National Documentary Competition

SUREYYA THE KITMAN

• Director: Gökçe Kaan Demirkıran
• TURKEY / 2018 / DCP / Colour / 110´ / Turkish; English s.t.

• Screenplay: Gökçe Kaan Demirkıran
• Editing: Hande Yıldırımer, Mustafa Balaban
• Music: Evren Karakul
• Cast: Süreyya Soner
• Producer: Gökçe Kaan Demirkıran
• Production Co.: FilmDeney
• World Sales: FilmDeney

“In the winter months of 2011, the roads of Süreyya Soner, or so called Süreyya the Kitman and Gökçe Kaan Demirkıran intersect at the İnönü Stadium , and this coincidence turns into a friendship with time. This friendship takes Gökçe into a journey of Süreyya’s life story. Because Süreyya is a living memory of Turkish football history and has been working as a kitman for Beşiktaş football team for many years. Football and Istanbul are changing very fast but Sureyya is not changing at all. He is as famous as a footballer and a football character known by different generations. He is a labourer of football. A documentary director and a fan of Besiktas, Gökçe goes to Süreyya with a proposal ...’ Let’s make a documentary film about your life story. And adds, all your life together with Besiktaş’ ... The documentary Süreyya the Kitman traces the history of Beşiktaş and the city of Istanbul within the biography of the kitman Süreyya.”

This film was a Meetings on the Bridge participant.