A man falls into the Bosphorus on a snowy night. His son, Mete is dragged into a half-hearted pursuit through claustrophobic Istanbul. Faced with the depression of his mother, he discovers some not-so-conventional means to summon an absent father. The search takes Mete through sleepless nights in Istanbul as a smothering chronic cough slowly overwhelms him. In his debut film, Deniz Tortum walks confidently between various modes of cinematic styles. By blending dramatic seriousness with a campy feeling as well as creating abstract passages with uncanny digressions, the film ultimately manages to capture different cinematic moments tactfully.

Director: Halil Deniz Tortum

Producer: Cem Celal Bilge, Halil Deniz Tortum

Screenwriter: Halil Deniz Tortum, Steeve Roso

Cinematographer: Halil Deniz Tortum

Editor: Halil Deniz Tortum

Sound Designer: Cem Celal Bilge

Additional Credits: Assistant Director: Burak Cevik, Editing: Halil Deniz Tortum, Sound: Cem Celal Bilge, Sound: Ugur Deynekli, Sound: Steeve Roso

Principal Cast: Ulas Tuna Astepe, Sergulen Onan Dervisoglu, Zeynep Olcer, Burak Cevik, Selim Can Bilgin, Meric Selcuk Cetinkaya, Osman Baran Tortum, Murat Dervisoglu, Zarif Tortum, Ismail Gurbuz

Born in 1989, Deniz Tortum grew up in Istanbul. He studied film at Bard College, NY. His experimental shorts, "Tebbet" (2011) and "Infitar" (2010), have been screened in festivals in Turkey and the US. "Zayiat" is his feature directorial debut.

Public Film Contact
Halil Deniz Tortum
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deniz.tortum@gmail.com
(646) 354-0992