Drifting

"B O Ş L U K T A "

Turkey, 2022, 60'

Ferhat and Emrah live in Istanbul. The two cousins hail from Mardin, a Kurdish province close to the Syrian border. The former is a 28-year-old teacher waiting to be appointed in order to begin service; the latter, 22 years old, is studying for the university entrance exam. He too aspires to become a professor one day. However, both of them are obliged to work in the construction industry to make a living: the same trade as their fathers and grandfathers. Moving from construction site to construction site in the metropolis on the Bosphorus, we witness labourers’ picketing and mobilisation fighting for decent salaries, against the background of a city undergoing transformation due to large-scale development.

Somnur Vardar explores the world of Istanbul’s construction labour in depth: in this tormented megalopolis, skyscrapers still tower over the ruins of half-abandoned lower-class neighbourhoods. Drifting manages to offer a fresh perspective on a mutating urban fabric, depicting the brotherhood and solidarity of a group of young men with an intimate approach while they plan their future and dreams.