Piano, Piano Kid by Tunc Basaran (Turkey, 1990, 130 minutes, 35mm)

Synopsis:
From the perspective of view of eight-year old Kemal, Piano, Piano Kid tells the sentimental story of several families who share a large house in Istanbul during World War II. Although conditions are difficult, the families rely on mutual support. The original meaning of the word "piano" is "quiet" or "soft," so when Kemal's uncle Kerim admonishes him by saying "Piano piano kid," he encourages his nephew to go through life softly. The boy is surrounded by eccentric people like his Uncle Kerim, who hopes to improve his family's lot through a great deal on old coins. His father is a compulsive gambler, and aside from rents paid by their tenants, the family earns most of its income through Kemal's mother's acting jobs. This sweeping, coming–of-age drama won the Best Director Award at the 1991 Istanbul Film Festival.
In Turkish with English subtitles.

Post-screening panel discussion with Mevlut Akkaya (Moon and Stars Project), Kerem Bayrak (film consultant, NYC) and Carole Woodall (NYU). Program curated and co-presented by the Moon and Stars Project

Biography:
Tunç Basaran was born in Istanbul in 1938. He spent four years working as an assistant and dialogue writer for renown Turkish director Memduh Un and assisted other important directors such as O. Lutfi Akad, Atif Yilmaz, Ertem Gorec and Halit Refig. He made his first film Life Struggle in 1964 and by 1972 had directed almost 40 films – mostly quick, unremarkable productions, with the exceptions of Cognac (1965), Murtaza (1965), and Ten Fearless Men (1964). Like his contemporaries, Bilge Olgac and Erdogan Tokatli, he then left "Yesilcam" (the Turkish Hollywood) and switched to making commercials. In 1987, he returned to commercial cinema with One and the Others, which won the Best Turkish Film award at the Istanbul International Film Festival. He repeated the same success with Don’t Let Them Shoot the Kite, which also won the Best Turkish Film award at the 8th international Istanbul Film Festival in 1988 and became the first Turkish film to be nominated for an Academy Award (Best Foreign Film).

His next efforts, Piano Piano Kid (1990), Please Don't Go (1996), and Graduate of Insanity (1998) have won awards at many national and international film festivals. Basaran also directed the television series Come On! (1993) and Azmi (1995). His latest film is Abuzer Kadayif/ Abuzer Baklava (2000).

Festivals & Awards:
Piano Piano Kid won prizes at film festivals in Istanbul, Adana, Frankfurt and in Iran. It won the Best Film Award at the Canadian International Children’s Film Festival.