The entire cast, featuring popular Turkish actor and stand-up comedian Ata Demirer, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie, was present at the event. The Turkish ambassador to Germany, Hüzeyin Avni Karslıoğlu, the film’s director, Algül, and various high-profile guests were also in attendance, the Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday.
The film tells the comedic tale of Ayhan Kaplan, played by Demirer, a Turkish-German boxer and bodyguard who lives in Berlin. Unfortunately business has not been good for Ayhan and his trainer Cemal, played by Tarık Ünlüoğlu. Following a spate of mishaps the two become desperate and realize they need a miracle to make ends meet, and the search for a solution to their problems begins. Necati Bilgiç, Nihal Yalçın, Özlem Türkad, Cemil Özbayer, Orhan Güner and Mert Aran star alongside Demirer and Ünlüoğlu in the cast.
Addressing the audience following the screening, Demirer made clear that while the film is not at all autobiographical, he had strong links with Berlin and Germany as a child. “I have a lot of relatives in Germany and I remember as a child waiting with excitement every summer for them to visit and bring us presents like tracksuits and chocolate. I had a lot of experiences with German culture and now as I approach the age of 40 I feel that the time has come to make a film about Turkey and Germany. I think you all enjoyed yourselves and had a good laugh at the film -- we had a good laugh, too. The emotional side of the film worked out well; at least we emerged with a unique story: a story of travel in another land,” Demirer said.
Answering questions at a press conference later in the day, Demirer said he is not thinking of writing a sequel to the film. “To be honest, I am not a great fan of making sequels just for the sake of it. This is a film that will stand alone in its own right. From now on I plan to work on a different film every year, addressing a different issue,” he said.
When asked what group of people the film aims to address, Demirer said the movie is not pinpointed at a particular group of people, but has the potential to address everyone. “Berlin Kaplanı” is currently showing at 80 cinemas in Germany.
