SYNOPSIS

At Turkey’s oldest zoo, a lonely manager and a neglected female officer form an unlikely bond: as they hide the death of the zoo’s oldest inhabitant, an Anatolian leopard, in order to stop the privatization process and fake its escape, they set in motion an absurd charade that spins out of control. In Turkey’s grey and quiet capital, the ghost of the leopard persists. 

Original title: Anadolu Leoparı English Title: Anatolian Leopard Genre: Ironical Drama Country: Turkey, Poland, Germany, Denmark Language: Turkish Production year: 2021 Length: 108 min

CAST

Uğur Polat, Ipek Türktan, Seyithan Özdemir, Tansu Biçer, Ege Aydan, Osman Alkaş, Nuri Gökaşan

CREW

Director: Emre Kayis Screenwriter: Emre Kayis DOP: Nick Cooke Editor: Ricardo Saraiva Producers: Olena Yershova & Olivia Neergaard Holm, Olena Yershova Yıldız (TatoFilm), Kanat Doğramacı (Asteros Film), Maria Blicharska (Donten & Lacroix Films) Tanja Georgieva Waldhauer (Elemag Pictures), Jon Hammer (Adomeit Film), Büke Akşehirli World sales: Luxbox

FESTIVALS & AWARDS

Toronto International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Award

Antalya Film Festival - Best First Film Award and Best Art Director Award

Sydney Film Festival - Feature Section

Denver Film Festival - World Contemporary Section

Thessaloniki International Film Festival - Balkan Survey Section

Films from the South - New voices Competition

Kerala International Film Festival - International Competition

Sofia International Film Festival - Balkan Competition

European Film Festival Palic - Parallels and Collisions

Taipei Film Festival

Ischia Film Festival - Best Film award

New Horizons - Discoveries

Beijing International Film Festival - Official Competition

EMRE KAYIS

Director/Screenwriter

Born in 1984 in Ankara, Emre has been committed to storytelling and visual arts since childhood. After a BA in Law and a yearlong experience as a legal intern, he quits. In 2012, he was accepted to MA Filmmaking department at the London Film School. After directing two narrative short films and practiced photography, he graduated in 2014 with his thesis film ‘The Translator’ which was screened more than 200 film festivals worldwide such as Sarajevo, Premier Plans, Palm Springs, Montreal, won 16 awards and nominated for the best short film for the 28th European Film Awards. He is an alumnus of Sarajevo Talents and a member of EFA.

Filmography

The Translator (2015 - short film) - Sarajevo International Film Festival , Winner of EFA Award

In Kayis’ hands, however, there’s so much character filling the margins of the frame. And Polat, meanwhile, really is nothing short of a national treasure.

Kayiş’s dry humor and surreal moments of levity, even outside of the already silly plot of faking a kidnapping of a prized leopard, gives Anatolian Leopard a unique charm to its relative sadness.

History is shown to be fragile in the dark comedy, but Kayis shows the strength required to bring it to light.