Swiss filmmaker Sinan Taner graduated from the ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts) with a Bachelor in Film and his 2024 graduation film 1:10 premiered at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur and has also been selected for Clermont-Ferrand as well as the Max Ophüls Film Festival. It is currently preparing to screen as part of EFP's Future Frames at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. 

A normal elementary school on Sports Day. Parents mill awkwardly about as their offspring dart around. But an argument between two parents soon has consequences for everyone. Taner’s film makes us observe from a distance (both literally and figuratively) as he cleverly dissects everyday behaviour and examines the gap between the individual and the collective.

Cineuropa: What sparked the idea behind 1:10?
Sinan Taner: The story of 1:10 is based on an absurd event I experienced during my childhood. Back then, my father was attacked by a man he had never seen before. The reason for this was a harmless argument between me and a classmate. The conflict between the two fathers escalated to death threats. This incident, which happened more than 15 years ago, has stayed with me ever since. For quite some time, I had the idea of making a film about it.

I grew up in a family that unites two cultures—my mother is Swiss, my father Turkish. This multicultural experience made me think about identity, belonging, and social structures from an early age. The film is shaped by my own experiences and observations, especially the question of how a child deals with different cultural expectations and the conflicts between opposing world views. I believe that as a child, you are highly sensitive to when someone behaves differently—especially when it’s your parents. You feel ashamed of them and yet want to defend them when they are excluded or attacked. 

Why did you to decide to film in the way you did, from a bird’s eye view? 
Already during the writing process, the bird’s eye view was a central stylistic element. With it, I wanted to create intricate scenes—similar to hidden-object pictures—where the characters pursue their individual tasks and problems without recognising the larger context of the story. This broader perspective was meant to be reserved for the audience, in order to highlight the absurdity and senselessness of the events. Time and again, we zoom in on individual characters to follow them more closely, only to pull away from them again. My aim was to emphasise the interplay between the individual and the collective, and how they influence each other. This is also symbolised by the title, “1:10.” The number 10 represents the collective—the society as a whole—while 1 stands for the individual seeking their place within this structure.

Did the style of filming cause any practical issues? 
Together with the DOP, we planned the setups and workflows in quite some detail. However, many things couldn’t be anticipated, as there were sometimes up to 150 people in front of the camera. Rehearsing before the shoot, especially with the extras, was practically impossible. The challenge, therefore, was to react quickly to spatial changes and make adjustments during the shoot while working with a large number of people in front of the camera. Communication with the DOP wasn’t always easy either, as he was on a cherry picker about 15 meters high above the schoolyard during the shoot.

Speaking of difficulty, the film has a relatively large cast. 
The main character of the film is not a person, but the collective. The individual characters are able to intervene within their scope, yet they remain only a small part of the whole. Therefore the many people moving within the film’s microcosm were central. A large number of extras were intended to give the film a sense of public space. In the end, over 250 people were on set as extras.

What is next for you, projects wise?
I am currently writing on a feature film that traces fifteen strangers in a city, navigating the same day. Their lives never truly touch - yet they share buses, shops, glances. Interwoven by the chaos and beauty of a single day, they all face the noise of emotions. 

Alongside this, I’m in post-production on a feature-length documentary about various people in a retirement home, whom we followed over four years until their passing. Similar to 1:10, the film deals with themes of identity, social constructs and conflicts within a microcosm.