Turkey has selected Commitment Hasan (Bağlılık Hasan) directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu, to compete as the country’s candidate for Best International Feature Film at the the 94th Academy Awards.
The film which premiered at 74th Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard section stars Umut Karadağ and Filiz Bozok, and tells the story of Hasan, who makes his living from his father’s fruit garden, trying to get rid of the electricity pole that is intended to be planted in the middle of their garden.
When stubborn apple farmer Hasan learns that an energy company is planning to build a tower on the land he inherited from his father, effectively rendering it useless, he resolves to do whatever he can to put an end to the project—even at the expense of his friends and neighbors. Just when he feels he’s on solid ground, the unexpected approval for a long-awaited pilgrimage to Mecca shakes the earth beneath his feet, triggering a journey of soul-searching and self-reflection. The second entry in widely acclaimed Turkish auteur Semih Kaplanoğlu’s “Commitment” trilogy, Commitment Hasan is filled with gold-flecked landscape photography and impeccable performances. This moving, penetrating character study chronicles the lengths one man must go to atone for his past in search of forgiveness. (Chicago Film Festival)
Watch the trailer for Commitment Hasan (Bağlılık Hasan)