When the Walnut Leaves turn Yellow! (Mehmet A. Konar) Turkey |

When the Walnut Leaves turn Yellow!
Mehmet Ali Konar
Turkey. 2024. 103 min

In southeastern Turkey, Kurds who want to live their lives in peace are squeezed between the harassment of Turkish military patrols and the demands of the PKK guerrillas, all while land and pasture are scarce. Ciwan is the village chief, a righteous and humble family man. Day in and day out, he rushes through his village duties and tending to his livestock. Two steps behind him is his 14-year-old son Feyzi, wondering why he has to learn everything right now. What he doesn’t know is that his father is seriously ill and time is running out. Mehmet Ali Konar effectively combines harsh realism with magic in his third film about an ever-vulnerable ethnic group, also delivering a heartwarming father-son portrait.

47th Göteborg IFF (World Premiere)
48th Mostra Sao Paulo IFF (Latin America Premiere)
58th Hof Filmtage IFF (German Premier)

13th Cinema Memoire Comune Nador IFF (Best Film Award)
14th Crime and Punishment IFF (Audience Best Film Award-Special Mansion)
11th Duhok IFF (Best Kurdish Film Award- Best Actor Award)
15th Sama IFF (Best Film Award)

MEHMET ALI KONAR

He is an Independent Kurdish director based in Istanbul. Graduated from The Marmara University Communication Faculty in Istanbul in 2005. He has studied Italian Cinema for a semester in Rome/Italy in 2006. He had been worked for 4 years in Tv Industry, Docu-mentaries and Films in Istanbul/Turkey. He had written and directed 3 films so far.

Mehmet Ali Konar received more than 30 national and international awards with his films, such as Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Fipresci Award and Turkish Film Critics Association Awards.

Filmography
WHEN THE WALNUT LEAVES TURN YELLOW -2024 (100min)
47th Göteborg International Film Festival (World Premiere) -(2024)
48th MOSTRA Sao Paulo International Film Festival (2024)

THE DANCE OF ALI AND MOTHER ZIN -2021
Premiered at 40th Istanbul International Film Festival -2024
COLORLESS DREAM -2018
Premiered at 37th Istanbul International Film Festival -2018