Today will see the first clapperboard slamming in Antakya, Turkey, on Pastoral Pathways, the first fiction feature film by Ahmet Necdet Çupur who garnered copious acclaim for his documentary, Les Enfants Terribles [+lee también:
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The cast stars Turkish talent Öyküsu Özyürek, Durukan Çelikkaya and Bedirhan Avci, alongside French actress Sultan Ulutaş (whom we only just saw in Berlin in Yellow Letters [+lee también:
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Written by the director himself, the story takes us to southern Turkey. Sixteen-year-olds Nara and Raken dream of leaving their village to pursue their studies, despite the reluctance of those around them. But their desire for independence is stymied by a mysterious phenomenon: a number of children, including Nara’s little sister, fall into an inexplicable sleep from which no-one can awaken them.

Pastoral Pathways is being produced by French firms Les Films de l’Altaï (Tania El Khoury) and Micro Climat (Thomas Carillon), in co-production with Germany’s Niko Film (Nicole Gerhards), Belgium’s Solaris Productions (Natacha Hostyn) and Turkey’s Liman Film (Nadir Öperli). The feature film also enjoys support via the French-German Co-Production Mini-Treaty, as well as from the CNC’s Aide aux Cinémas du Monde fund, Eurimages, the regional funds MOIN (Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein) and Nordmedia, and Europe Creative MEDIA Co-Development. The 28-day film shoot will continue in Turkey until early April with Lucie Baudinaud (Nino [+lee también:
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For the record, Les Films de l’Altaï previously produced The River [+lee también:
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