Kavala’s ‘Letters from Silivri’ is at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival

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Directed by Adrian Figueroa, "Letters from Silivri" has been selected to the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France.

While the film was made based on the letters of arrested businessperson Osman Kavala from Silivri Prison in İstanbul, the festival is considered one of the most prestigious film festivals in France after Cannes. The festival will take place between January 29 and February 6, 2021.

The 15-minute short film that was shot in the style of an experimental documentary previously competed in the 66th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, another prestigious short film festival, in Germany.

While the documentary is narrated by Mustafa Avkıran on behalf of Osman Kavala, its producer is Çiğdem Mater, its Director of Photography is Meryem Yavuz and its concept was designed by Tunçay Kulaoğlu.

The film's Assistant Director is Damla Kırkalı, its Art Director is Ceyda Yüceer and Assistant Producer is Okan Avcı.

On the website of Director Adrian Figueroa, the following information about the film is shared with the audience:

"Osman Kavala, a leading figure in Turkey's civil society, has been in custody in the largest high-security prison in Europe in Silivri since November 1, 2017. Prosecutors accused Kavala of organizing the 'Gezi protests' in Istanbul. A verdict was only delivered on 18 February 2020, when he was acquitted. But on the same day, the chief prosecutor of Istanbul demanded the continued detention in which he was accused of an involvement in the attempted coup d'état in 2016. If convicted, Osman Kavala faces life imprisonment without parole.

"'Letters from Silivri' draws on letters of Osman Kavala to document a timeline of his imprisonment. By separating voice and image the film intends to create an echo chamber that allows audiences to listen more carefully to Kavalas letters, while at the same time place his words in context to a civil society." (AÖ/SD)