Ahmet Uluçay-Karpuz kabuğundan gemiler yapmak ('Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds') (2004)

Director Ahmet Uluçay's first feature tells the coming-of-age story of two friends whose passion for cinema is unstoppable. Recep and Mehmet dream of becoming film directors, but Recep's apprenticeship to a watermelon vendor and Mehmet's to an abusive barber yield little money, so the movie camera in a shop window is only a dream. Undaunted, they build a projector out of wood and a battery-run lamp, and manually pull scavenged filmstrips through the gate, trying to achieve the mystical formula of 24 frames per second. Along the way, Recep falls in love with Nihal, a haughty town beauty who refuses to return his affection, and to further complicate matters, Nihal's younger sister Güler cherishes unre­quited feelings for him. Frequently made to feel inferior by the city dwellers, the boys hope that the cinema will prove their sal­vation. Are their dreams as impossible as boats made out of watermelon rinds? Istisnai Filmler




This is a movie about amateur spirit made with an amateur spirit. It is the story of two adolescents who live in a small village, work in temporary summer jobs in a small town near their village, and have a passion for cinema. One of the boys works in a barber shop, the other sells watermelons. Whenever they find time, they work on their old little machine to show motion pictures from disposed films they collect from the local movie-theater, the only person in support of these efforts being the village idiot. While their efforts continue hopelessly but ambitiously, one of finds himself in love. The movie was inspired by the director's own passion about cinema, and was made in his own village, all the acting being done by local villagers. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0325675/plotsummary)




In this autobiographical debut feature, Ahmet Ulucay captures the infinite joys of childhood and the magical hold of cinema on two young boys living in Tepecik, a small Anatolian village, where Ulucay still lives. Working with a watermelon vendor and a barber by day, and trying to build a film projector by night, Recep and Mehmet dream of changing their lives by becoming famous film directors. The village idiot, Deli Omer, is the sole witness to their exuberant nocturnal labors and simple longings. But things begin to change when Recep falls for Nihal. Life, echoing the complicated plot twists of his beloved films, turns out to be quite complicated, as Recep’s feelings are not reciprocated by Nihal, but by her younger sister. BostonFF




“Self-taught director Ahmet Ulucay persisted for more than a decade to fulfill his dream of making an autobiographical film about his youth in Turkey. The result of his perseverance and ingenuity is the absolutely charming Boats out of Watermelon Rinds, a return to the romance, vigor and sweet dreams of adolescence… Shot entirely on digital video and transferred to 35mm, Boats out of Watermelon Rinds is lushly painted with inspired plays of color and a keen eye for landscape; it conjures up a time and place far away, but somehow completely familiar. This is an infatuating, prodigious debut and a stirring tribute to a lifelong love of the cinema.” – Dimitri Eipides, Toronto International Film Festival BostonFF





“The undoubted discovery of 2004’s Istanbul Film Festival, Boats out of Watermelon Rinds is an autobiographical charmer by first-time helmer Ulucay, evoking early teen dreams about girls and movies. Although the combo of first love and movie obsession is hardly new, writer-director Ulucay brings an engaging flavor to the material, aided by an acute sense of period and setting, plus tip-top performances by the whole cast.” – Variety BostonFF




Ahmet ULUCAY was born in 1954 in Tepecik, a village close to Tavsanli, Turkey, and still lives there. Passionate about moving pictures since childhood, dreaming of becoming a director one-day. Has been making award winning short films for the last 15 years. Boats Out Of Watermelon Rinds is his first feature length film. BostonFF