Kutluğ Ataman

Details:

In collaboration with the Middle East and North African Studies Program and the Keyman Modern Turkish Studies Program, Block Cinema welcomes internationally recognized filmmaker and contemporary artist Kutluğ Ataman to Northwestern University to introduce and discuss two of his feature-length films. Known for his perceptive and incisive reflections on the ever-shifting social, cultural and political climate of contemporary Turkey, Ataman’s films are notable for their strong characterization and exploration of human relationships. The winner of numerous prizes and top awards at major international film festivals, Ataman has made an equally significant impact in the contemporary art world. He won the prestigious Carnegie Prize in 2004, and his works have been exhibited at museums and galleries including the Museum of Modern Art, Tate Britain, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and at events including dOCUMENTA and the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015.

Presented by The Middle East and North African Studies Program, the Keyman Modern Turkish Studies Program, the Center for Global Culture and Communication, and the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art. Additional sponsorship from Department of Radio-TV-Film, Screen Cultures Program, The Sexualities Project at Northwest (SPAN), Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, and Postcolonial Film Project

 

Lola + Bilidikid

Thursday, February 25, 2016 7:00 PM FREE
(Kutlug Ataman, 1998, Germany, digital, 97 min.)

Providing a glimpse into the rarely seen world of Turkish drag queens and their macho lovers in Berlin in the late 1990s, Kutluğ Ataman’s award-winning Lola + Bilidikid is a groundbreaking classic of new queer cinema. The film follows seventeen year-old Murat as he struggles with the complex, and often contradictory, ramifications of coming to terms with his homosexuality. Seeking solace in his friendship with Lola, a transvestite who works at a nightclub, Murat embarks on a journey of self-discovery that exposes the social, sexual, and cultural marginalization of young queer Turkish immigrants living in Germany.

In Person: Kutluğ Ataman

 

Kuzu (The Lamb)

Friday, February 26, 2016 7:00 PM FREE
(Kutlug Ataman, 2014, Turkey/Germany, digital, 87 min.)

The atmospheric landscape of eastern Anatolia forms the backdrop for this moving and insightful story about a family preparing for the feast that will celebrate the circumcision of their five-year old son. As they struggle to try to get the money together for the traditional centerpiece of the feast, a roasted lamb, the varied motivations and responsibilities of each of the family members emerge. Awarded best film at the 51stInternational Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and the CICAE Art Cinema Panorama best film award at the 64th International Berlin Film Festival.

In Person: Kutluğ Ataman

Contact The Block Museum of Art for more information: (847) 491-4000 or email us at block-museum@northwestern.edu