Men on the Bridge  Germany / Turkey / The Netherlands
2009, 87min.
Producers: Asli Ozge, Fabian Massah, Dir./Script: Asli Ozge, Director of Photography: Emre Erkmen, Sound: Florian Beck, Editors: Vessela Martschewski, Aylin Zoi Tinel, Christof Schertenleib
Cast: Fikret Portakal, Murat Tokgoz, Umut Ilker, Cemile Ilker
A bit of a Don Juan, with his styled hair and single earring, Fikret, seventeen, illegally sells roses in the traffic jam on the Bosphorus Bridge that links Asia and Europe. At the same time, he is striving for a regular job in the old downtown of Istanbul. Umut, twenty eight, drives a shared taxi, and passes the Bridge every day. He is searching for a better apartment to rent in order to satisfy his wife, whose desires are beyond his earnings. The traffic policeman Murat, twenty four, who is stationed on the Bridge, feels alone amidst the solid lines of cars. Each night at home, he logs on to the Internet, seeking dating opportunities. Unaware of each other, Fikret, Umut and Murat crisscross in the rush hour every day, along with other Istanbulites, trying to fulfill their aspirations in the big city.
Awards
Golden Tulip Best Film (Istanbul IFF, 2009), Best Film (Adana FF)
Production Companies
Endorphine Production
Yeni Sinemacilar
Kaliber Film
3 Sat
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
| Özge, Aslı  Aslı Özge (born 1975, Istanbul)
She graduated from the Marmara University’s Department of Fine Arts, Film & TV in 1999, and immediately afterwards she made the short film Capital C, which won a string of awards in various festivals. Her feature film followed in 2003, Little Bit of April. Her next project, a documentary titled Hesperos' Apprentices, screened in the Antalya FF in 2005. In 2009, Özge completed her first theatrical feature film Men on the Bridge. She is currently working on her follow-up feature film Asphyxia, which has received the script development award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival's Balkan Fund.
Filmography
Capital C (1999), Little Bit of April (2003), Hesperos' Apprentices (2005), Men on the Bridge (2009)
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