's passport, and he will definitely get it. Although the officer is a woman, she is helpful, so I leave the passport at her and call Cimbi every half an hour, where they are, whether they can get at the airport in time. They can. I spend the flight with eating and sleeping.
In Istanbul we have to get through the city from the airport we have arrived to Atatürk Airport. A guy, kind and helpful for the first sight, greedy for the second one, hunts for us. After begging his tip from me with a hard work, but with a success finally, he pushes us into two small buses. In the bus we keep turning out heads to the left and then to the right all our way (it takes one hour) not to miss any sights we can get about Istanbul from our small vehicle. It turns out quite fast, that in Turkey you can smoke almost everywhere (even on the buses), it's me, as I guess, who expects this information with the greatest happiness, and I start to make use of this possibility immediately. The bus starts to fill in with smoke, Jenő shoots the others as they are shooting him from the other bus, then he comes up with the idea to listen to some Armenian music (instead of the former Turkish pop), gives a cd to the driver, who - without asking anything - plays it. His gestures slowly but well recognizably change. By the time we are over Bosporus, he doesn’t smile anymore. Then he starts to wind forward the tracks. Suddenly he stops at one of them, explaining us, that it is a traditional Turkish song. Feri tries to save what he can, starting a discussion with him about football (rather non-verbally, since our driver cannot speak any other languages beside Turkish). It works, and as we arrive at the airport, he says goodbye to us with a smile (thanks either to the global language of sport or his relief that he doesn't have to listen to Armenian music anymore).
The rebelllious is born in Feri, if he hasn't got the chance to drink a cup of Turkish tea on the bank of Bosporus, it's time to eat some kebab. In the airport we taste Efes, the Turkish beer, we fall in love with its taste for sure, but not with its price, also taste Cimbi's or Kacsa's (?) home-made pálinka, then we start our expedition in the unknown territory with the hope of some kebab. And we don't have to wait for the miracle long: in the neighbourhood of the airport we find a delicious cuisine in a restaurant made for taxi-drivers Meanwhile we nibble from salad, soup, tiny fried fish I send a few short messages to the others whether they know when and where our plane departures at. Virág and her band (Virág, Csuja Laci, Hernyák Kristóf) wait at the airport by that time, Király Tamás replies to me without any fusses, they will be there at 14.50 (our plane takes off at15.20, Tamás and András finally arrive at 15.10). I have a fast Turkish language course, I get to advanced level with tesekür (thank you) and merhaba (hi), for the next step I need some help, so I ask the chéf, whether they use gülegüle or something else for saying goodbye. Feri records with his camera the moment I say my first gülegüle to the unbelievably handsome Turkish chéf, who asks for the phone number of each of us, then he says gülegüle to us, we say gülegüle to him and to Istanbul as well.
Our next destination is Erzurum, where we get such a merhaba, I guess no one has ever got (except for those who have been here earlier). The drumbeat is familiar: when I was at the MEDIAWAVE Festival for the first time in my life, the audience had party in the yard of the synagogue for the music played by the Kurdish drummers. Now, at 7 pm none of us has a party (perhaps because we are aware the fact: we have 200kms - about three hours - left to get to Kars), we are rather amazed by this kind hospitality. Jenő is immediatelly kidnapped from us, he is taken by car, we, the others are taken by a bus to Kars. On our way to Kars I introduce myself to the Spanish guests of the Festival, they come from Madrid to participate in a workshop organized by Nisi Masa with the aim to write screenplays of Pamuk's novel, "Snow".
Gergő (with his aching tooth) and the two Ukrainan girls, Anna és Anastasya also accompany us to the dinner in Kars. I try to explain our host, that we should be somewhere else not having dinner but participating at a workshop meeting. In the end I speak to Esra on the phone. She and Basak, the main organiser of the Festival, are waiting for us at the hotel. We have a short discussion with the workshop participants and Esra, making appointments for looking for sceenes, casting, making notes about the steps we need to do to realize film shootings.

8 November, 2007 (Thursday)
GYŐR-VIENNA-ISTANBUL-ERZURUM-KARS
written by Jenő Hartyándi
As the raw of cities shows we’ll hopefully face an advanturous trip. The members of the group approached the final goal in different ways. Tamás Király and Gravi travelled from Budapest by plane the day before. Virág, Laci Csuja and Gergő Somogyvári arrived by train in 37 hours. Emese joined them in Bucarest. Anna and Anastasia came by ship from Odessa to Istanbul. The Flare Beas Gipsy Music Band left Devecser to the Vienna airport and 7 of us set off from Győr.
Those who came from Budapest – Noémi, Feri Török, Péter Szabó, Dani Béres – spent a night in our house and we tried to get ready for the happenings of the following days with drinking some palinka (Hungarian brandy). After midnight we realised that we had only three ours to sleep and we went to bed in panic. After waking up sleepy we picked up Kacsa (Gábor Deésy) first in his village who filled my car with his size and his fresh smell of garlic thus giving the basic countryside feeling of the trip for those who hadn’t met him before. He started to talk about his palinka and his last year’s experiences in Kars. Before arriving the border, two tiny organisation problem came to light: Kacsa didn’t have his ID and he had his passport with Noemi in the other car. In the meantime it turned out that no members of the Flare Beas brought their IDs and they wanted to cross the border in Sopron. But they couldn’t make it so they headed to Hegyeshalom where we left their passports at the border and we kept our fingers crossed that they catch the plane in Vienna. They did it. We recored their arrival because the movements of the band in the strange world could be the topic of a possible film. What’s more none of them has flown before.
Soon everyone arrived the national airport of Istanbul and we all landed luckily in Erzurum at the airport of which we heard the well-known tunes suddenly. They were the good old friends of Kacsa and me playing authentic Kurdish folk music surprising the others who were amazed by the warm hosting of the East. I was the only one who wasn’t allowed to travel by the mini-bus with the others: I had to travel in Rasim’car. Here I add that it was not the first time for me in the East to be distinguished as a boss, but this time I appreciated it because being Rasim’s friend I had the fortune to travel in his Lada car for 200 kms in 50 degrees accompanied with a strong headache caused by my very high blood pressure, and Mehmet, a cameraman and a huge drum on the back seat.
We arrived and waited for a long time for the bus when Kacsa called me and asked where the hell I was as they had been already eating their dinner in the restaurant. It was too late to discover the city so instead we were talking about our plans for tomorrow in the hall.

9 November, 2007 (Friday)
KARS
written by Jenő Hartyándi

During breakfast everyone were tasting the unknown foods like cream soup, different cheese and semolina soufflé. Most of us liked them. At 10:00 we went to Namik Kemal’s house which is a cultural centre in a perfect restoration stlye which lacks the European approach of culture in the 50’s. So it was a cool place. In the meantime the members and tutors of the workshop strated to arrive. It was a strange discussion beacuse we didn’t know it previously who we would meet there and what to do with each other. For us we would need local people who know the places and the circumstances there and who could help us with the shootings. It turned out that there were tutors and students who came with film plans but there was only one from Kars.


It was partly a good news because the studenst started to communicate with each other very quickly about changing actors/actresses and how to realise their plans.


On the other hand it was a bit inconvenient because the ’local force’ was missing without who the shootings seemed to be hopeless. After lunch someone came to us and said that there were some local students and we could talk about the film plans. By that time a part of the company went to find locations for the films. But the Király-Gravi duo, Virág and Emese could talk about their requirements and in the meantime new people arrived. Then everythig went above the expectations and Feri came back with the news that they found good locations.


Emese had the idea that she would shoot the film about the symbol of the city, the goose, and she would like to go to a farm in the village. It was easy to arrange this problem and the day after she was promised to be taken there. We heard that there would be a wedding party at night and we could visit it if we want. Of course many of us were enthusiastic even if it coincided that opening ceremony of the festival. I myself chose the wedding party although I had fear concerning the ’urban-being’ of the event but we were lucky. The wedding was a traditional Kurdish party with a little urban taste and with regular order of habits. There was traditional live music which was surprising for me. I knew most of the dances due to my musician friends but I hadn’t seen so many people dancing those dances before. There were 100-150 people in the circle dances, men and women separately and then together. There are some similarities with our weddings like changing wedding rings, bride dance and giving money to the new couple. The difference is that there is no drinking and big dinner but music and dance are more important.


I talked to Basak (festival director) who told me that about 200 festival guests must have stayed in Istanbul and Ankara because the flights weren’t allowed to depart because of the big snow. In spite of this there was a full house at the opening ceremony where the Flare Beas Band played shortly the signal of the festival. I’ll write more about the festival later…
We catched the festival dinner where we ate a lot as it’s usual in the East and in the corner the Flare Beas started to play music which was very much appreciated by the other guests. On the way out they played Basak’s and the mayor’s favourite songs. I have known the mayor of Kars for four years who is a very nice person taking part not only at reresentative events… His example should be followed by the Hungarian mayors as well…
Then we went to the Bolero, the club of the festival. I couldn’t bear the noisy disco music and decided to escape with some people but at the entrance Basak stopped us and said that we must see the culture program. So I had the chance to see for the third time the Caucasus dance group who gave a very virtuose and spectacular show. And then my illness forced me to leave the place.

9 November, 2007 (Friday)
KARS

written by Noémi Aponyi
We start the one and only day when it snows in Namik Kemal House, where we meet some young, enthusiastic Turkish filmmakers and their teacher, Urasch, Ögünc, the Turkish participant of the film workshop, Tayfun, a local volunteer, who attends to Russian Studies at Kafkas University (in Kars) and Sevgi, our Hungarian-Turkish interpreter. Tayfun becomes our guide explaining us that the house, we are sitting in, has been renovated recently, and it is famous for Namik Kemal living here as a child and writing his first poem here (Namik Kemal was as a famous poet in Turkey as Sándor Petőfi in Hungary). Everyone introduces him/herself, then we start discussing how to realize the films we are planning to shoot here. Fláre Beás Band provides not only its music by an informal concert here but with it our good mood and energy. Cameras appear everywhere as soon as the infromal concert starts, every of us lets his/her photographer or film maker inner-self out of the bottle.
At last I manage to speak to Professor Oncuer on the phone, we make an appointment: after lunch we are meeting in the hotel. Meanwhile we decide to visit the university and get volunteers for our films as soon as we can – if we plan to start shooting on Monday, it’s our last chance, since it’s Friday to find anyone in the University. Our hosts are a bit calmer than us: their idea is first of all to have lunch, then we can start working.
At the hotel I meet Professor Oncuer face to face – this time. After he gets over his first shock (he imagined me as a fifty-year old lady according to our former letters), he tells me though he promised us 12 of his students would help u sin the workshop, they are taking their final exams next week, that’s why he would not like to disturbe them and their preparation for the exams. He takes the filmplans I have sent him out of his bag, and starts discussing them one by one. He emphasizes Dani’s synopsis as his favourite one (in spite of the fact that in Hungary we worried the most because of his plan, since we thought it the most stereotypical (it’s a story of a lpoor, little Turkish or Kurdish boy). Then the Professor also interprets the synopsis of Tamás and András with less enthusiasm. He explains me that our work here is really important for them, as we can show their world to a wider public, that’s why we have much more responsibility to record the real situations and not a false one here. He tells me that arbané (Tamás script was built on/around this Kurdish instrument) is a Kurdish instrument, while they are Turkish. I try to convince him that our film plans aren’t ready at all, they will change for sure paralel with our staying in Kars, according to the impressions, knowlegde, moods we can find here. We say goodbye to each other with the accompanionship of a smile, but he advises me to try to get on alone, without their help.
In spite of the difficulties our rescue team appear soon after lunch: Sevgi, Tayfun, Urasch and the other young volunteers, participants even bring more people with themselves. Our Hungarian team tells them their film plans, and their needs to realize their plans. Sevgi is busy either with taking notes about all our needs, or trasnlating between us.
Suddenly the Young Turkish girl, who has become a volunteer of the photo workshop, comes up with the idea to visit a wedding ceremony of one of her friends int he evening. As we are approcahing the scene of the wedding party (it is a mall), Jenő gets worried if it isn’t going to be a traditional Turkish wedding, rather a modern one. I have to mention about the scene in brackets that it was the one and only place in Turkey where it wasn’t allowed to smoke, that’s why I spend most of the time standing and smoking in front of the ball room with the companionship of men. If I don’t get them shocked with my presence among them, I start an expedition for a raki (local brandy) with Virág and Laci. We discover the treasure we will so much in a shop in the mall. And then things happen so fast one after the other: we sit down in front of the shop, have a hard fight with opening the bottle, but finally (getting local men and women shocked again) manage to open it and swig from the drink tastes like mouthwash.
Back at the wedding we have a discussion with Jenő whether the red scarf, which appeared around the bridgeroom’s waist after her dance, is the symbol of virginity or not. Elif, a girl from Istanbul studying filmmaking and theology at the university and the only girl amng the participants of the workshop, who wears her scarf always on her head, explains me why and when she has it on her head. She tells me for example that it is forbidden to wear it at her fimmaking lessons, while she can have it on at her theology lessons. She tells us about her faith, and its symbol, the scarf with unmeasureable joy and peace.
We continue eating and drinking fat Kayabasi Restaurant then at Bolero (a local disco) after the wedding. I try to do my best to defend the picture about Hungarian girls who can get on having fun/ partying just exactly the same as the other sex. I manage to. Anastasya is taken to doctor because her lips hurt a lot and got ------ as it later turns out because o fan infection, probably in Istanbul).
Fláre Beás Band formerly got their audience amazed int he restaurant with their music, this time, in Bolero it is Cimbi and Kacsa get everyone’s attention with their ability to study the movements of the Caucasian dancers in a moment and accompany them dancing their folk dance.

10 November, 2007 (Saturday)
KARS - KIZILOGLU

written by Jenő Hartyándi
At breakfast they told that at 10:00 a.m. they would screen the film of MEDIAWAVE, the „Dear Days”, which we made last year here in Kars. We must go because we have to answer the questions of the audience. We were surprised to hear this as it was that we leave to the village at 10:00. We must postpone the trip. In the House of Arts we had the chance to see the photo exhibition, EBRU. It is a very strong material! The photos were taken by Attila Durak, and they were taken in the Middle Asian, Turkish and South-European regions in a unique style. For the first sight they could be ethno photos but there is something extra in the pictures: the titles and the theme of the photos suggest an intention showing the unknown small ethnic groups of the world and the cultural diversity.
After the film we talked about the reasons why we made that film. We also mentioned that the Kurdish musicians in the film were real stars in Hungary while they were totally unknownn here so it would be good to pay attention to local values as well. So we provoked the audience a bit so that they say something. Someone asked why we visited only the Kurdish villages after all there were many nations living here. We said that we were kindly hosted there but we were happy to see other places if we were invited. Noone offered us an invitation. We mentioned that we were just about to go to a village to shoot something and we didn’t know which nation lived there. So here they handle this topic quite sensitively.

While waiting for the car, we went to a shop to buy some mineral water. I just mention this thing because there was a horseshoe on the treshold and it brings luck – just like at home.
Then we set off to the village and headed towards Ani, the ancient Armenian city in ruins but on the halfway we turned to an other direction. We saw a canyon with waterfall and a cow carcass which might have been torn by a wolf. We brought the skull with us. The snow became bigger and bigger while we were driving on a road which rather seemed to be a track of a car. I suppose there wasn’t a heavy traffic there… We had learnt that the village has a karapapak population. They are originally from Azerbaijan and settled here from the Northern parts of the Caucasus. They earn their living from agriculture and animal keeping.

We couldn’t start the shootings just ’in medias res’ as Emese thought (her idea was to come here because of the geese) – it’s not the way it is in the East - but we had to drink some tea and talk to the hosts. Fortunately we had a translater, Sevgi, with us, who speak Hungarian very well. She translates Örkény and Attila József into Turkish. Soon we didn’t have enough space in the room because the relatives and friends started to arrive one by one.
Emese sticked to her ideas and wanted to do her job ignoring that these village people were not actors and actresses. We tried to feel alright in the comfort of the East. They said that it was impossible to start killing the goose without eating anything. The lamb had just been ready!

Then they strated to bring huge plates and pillows and we strated to eat the wonderful and tasty lamb, the bread similar to our langalló (pancake-like salty bread) and an other type of bread thin like the paper. I admit that we ate too much and we would remember the food for a long time. Then they cut the neck of the goose in the snow outside while more and more people arrived to watch the ’performance’. Of course it was a goose-killing for tourists. I doubt that they did everything as they usually did. Then we went to see the shed and Emese was scared as she thought they would kill a cow, too, and she gave me her camera. There was 20-25 cows inside. I could record some really nice pictures as the lights were really very beautiful. After that they showed us the process how they make that special tipe of ’thread-cheese’ we liked so much. Finally we recorded some funny situations with the goose but at that time it was really dark and we had to go back to Kars.
But by that time my physical condition became worse and worse due to the flue and the high blood pressure (180-200). The day before I ignored my new pills as they really did me bad. I could hardly move but somehow I went to the Bolero to see the first concert of Flare Beas. I wasn’t able to enjoy the concert because of my illness but it was wonderful to see their succes and how they got move the audience. I recorded the concert and the waving crowd and the several famous guests who were dancing. Then I went home and took my pills as I felt terrible.


 

10 November, 2007 (Saturday)
KARS

written by Noémi Aponyi
In the morning some volunteers appear at our casting in the hotel, with three photo models among them, for the pleasure of Tamás. A sightseeing bus and its guide are waiting for us at 10, a few of us (Feri, Dani, Virág, Gergő, Laci, Ögünc) get on it, but we are off at the first chance and keep on our trip to the Castle of Kars without the tourists and the guide. First we chose the sleep, rocky path, but as soon as we discover the hopelessness of our adventure, we turn back and make an attempt to conquer the castle by approaching it on the pitched road. This time our attempt is successful. Up there int he castle we are welcome by the Hungarian representatives of Nisi Masa and Daazo and last but not at least a breathtaking view of teh town and the surrounding mountains. Dani finds his assistant in one of the volunteers during our journey, Feri meets his film’s potential main role ina n easy rider rushing up ont he rocky, sleep road, while Virág and me stop at every stone on which there’s a sunbathing cat. In the hotel good news is waiting for us: Tamás and András found their actors and locations, while Emese has already started shooting her film int he country with Jenő.
In the evening comes Fláre Beás concert, with a giant applause, meanwhile Virág and me get friends (for all our life, as I hope), Zsófi is popped up the question, Laci is studying the local customs for getting a girlfriend, Kristóf keeps on entertaining us with his very funny word jokes during his breaks of dancing for the music of the boys from Devecser, Dani and me are dancing lambada, as it is told me later (unfortunately I don’t have really any clear memories o fit). Then a Kurdish boy comes to me introducing himself, I recognize a folk in him, so I introduce him to Virag immediately, who also improvises a casting int he club. In half an hour we find all the characters for her film among the crowd of Krudish, Turkish, Hungarian, Georgian boys and girls dancing for the music of Fláre Beás.

 


11 November, 2007 (Sunday)
KARS

written by Jenő Hartyándi
I woke up at 4:00 and I felt terrible. At breakfast I asked Peter and Kacsa to find me a doctor. The festival guests were gathering together to go to Ani, the ancient city in ruins but since I saw it four years ago I decided to get to know the Turkish health care instead. Djingis, a local friend of mine, took me to the hospital.
The reader might think of something terrible at this point, however I got calm because I arrived in the hospital as the guest of the mayor and I had the feeling that I would get a special care. And it happened so. Measuring my blood pressure, which was around 210, they immediately started a process made up of injection, pills under the tongue and infusion. Then they took me to a room with five beds. I was in the best condition among the five patients so seeing this, I started to get better. Sevgi, the interpreter, took care of me, worried about me and entertained me. In the next three hours I knew many things going around me. I wrote an sms to Noemi that I am on the way to be cured.


There were hundreds of visitors coming and going and with the help of Sevgi, I could get the line. There was a woman who said she was there because she just had given up smoking. A man in his 30s was suffering badly as he fell from somewhere very high and he hadn’t gone to see the doctor. I had to wait until my blood pressure went below 140. It took 3 hours and the doctor said that the one who had high blood pressure could be very sick here as Kars situated 1300 m above see level. I remembered a similar case when I was in Tibet in 1998. We suffered terribly there, too, until our body got used to the air above 3500 m.
The doctor said that I could go back to the hotel but suggested me that I should sleep a couple of hours in the afternoon. After dinner I went to Bolero but as the program wasn’t too interesting to me, I went to bed so that I prepare myself for the trip to Sarikamis the other day.
Before that I talked to Feri Török, who said positive things about the shootings tomorrow. Everyone found locations, actors/actresses and local helpers. The shootings on Super8 mm and video will start tomorrow. These are good news as my fears that we would not be able to find Turkish partners had no base. I hope everything will be alright.

12 November, 2007 (Monday)
KARS

written by Jenő Hartyándi

In the morning a part of the group left to Sarikamis. I also felt alright. From those who stayed in Kars, Dani Béres started to shoot on S8 mm and the Király-Gravi duo on video with help of Feri Török.
We had many goals. Virág, Gergő and Laci wanted to get off somewhere on the way. The had seen a strange car wreck some days ago which inspired them to create a story. The Flare Beas band, Kacsa and me were about to visit our musician friends to experience some village life. Péter Szabó and the photographers joined us as well. Emese decided to shoot a film on the gipsy band who had exciting experiences. They showed us some records the day before that they made with their camera and mobile phones. It is so amazing how these gipsy guys discover the world unknown for them and even us, too. They had some really good photos as well. And also they recorded a phantastic video clip in a jewellery shop where the shop assistants offered them seats and tea. They said that at home they immediately call the police when they just appear in the street of a jewellery shop.
We got the information that we couldn’t go to the villages because there was a big snow. We got sad but Rasim arranged an invitation to a house close to Sarikamis. Our musicians came to the yard with playing music and then they started to teach some songs and playing music to the local kids. It was a strange vision in the middle of the mud. With a better camera I could make much better pictures.
I recorded the music the guys played inside. Tibi told me about the differences between the gipsy houses at home and the houses here. It was very interesting.


We were told to hurry as we had to be in the school in Sarikamis because the dance group was waiting for us there. We could hardly reach the school because of the big snow and the kids weren’t able to dance on the yard like last year. They and Rasim’s band had the performance on the corridor. I have to state again that the kids are really very good and folk dance, as a form of entertainment, is much closer to them than in Hungary.
The Flare Beas also played shortly in one of the classrooms. The kids started to fill the room and a big party was about to happen.


But we had to leave soon because the lunch was waiting for us in the Sarikamis Kizil Otel where we had a very delicious big meal. By the end of the lunch Gergő sent us a message that they got a car so they would come here. I forgot to mention that when Gergő and the others wanted to get off in the middle of the wilderness our hosts in the bus got into a panic. They reffered to danger and terrorists and the weather was also windy and freezing cold. Our little group hesitated a bit but finally they dissapeared in the distance. After lunch we had some free time and we went for shopping in Sarikamis.

Arriving back, a music band and party tables awaited us. A very nice singer woman sang Turkish and Kurdish songs and our guys participated enthusiastically in the circle dances. Then the Flare Beas band and Rasim’s band played. The latter visited MEDIAWAVE three times and a lot of memorable concerts and parties accompany their name. Rasim surprised us with a 5 year old boy playing the drums showing that their music would survive. The little kid hit the difficult rythms on his drum precisely. Then we said goodbye to Rasim and the orthers and promised each other that we would meet next year. I haven’t met such a sensitive and pure person before. Although we can’t talk to each other I feel him very close to me.


Arriving back to Kars we had to run to the Bolero because Basak wanted to introduce our group to the Turkish stars who just arrived. The band did their best again and they made a huge dancing party. I would like to add here that before the concert everyone had to go to the hospital to bandage up their hands which injured during playing music on cans. The interesting thing was that a police car took us there, which fact for us is quite unbelievable. It would worth to decribe the connection of the festival and the police: it is absolutely positive and so different from ours. Hower, most people in the world have negative images about this area deformed by the media.
By night Dani Béres finished his shootings but Tamás Király wasn’t so successful as the child main character gave it up. So they had to restart the shootings. Tomorrow they will continue and we were asked to be statists in the mass scenes.

13 November, 2007 (Tuesday)
KARS

written by Jenő Hartyándi
Originally our plan was to go back to the villages around Sarikamis but it didn’t make sense because of the snow. Anyway there were some problems with some mass scenes in Tamás Király’s film so the music band and I went to help them to the riverbank close to Kars. We had to fish and beat a wicked murderer which was a big fun five times but we lost our enthusiasm for the tenth time. I did all this barefoot because I lent my shoes to the boy who found a pair of shoes in the film. So I wasn’t able to wear the shoes which became wet in the cold water. I collected some stones here – soon I fill my flat with them…
After lunch Kacsa, Cimbi, Noémi and me went for shopping in the city. We bought some smaller souveniers and ate something in a buffet car. You can eat very tasty and simple food in these cars where the fireplace is right behind the driver’s seat, the other seats are turned and there is a small table in the middle. We were thinking how to bring one to our festival.
We had a workshop meeting at night where we discussed what to show at the closing party. Tamás Király and Gravi will start the edition works at night.
There was a word music band in the Bolero but I was very tired and didn’t see them.

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2024-03-12 22:12

Passport Controll'24 - Workshops and Application

Application is now open to this year's Passport Controll Summer Workshop and Gathering, at the Kund Castle, Somogyfajsz! You can choose from a range of visual, music, family and gastronomy workshops. Click here for details!

2023-06-25 015:05

Greek filmmakers at the Passport Controll Summer Workshop

Two Greek filmmakers will come to this year's Passport Controll - Summer Art Workshops and Community Gathering, to lead film workshop for students. Film director Karina Logothetis and sound designer Vasilis Zlatanos won the award for the Most Original Short Film at the 33rd edition of the Mediawave Film Festival this year, with their short fiction Pebble.

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