Experiencing Interruptions?

Balkancisco

When a young Turkish immigrant arrives in San Francisco, she finds herself inside an evergrowing Balkan music scene and sets on a quest to explore how Bay Area has become such a hotbed for Balkan music, how it influenced the local music scene and how music travels across borders.

  • Tugrul Sarikaya
    Director
  • Duygu Gün
    Writer
  • Tugrul Sarikaya
    Writer
  • Tugrul Sarikaya
    Writer
  • Duygu Gun
    Producer
  • Tugrul Sarikaya
    Producer
  • Ozgen Goksoy
    Producer
  • Ozgen Goksoy
    Director Of Photography
  • Duygu Gun
    Key Cast
    "Duygu"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Feature, Music Video
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    389,512 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Turkey
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey, United States
  • Language:
    English, Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital - 4K
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • World of Film International Festival Glasgow
    Glasgow
    United Kingdom
    Balkan Focused Feature Award Winner
  • San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival
    San Francisco
    United States
    Excellent Documentary Feature Award Winner
  • San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (SFFFF)
    San Francisco
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Halic Goldenhorn Film Festival & Market
    İstanbul
    Turkey
    Finalist
  • Dok'n'Ritam Music Documentary Film Festival
    Belgrade
    Serbia
    Official Selection
  • Berlin International Art Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    Best Documentary Feature Award Winner
  • Chicago Women Film Fest
    Chicago
    United States
    Best Producer Award Winner
  • California Indies
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Best First Time Filmmaker
  • NewBorn Short Film Festival Berlin
    Berlin
    Germany
    Finalist
  • Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    Official Selection
  • 2024 ARFF Berlin // International Awards
    Berlin
    Germany
    Official Selection
  • 10th Music Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    Official Selection
  • World Music & Independent Film Festival
    Virginia
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Nartugan Film Festivali
    İstanbul
    Turkey
    Official Selection
  • 11th International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra Awards
    Crete
    Greece
    Official Selection
  • Madrid International Film Festival
    Madrid
    Spain
    Official Selection
  • ReelHeART International Film and Screenplay Festival
    Toronto, Ontario
    Canada
    Official Selection
  • International Music Video Underground
    Paris
    France
    Best Music Documentary About music
  • Istanbul Movie Awards
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    Semi-Finalist
  • San Francisco Arthouse Short Festival
    San Francisco
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Global Film and Music Festival USA
    GreatFalls, Va
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Universe Multicultural Film Festival
    Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • World Music & Independent Film Festival
    Jeffersonton, Virginia
    United States
    Finalist
  • San Jose Independent Film Festival
    San Jose
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Oakland Film Festival
    Oakland, CA
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • New York International Women Festival
    New York, NY
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • California Music Video & Film Awards
    San Francisco, CA
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Sacramento Independent Film Festival
    Sacramento, California
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Brussels World Film Festival
    Brussels, Belgiom
    Belgium
    Semi-Finalist
  • Palermo International Film Festival
    Palermo , Italy
    Italy
    Semi-Finalist
  • 11th International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra Awards
    Crete, Greece
    Greece
    Official Selection
  • New York Istanbul Short Film Festival
    New York City, New York
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Golden Bridge İstanbul Short Film Festival
    İstanbul
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Cannes Film Awards
    Cannes
    France
    Finalist
  • Hollywood New Directors
    Hollywood, CA
    United States
    Honorable Mention
Director Biography - Tugrul Sarikaya

After completing his education in Political Science and Public Administration at Uludağ University, Tuğrul Sarıkaya started his master's degree at the same university. He moved to San Francisco in 2014 to study Web Development at City College of San Francisco and started his first e-Commerce venture, Recro Garage Inc. After selling his business to a Houston-based company, Tuğrul started to focus on video production. 35Video LLC, which he founded, quickly showed the expected success. He conducted the visual programs of ISS Guckenheimer, one of the largest food/beverage organization companies in the world. He designed illustrative visuals for Vizru, a multinational start-up in Silicon Valley. He carried out the visual promotion works of many restaurants and businesses. The "wedding videography" work he created with his team was awarded the best videographer of 2020 by theKnot, the world's largest wedding organization platform. Now he provides visual marketing services all around the globe and he produces documentaries.

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Director Statement

Since I graduated in Political Science, I've come to the realization that cultural differences and similarities are not necessarily the root cause of political division, as they often tend to bring people together rather than drive them apart. It's true that at the core of our cultural expressions lies a sense of shared humanity that transcends boundaries and borders.
Balkancisco focuses on the idea that there are certain cultural expressions that are so innate to our shared humanity that they cannot be taken away by politics. It's important to recognize the ways in which politics can divide us, but also to understand the enduring power of cultural expression and its ability to bring us together.