Tarlabasi and Me

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• 2015
• 1 hr 18 mins
• Documentary, Drama

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Right in the center of Istanbul, there remains an originally Armenian district, Tarlabasi, where poor people of all origins live together. It is easy to hide here and that is why Mustafa (not his real name) chose to live there. Like many, he earns his living rummaging in the trash. The student youth may mobilize to defend Gezi Park, real estate speculation is gradually destroying the city center. At the opening of the film, a clip produced for Istanbul's candidacy for the Olympic Games boasts a festive city combining Western modernity and picturesque Eastern. Marianna Francese and Jaad Gaillet enter the other side of this mirage. At night, the alleys of Tarlabasi are the scene of police repression which crushes the young protesters - under the placid eye of Mustafa and his neighbors who no longer have any illusions. While waiting for their neighborhood to be handed over to the wreckers, they cling to it, happy to be able at least to eat and sleep. The vagaries of life, including prison, made Mustafa a philosopher. He has learned to rejoice in the little he has, never to complain about a destiny in which he does not believe. A few friends to sing, drink and joke with are enough to cheer it up. While Tarlabasi survives the night, a fragile place of poetry and freedom, by day the backhoes strive to make Istanbul conform to its advertising image.