"Where the fire burns" set to burn academy awards

"Where the Fire Burns" (Atesin Dustugu Yer) is going to represent Turkey at the upcoming Academy Awards, but the film’s producer Baran Seyhan said Turkey should work all together to highlight the movie in the international arena. The movie, directed by Ismail Gunes, was chosen by the Culture and Tourism Ministry as Turkey’s contribution to the Oscars. It is now in the hands of the Academy to decide if it will become a nominee at the awards ceremony. A total of 71 countries have applied to the Academy Awards Foreign Film Award section, Seyhan said. The nominated movies are then reviewed by the Foreign Language Award Committee. Seyhan stressed that some promotional lobbying measures should be undertaken to attract the committee members to the film. "We need to do something all together and support this movie," Seyhan said, noting that the film was a presentation of Turkey to the international community and should be supported by the whole nation. "This is something like the Olympic Games. In the Olympic Games we have seen the ministers always supporting the sportsmen and sportswomen. This should be the same for Oscar nominations. We also need the same motivation and support," Seyhan said. Based on a true story that took place in Turkey, "Where the Fire Burns" is a dark drama about a peasant family who learns that their 17-year-old daughter Ayse is pregnant. In the family which is forced to bow to traditions, Ayse’s father Osman is given the task of killing his daughter. Ayse is taken by Osman on a journey from the southwestern coast of Turkey to Konya and this journey and surrounding emotions are relayed in the film.