Salvation
A gripping drama about two clans who come to blows in a remote village high in the Turkish mountains. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival.
In a remote Turkish village nestled high in the mountains, the Hazeran clan, who fought off bandits to protect this land in the past, learn of the return of the exiled Bezaris, who instead of engaging in battle, fled the region for safety. In their absence, the Hazerans, a historically servant class, farmed the fields, irrigated the soil, and planted crops. As tensions rise and a decades-old land dispute is reignited, Mesut, the grudge-bearing older brother of the local leader, is troubled by heart-felt visions, which he understands to be divine in origin. While the villagers begin to murmur about violence on the horizon, Mesut’s zealotry intensifies and he starts to see himself as his people’s potential saviour. He develops a cult-like following among like-minded men who claim their aggression and prejudice are in the service of their community, setting them on a path from which there soon will be no return. Religious convictions, power struggles and tensions surge in the community. Will this all lead to tragedy or salvation? (source: New Horizons Film Festival, adapted)