2009 | Zara

An open, empty plain stretches out around the village of Zara, dotted with ruins of abandoned places. Here, the films characters are searching for what they’ve lost: letters, childhoods, homes, friends, parents and children. The village of Zara constitutes the fulcrum of a quest for a safe place – a search which gives rise to the unfolding of the remembered and the dreamt; all within the realm of the imagined present. In Zara, the Cem ceremony is a celebration of the quest for hope.

Director Ayten Mutlu Saray

Cinematography Felix von Muralt

Producer Gabriela Kranzenbinder, Jos van der Pal

Costume Design Ellen Lens

Cast Newroz Baz, Barbara Sotelsek, Serpil Ocal

Genre Drama

Costumes Now-a-days

Filming location South East Turkey

Awards and Nominations

2009 Swiss Film Prize - Switzerland

WonBest Filmmusic Marcel Vaid