Private Project

Hands and Feet (Elden Ayaktan)

SYNOPSIS
“HANDS AND FEET” DOCUMENTARY
This is the story of a craftsman, aged 60-65, who has been in the shoe-making business for 50 years. He has been retired for the past decade but continues with shoe, bag, and similar repair work. Through his profession, he holds on to life and keeps working to stay active and engaged. The craft of custom shoe-making itself is at risk of disappearing. Leather, labor, rights, and relationships with other tradespeople are of great importance to this master. His love and respect for his profession are reflected in his work, demeanor, and words.
Recently, he moved his workshop to a new location, which is rented. He hasn’t fully settled in or organized the space yet. The workshop is cluttered with forgotten items brought in for repairs and unsold goods, alongside his own materials.
Every day, the master opens his workshop, places the suitcases brought for repair outside, turns on his radio, gets tea from the passage’s tea stall, lights his cigarette, and begins his work. The process unfolds, showcasing his craft of repairing shoes, bags, and other items, as well as his relationships with customers and fellow tradespeople.

  • Ayşe Turgut
    Director
  • Ayşe Turgut
    Writer
  • Ayşe Turgut
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Elden Ayaktan (Hands and Feet)
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 38 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 17, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Turkey
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey
  • Language:
    Turkish
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Sakarya University
Director Biography - Ayşe Turgut

Ayşe Turgut (1978) is a documentary filmmaker currently studying Visual Communication Design at Sakarya University. She made her directorial debut with her first documentary, Hands and Feet(Elden Ayaktan), and aims to explore themes such as humanity, labor, and aging in her films. Embracing a natural storytelling approach and a minimalist visual style, she strives to convey the emotions and effort behind each story in the most sincere way possible.

Ayşe Turgut (1978), Sakarya Üniversitesi Görsel İletişim Tasarımı bölümünde eğitimine devam eden bir belgesel yönetmenidir. Sinemaya, ilk belgeseli Elden Ayaktan ile adım atan Turgut, insanlık, emek ve yaşlılık gibi temalara odaklanarak hikâyeler anlatmayı amaçlıyor. Doğal bir anlatım dili ve yalın bir görsel üslup benimseyen yönetmen, her hikâyenin ardındaki duygu ve emeği en samimi haliyle izleyiciye aktarmayı hedefliyor.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Director's Statement for Hands and Feet (Elden Ayaktan) Documentary
Believing in the value of having a purpose in life to make it meaningful is crucial. This purpose can be a skillful craft or a mental action, and every effort, every production, is valuable and important in its own right. From the moment life begins, humans learn and grow. What they have learned, they pass on to the next generations, thus creating knowledge, crafts, values, and traditions.
Living conditions can be challenging or easy in any era. However, today's technological advancements often overshadow the necessity of effort to obtain even the simplest things. While long life and ease are celebrated in popular culture, the true beauty and aesthetics are seen as a means to increase one's appetite for life. Unfortunately, the value of manual labor and the elderly often goes unrecognized in this context. If something is not beautiful, clean, young, or effortless, it might not be valued. However, possessing a craft not only provides freedom, ease, independence, and the ability to find solutions, but it also serves as a source and reason for dignity.
Our documentary Hands and Feet(Elden Ayaktan) will serve as a meaningful example of manual labor and the ability to remain productive in old age. The documentary will stand against the negative views on labor and aging. Creating, living, aging, and existing with effort, in a way that adds meaning to life, will contribute to raising awareness in the audience. The work you do might make your hands dirty, but your work and respect for people are pure, sacred, and invaluable. Effort done with goodwill, for the sake of kindness, deserves all kinds of recognition.
In this sense, being able to inspire future generations to pursue careers and craft will add a unique dimension to our work.

YÖNETMEN GÖRÜŞÜ
“ELDEN AYAKTAN” BELGESELİ
Yaşamı anlamlı kılmakta bir uğraş sahibi olmanın kıymetine inanılır. Bu uğraş bir el becerisi bir zihinsel eylem olabilir ki her bir üretim, çaba kendi içinde ayrıca değerlidir, önemlidir. İnsan yaşamın başından sonuna öğrenir gelişir. Öğrendiğini, bildiğini sonraki nesillere aktarır böylelikle bilgiler, zanaatlar, çeşitli değerler gelenekler oluşur.
Yaşam şartları her devirde kendi özelinde zorlu veya kolay olabilir. Günümüzde teknolojik sebepli pek çok kolaylaştırıcı herhangi bir şeye sahip olmak için emek verme durumunu göz ardı etmeye yol açmaktadır. Uzun yaşam, kolay yaşam popüler kültürde “beğeni” alsa da göreceli olarak her şartta güzellik, estetik olarak iştah artırması başattır. Maalesef el emeği ve yaşlı büyükler bu algıların tersine bir durum oluşturmaktadır. Güzel, temiz, genç, kolaylaştırıcı değilsen değer de görmeyebilirsin. Oysa el becerisi sahibi olmak aynı zamanda özgürlük, kolaylık, muhtaç olmama, çözüm bulabilme kaynağıdır, sebebidir.
“Elden Ayaktan” belgeselimiz el emeğine ve yaşlılıkta elden ayaktan düşmeme durumuna anlamlı bir örnek teşkil edecektir. Belgesel emeğe ve yaşlılığa olumsuz bakışın karşıtı olacaktır. Emekle üretmek, yaşamak, yaşlanmak, var olmak anlamlı olmak adına seyircide farkındalık oluşturmak adına katkı sunmak filmimiz için anlamdır, önemlidir. Üstün başın yaptığın iş sebebiyle kirli olabilir ancak işine ve insana saygın, sevgin tertemizdir, kutsaldır. İyi niyetli, iyilik adına emek her türlü takdiri hak etmektedir. Bu anlamda gelecek nesillerde meslek sahibi olma adına ilham oluşturabilmek çalışmamıza ayrı bir anlam katacaktır.