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Paper (Kağıt)

Paper (Kağıt)

Movie · 2010 · 9 people

A young director tries to make his first film in 1977 in Kağıt (Paper), a Turkish comedy-drama. Written and directed by Sinan Çetin, who is known as one of Turkey's most talked-about commercial directors, it premiered in the national competition of the 47th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (9-14 October 2010) and opened across Turkey on 14 January 2011.

At its center is the young, idealistic director Emrah (Öner Erkan), who wants to make a film about workers' problems. His father, the retired customs-guard director Mehdi Bey (Ahmet Mekin), believes he will become a pharmacist. With help from his mother Şahane Hanım (Ayşen Gruda) and friends, Emrah raises money from producers, only to meet bureaucracy: between him and his dream stands one last signature from the head of the censorship board, Müzeyyen Hanım (Asuman Dabak). Facing a petty official who enforces an absurd law blindly, the young man refuses to submit for the first time, and unpleasant developments follow. Zeynep Beşerler, Mazlum Çimen, Fatoş Seğmen and Uğur Bilgin also appear.

Plato Film produced the film, with music by Fırat Yükselir and cinematography by Kamil Çetin. Ayşen Gruda won Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Orange, and the director took Best Director at the 12th Dhaka International Film Festival.

DirectorSinan Çetin
Production companyPlato Film
Paper (Kağıt) Paper (Kağıt) Paper (Kağıt)

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Cast

Ahmet Mekin Ahmet Mekin Actor · 94 years old Mehdi Bey Asuman Dabak Asuman Dabak Actor · 56 years old Müzeyyen Gürkaya Ayşen Gruda Ayşen Gruda Actor · died at 74 Şahane Hanım Fatoş Seğmen Fatoş Seğmen Model · 44 years old Asu Balkan Mazlum Çimen Mazlum Çimen Musician · 68 years old Büfeci Öner Erkan Öner Erkan Actor · 46 years old Emrah Uğur Bilgin Uğur Bilgin Actor · 46 years old Zeki Zafer Ergin Zafer Ergin Actor · 84 years old Zeynep Beşerler Zeynep Beşerler Actor · 47 years old Çiçek

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Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Kağıt takes aim at the censorship board and bureaucracy through a young director trying to make his first film in 1977. The clash between Emrah, who wants to tell the story of workers' problems, and Müzeyyen Hanım, who holds the last signature he needs, gives shape to the tension between art and the state in those years. The father, a retired customs-guard director who is sure his son will become a pharmacist, also captures the gap in expectations between generations. The film draws the petty official blindly enforcing an absurd law in broad strokes; that exaggeration feeds the comedy but at times oversimplifies the complex mood of the period.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Written and directed by Sinan Çetin, Kağıt starts from an interesting place: a film about the act of filmmaking itself. The opposition between Öner Erkan's idealistic Emrah and Asuman Dabak's rigid bureaucrat forms the backbone of the script. Ayşen Gruda's turn as the mother, which won her Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Orange, is the film's warmest layer. The trouble lies in the shifts of tone: swinging between comedy and drama, the story sometimes struggles to decide which feeling to settle on. Still, the roughly 90-minute running time keeps it from sagging, and Kamil Çetin's cinematography carefully builds the feel of the seventies.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

Kağıt is a comedy-drama; it has moments that make you smile, but its subject is serious. It shows a young man's dream running into a wall of bureaucracy. The bond between mother and son is warm and endearing. The story also takes some unpleasant turns, so it won't hold much appeal for young children. It suits teenagers and adults, especially families who want to talk about chasing a dream.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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