Aus der Ferne

Images from a journey through Turkey in 2005, from Istanbul and Ankara eastwards to near the Iranian border: everyday street scenes, people in railway stations and marketplaces, Kurdish women dancing, long car journeys, military checkpoints, impressive expansive landscapes and, again and again, (school) children. Arslan, who spent four years in Ankara as a child and returned to his father's homeland after more than 20 years for this essayistic documentary film, sees himself as an outside observer, which is marked by the recurring motif of looking out of a window. Only during a conversation with his aunt does he become personal. In sparse voice-over commentary, Arslan, who also operated the camera himself, provides brief geographical or historical information. Many snapshots come together to form a dense portrait of Turkey. (B.K.)