The Hive (Eylem Kaftan) Turkey. Official Section |

The Hive
Eylem Kaftan
Turkey. 2019. 93 min

Before she dies, Ayşe’s mother tells her that she will leave Ayşe her much loved bee hives to manage. Ayşe’s modern life has moved her away from the mountains of her childhood – a life in which the bees and their honey were central.

THE HIVE is inspired by a character I met, while shooting a documentary series I was directing about ‘urban farmers’. The beekeeper I met in Northeastern Turkey was an impressive woman who lived in the West for several years and then returned to her hometown to take charge of the bee hive of her family. The stories she told me about her struggle with bears pulled me into her world like a powerful magnet. I felt an urge to make this film.

EYLEM KAFTAN

Born in Turkey, Eylem Kaftan completed a B.A. in Philosophy at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. She then continued a Masters program at İstanbul Bilgi University in Cinema and TV. She completed another Masters program in film and video at York University. Her first documentary, Faultlines, investigates the aftermath of the earthquake which hit Turkey in 1999. It won Best Short Film and the Jury Prize at the Planet Indie Film Festival in Toronto in 2002. Kaftan then wrote and directed Vendetta Song (2005) produced in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada. This documentary about her personal journey into the honour-killing of her aunt in a small village in Turkey was broadcast on Vision TV and Télé-Québec in Canada and has received several awards including CIDA Prize for Best Canadian Documentary on International Development at Hot Docs; the Quebec Film Critics Association Award for Best Medium Length Documentary; Best Documentary, Calgary International film festival. The film also won the 3rd prize at the International Women’s film festival in Torino, Italy.