Experiencing Interruptions?

Aksel is a Fish in the Aquarium (Director's Cut)

Aksel, a Turkish university student obsessed with Norway, studies the language while living off shoplifting and money from his parents. After a few job rejections, he begins spiraling into a delusional journey of exoticism and ambition.

  • İsmail Çetin
    Director
  • İsmail Çetin
    Writer
  • Efe Şahbaz
    Key Cast
    "Aksel"
  • Soltan Zeynallı
    Key Cast
    "Ramil"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Aksel er en fisk i akvariet (Director's Cut)
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 29, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    20 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Denmark
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey
  • Language:
    Norwegian, Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - İsmail Çetin

As a young filmmaker and visual artist from Turkey, I’m İsmail Çetin. My passion for life and cinema inspires me to explore the real, the weird, and the beautiful aspects of our world. I aim to capture the ways a life or an idea can be through my short films. Each project is a personal and meaningful love story for me. Love for the video, for the memories, and for the big curious world we live in.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This is a very personal film for me as a young Turkish filmmaker that comes from a generation frustrated with our country’s intense political climate and lack of opportunities. Many of us feel trapped, longing to escape and discover ourselves elsewhere. Aksel’s obsession with Norway reflects this restless urge—an attempt to fill the emptiness with a dream of belonging somewhere better. Through Aksel’s delusional journey, I explore the absurdity and heartbreak of cultural obsession and idealization. This film is about a generation stuck between the reality we have and the fantasy we chase, questioning what it really means to seek a different life.