Ukde

The film deals with a universal immigrant problem that suddenly enters the life of a woman.
Güzide is a tailor. She has a routine life, strictly adheres to his own rules. One day Leyla comes to Güzide's house with a little girl. Leyla asks Guzide to take care of the child for a few days, says that she will go out of town for work and will get her back. The tailor does not accept. Leyla leaves the house on the pretext of speaking on the phone and does not return. This little girl (Ecca) touches Güzide's past and makes sure she doesn't feel alone. One day Leyla comes back. On that day, Güzide feels her loneliness again.

  • Ecem Çelik
    Director
  • Gülten Tepe
    Key Cast
    "Güzide"
  • Emira Mustafa
    Key Cast
    "Ecca"
  • Berna Özcan
    Key Cast
    "Leyla"
  • Ecem Çelik
    Writer
  • Ecem Çelik
    Production Designer
  • Ecem Çelik
    Art Director
  • Hüseyin Yılmaz
    Director of Photography
  • Tunay Baybüre
    Camera Assistant
  • Ayberk Çarkçı
    Reji
  • Begüm Erel
    Reji
  • Atahan Karakaş
    Music
  • Yiğitcan Kiremitçi
    Sound
  • Ahmet Erbil
    Color Grading
  • Oğuzhan Boz
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Feature, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 2, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    900 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Turkey
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey
  • Language:
    Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    Hdcam
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Ecem Çelik

My name is Ecem Çelik. I was born in Karşıyaka, İzmir. I studied Film and Digital Media at Izmir University of Economics. I decided to study cinema at the university thanks to my interest in cinema which started in high school years. After completing my internship at TRT and Umay Film, I did fashion photography and backstage shots. In parallel to my education, I worked in independent short films such as art direction, directing and assistant directing and photography. I worked with Syrian children in the social responsibility project prepared for Facebook Global Digital Challenge called 'Look Like a Child' and I was the social media & production coordinator of the project.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

After the war in Syria to Turkey was a huge migration of Syrians. And I'm one of the most inhabited place of Syrians in Turkey I live in one of the biggest cities of Izmir. In the early days, people were prejudiced and angry with the Syrians, not as innocent people fleeing the war, but as opportunists. What made me talk about a social immigration problem in this project was that I heard real stories from Syrians.

Syrians were raped on the roads, fighting hunger, and their families were falling apart. They lost everything they had. They were subjected to violence and abuse. They hear insults from people every day. We should not ignore what the Syrians are experiencing. I also wanted to explain how a woman standing alone and living alone when she was writing a script came across a little girl who had traces of her own past, and that it made her feel so desperate.

The word 'ukde' means that you feel that there is something missing in you. That's why I wanted the film to be the name. Since this word does not have a complete equivalent in English, I translated it as 'Missing'. The little girl who plays in the film is the little girl of the family who is the tenant of my grandmother and in her real life she is Syrian. I tried to reflect on their love of life. I wanted to support this effect with the colors I used in the film's art direction. That's why we tried to do it in a way that would not create a dramatic effect. It was very important for me that all these elements complement each other.