MEMLEKETİM

It is the 1970s in Vienna. The modern Leyla from Istanbul meets the budding Turkish medic Mehmet. They quickly develop feelings for each other. Yet Leyla must soon discover that Mehmet has very different ideas to her: he is planning to move back deep into Anatolia after finishing his education to serve his country. But Leyla’s love for Europe is too big. Will the two lovers find a way out of the dilemma?

Yücel Çakmaklı (1937-2009), born in Anatolian Afyonkarahisar, founded in 1964 the genre Millî Sinema (National-Islamic Cinema), dedicated to the Anatolian-Islamic reality of the country and its rich history. Çakmaklı created numerous series and feature films that primarily dealt with islamic-conservative attitudes and were historically motivated. In his earlier films, Çakmaklı’s characters convert from Westernized individuals to devout Muslims.