Experiencing Interruptions?

Suffocating with Manners

One morning, seven apartment residents crowd into an elevator due to different reasons. While the residents are complaining about the building manager Miss Bahtiyar, suddenly the elevator breaks down. This incident increases tension.

  • Sertaç Koyuncu
    Director
  • Sertaç Koyuncu
    Writer
  • Sertaç Koyuncu
    Producer
  • Dilan Engin
    Producer
  • Selen Öztürk
    Producer
  • Celil Badikanlı
    Producer
  • Tülay Demirören
    Key Cast
    "Nuran"
    Körfez
  • Okan Koç
    Key Cast
    "Fırat"
  • Neşe Arat
    Key Cast
    "Bahtiyar"
  • Pınar Uyanık
    Key Cast
    "Birsen"
  • Direncan Babacan
    Key Cast
    "Metin"
  • Mehmet Kaplaner
    Key Cast
    "Tamer"
  • Sinan Güçlü
    Key Cast
    "Süleyman"
  • Beritan Sayan
    Key Cast
    "Şükran"
  • Tolgahan Ener
    Key Cast
    "The Boy with the Dog"
  • Oğuzhan İnceoğulları
    Director of Photography
  • Ali Altunsoy
    Production Designer
  • Deniz Bahadır Özdemir
    Sound Design & Mixing
  • Mustafa Burak Soykan
    Original Music
  • Dilan Engin
    Production Manager
  • Sevinç Karataş
    Assistant Director
  • Ferhat Kaya
    Art Director
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Boğulmanın Adabı
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Turkey
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey
  • Language:
    Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 33rd Braunschweig International Film Festival
    Braunschweig
    Germany
    November 23, 2019
    European Premiere
    Fürchterlich Warmherzig Short Film Selection
  • 13th Alexandria Film Festival
    Alexandria, Virginia
    United States
    November 9, 2019
    World Premiere
    Late Night Showcase Selection
  • 72nd Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner 2019
    Cannes
    France
  • FABİSAD GİO 2019 Short Film Competition
    İstanbul
    Turkey
    January 4, 2020
    Merit Pay
  • 7th Kiev International Film Festival
    Kiev
    Ukraine
    May 22, 2020
    Short Film Competition Official Selection
  • 2nd International 2 Sides Short Film Festival
    Izmir
    Turkey
    October 9, 2020
    Official Selection
  • 21st International Izmir Short Film Festival
    Izmir
    Turkey
    November 4, 2020
    Official Selection
  • 3rd Balkan Can Kino Film Symposium
    Athens
    Greece
    October 17, 2020
    Curated by Zehra Cerrahoglu
  • 39th Terror Molins Film Festival
    Barcelona
    Spain
    November 6, 2020
    Short Film Competition Official Selection
  • 8th Kayseri Golden Sycamore Film Festival
    Kayseri
    Turkey
    October 29, 2020
    Official Selection
  • 7th International Usak Winged Seahorse Short Film Festival
    Usak
    Turkey
    Official Selection
  • 16th Courts Mais Trash International Film Festival
    Brussels
    Belgium
    April 21, 2021
    COMPÉTION INTERNATIONALE 2
  • 41st IFSAK National Short and Documentary Film Competition
    İstanbul
    Turkey
    March 14, 2021
    National Short Film and Documentary Competition
  • 41st Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market 2019
    Clermont-Ferrand
    France
  • 4th Torino Short Film Market 2019
    Torino
    Italy
  • 12th Lions International Short Film Competition
    İzmir
    Turkey
    June 22, 2021
Distribution Information
  • Diler Ercan
    Country: Turkey
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Sertaç Koyuncu

His essays were published on film journals such as Sekans, Psikesinema and Alacakaranlık. In 2016, he graduated from Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts Department of Film Design and Directing. In 2019 he earned his master’s degree from the same university’s Film Design Program. Currently he is a ph.d. student in Bahçeşehir University’s Cinema and Media Research Program and working as a Research Assistant in Yaşar University’s Film Design Department. His graduation short film “Suffocating with Manners”s World Premiere took place in Alexandria Film Festival, USA and its European Premiere took place in Braunschweig International Film Festival.

*"Boğulmanın Adabı / Suffocating with Manners" Short Film (2019) - Director & Writer
12. Lions Kısa Film Yarışması, Üçüncülük Ödülü. 2021
7. GİO Ödülleri, Kısa Film Kategorisi, Başarı Ödülü. 2019
7. Uşak Kanatlı Denizatı Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Görsel Efekt Ödülü. 2020
7. Uşak Kanatlı Denizatı Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Yarışması, (Deniz Bahadır Özdemir) En İyi Ses Tasarımı Ödülü. 2020
2. 2 Yaka Kısa Film Festivali, Gösterim Seçkisi. 2020
21. İzmir Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Panorama Filmleri, Gösterim Seçkisi. 2020
8. Kayseri Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Bölümü, Gösterim Seçkisi. 2020
7. Uşak Kanatlı Denizatı Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Film Dalı, Finalist. 2020
7. Uşak Kanatlı Denizatı Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Görüntü Dalı, Finalist. 2020
7. Uşak Kanatlı Denizatı Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Kurgu Dalı, Finalist. 2020
7. Uşak Kanatlı Denizatı Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Sanat Yönetmeni Dalı, Finalist. 2020
7. Uşak Kanatlı Denizatı Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Senaryo Dalı, Finalist. 2020
7. Uşak Kanatlı Denizatı Kısa Film Festivali, Ulusal Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Yönetmen Dalı, Finalist. 2020
Bornova Belediyesi Film Ofisi, En Kısa Gün Kısa Film Seçkisi. 2020
39. Terror Molins Film Festivali, Uluslararası Kısa Film Yarışması, Jüri Özel Ödülü Adayı. 2020
39. Terror Molins Film Festivali, Uluslararası Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Senaryo Ödülü Adayı. 2020
39. Terror Molins Film Festivali, Uluslararası Kısa Film Yarışması, En İyi Özel Efekt veya Makyaj Ödülü Adayı. 2020
39. Terror Molins Film Festivali, Uluslararası Kısa Film Yarışması, ‘Victor Israel’ En İyi Performans Ödülü Adayı. 2020
39. Terror Molins Film Festivali, Uluslararası Kısa Film Yarışması, ‘Manel Gibert’ Seyirci Özel Ödülü Adayı. 2020
3. Balkan Can Kino Film Sempozyumu, Gösterim Seçkisi, Ekim 2020
8. Kayseri Altın Çınar Film Festivali, Gösterim Seçkisi, Türkiye, Ekim 2020
4. Kiev Uluslararası Film Festivali, Festival Plus Ukraine, Gösterim Seçkisi, Eylül 2020
33. Braunschweig Uluslararası Film Festivali, Fürchterlich Warmherzig, Gösterim Seçkisi, Kasım 2019
13. Alexandria Film Festival, Midnight Programme, Gösterim Seçkisi, Kasım 2019
4. Torino Short Film Market, Kasım 2019
72. Cannes Film Festivali, Short Film Corner, Mayıs 2019
41st Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market, Ocak 2019
27. İFSAK Kısa Film Festivali, 40. Kısa Film ve Belgesel Yarışması, Kurmaca Dalı, Finalist. 2021

* "Prenses Model / Princess Ball Gown" Short Film (2019) - DOP & Editor
30th Ankara International Film Festival, National Documentary Film Competition, Apr 2018
19th International İzmir Short Film Festival, Nov 2018
Bornova Municipality 2nd Short Film Festival, Nov 2018
9th Human Rights Documentary Days, Dec 2018

* "Solo" Short Film (2018) - Director, Writer & Editor
6th Pembe Hayat Kuir Fest - Short Film Selection
2nd LGBTI+ Youth Festival - Short Film Selection

* ”Çapulcular Bahçesi / The Garden of Chapulling" (2014) - Director & Editor
21st Adana International Film Festival - Student Film Competition Finalist
11th Kar Film Festival - Short Fiction Film Finalist

* "Küçük Bir Hikaye / A Short Story" (2006) - Director, Writer & Editor
4th Istanbul International Children Film Festival, Runner-Up Prize

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Sertaç Koyuncu has written this script when he was doing his obligatory military service. A nightmare that Koyuncu saw when he was in the military, inspired him to write the script of Suffocating with Manners. The short film is mainly based on the idea of being stuck in somewhere and it's reflections on individuals. The project tries to show the tension between people who must go through a tunnel, in this case, an elevator, to go out from their houses.
This tunnel is the critical representation of a single ideology, single political party and single and pure form of life. The emphasis on individual's deadlock was screened in a way that the space and the construction, aren’t able to deal with.

The location of the set was Dokuz Eylül Fine Arts Faculty's TV studio on first three days of May. The idea of being stuck in somewhere puts down its roots on space's architecture. The building that is pictured in the film is similar to former Turkish housing estates (TOKI), in which most of the poor families or the families who have low-income lives. These housing estates were supposedly made to prevent squattering and overpopulation.

The building manager Miss Bahtiyar keeps on writing petitions to the authorities about the conditions of the elevators. She tries to address that they don't meet with the capacity of the building and they constantly break down, yet she never gets an answer. Since Miss Bahtiyar has a really low tolerance, is stubborn and dominant, one day she decides to label two of the elevators as not in use. When only one of the elevators function, in a building ought to have three, because of manager related issues, it clearly shows that there is a concrete obstacle to live peacefully. Proving the saying "democracy is a regime of toleration", the intoleration of the building manager, has finally ended up being a restriction of residents' right to live peacefully.