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Logline

One afternoon in Istanbul, a family disagrees whether or not to replace a grandmother’s old chair.

Synopsis

Based on true events and set over the course of a single day in a cramped Istanbul apartment, this intimate, slice-of-life film explores the emotional and generational gaps within a family bound by love, but divided by language. The story centers on ALEV (16), a half-Turkish, half-American teenager visiting her grandmother GULUMSER (72), who only speaks Turkish. Alev, raised in the U.S. and never taught the language, can’t communicate directly with her grandmother and relies on her aunt MELTEM (40), the bilingual member of the family, to translate. The film unfolds in real time, as Meltem attempts to replace Gulumser’s old armchair with a new one. This act sparks a quiet war in the household. The chair becomes a symbol of everything unspoken: aging, resistance to change, cultural loss, and the struggle to hold on to identity. As the argument over the chair escalates, so does the outside world; construction noise from the city grows louder, almost swallowing the characters’ voices. Istanbul itself begins to feel like a pressure cooker. The tension between characters mirrors a city caught between past and present, tradition and transformation.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Chloé Alev Aktaş — Writer/Director/Editor
Chloé Alev Aktaş is a half-Turkish writer/director/actress from North Carolina. She graduated from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts in 2015 with a degree in Film and Television. Her thesis film Mutt was a finalist for the 2016 Student Academy Awards. In 2020, her short film Lance (in a Neck Brace) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was featured on IndieWire’s list of “10 Must See Shorts at Sundance” and received praise from NPR, No Film School Podcast, and was selected as Vimeo Staff Pick. Chloé was one of twenty directors personally invited to the Canada Goose and IndieWire Female Filmmaker Dinner at Sundance. An event honoring trailblazing women in the industry. Her acting credits include The Walking Dead.

Deniz Akdeniz — Producer
Deniz Akdeniz currently works alongside Kaitlin Olson in the new #1 rated ABC show High Potential by Drew Goddard (The Martian). Best known for his role in the Max Original hit The Flight Attendant with Kaley Cuoco and Zosia Mamet. Recently, part of the incredible ensemble cast of Craig Gillespie’s Dumb Money and starred with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the endearing drama You Hurt My Feelings from acclaimed director Nicole Holofcener. In the past has worked with filmmakers like Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Stuart Beattie (Collateral), Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) and Nisha Ganatra (Freakier Friday).

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.