©2005 The CW Film Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Produced in collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art.

What’s A Human Anyway?DISCUSSION GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTSWHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE

For information on the other Global Lens films and discussion guides, visit our website www.globalfilm.org

Table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION

2 ABOUT THE FILMSynopsisCharacters

3 VOCABULARY

4-5 ABOUT THE DIRECTORDirector’s StatementBiography of Reha Erdem

6 GUIDE FOR VIEWING THE FILMFilm Aesthetics and Techniques

7-8 PROFILE OF TURKEY: STATISTICS

9-11 PROFILE OF TURKEY: BACKGROUND

12-13 SCREENING PREPARATIONS & DISCUSSIONSImportant Themes Explored

in the Film What’s a Human Anyway?

14 ONLINE RESOURCES

15 2005 GLOBAL FILM INITIATIVE PARTNERS

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Each year The Global Film Initiative selects films from developing countries to be presented through the Global Lensseries, in collaboration with museums, film societies and other cultural institutions across America. The Global FilmInitiative is pleased to share What’s a Human Anyway? with audiences who may enjoy the tales of mystery andmisunderstanding that draw neighbors together in an apartment house in Istanbul.

Each film is accompanied by a discussion guide that provides a context for stories and cultural settings which may beunfamiliar. This is the discussion guide for the film What’s a Human Anyway?, written and directed by Reha Erdem.

“About the Film” includes a synopsis of the film, a statement by Reha Erdem, and his biography. “Profile of Turkey”sets a historical, geographic and cultural context for Turkey and Istanbul. “Guide for Viewing the Film” and “StoryBackground” present examples of film techniques and discussion topics, to enable viewers to engage directly with thestory. Additional resources and suggestions for further information complete the guide.

We hope that you will feel free to adapt the materials as appropriate to your audience, and we hope you will let usknow the responses of viewers to the film. We also appreciate your feedback about the discussion guide, and howyou incorporate the guide in screening this film. To share your comments or to make suggestions, please write tous at discussionguides@globalfilm.org.

Introduction

INTRODUCTIONWHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE 1

2About the Film

Original Title: Ìnsan Nedir ki. . .English Title: What’s a Human Anyway?Country: TurkeyLanguage: Turkish with subtitles in EnglishYear: 2004Running Time: 128 minutesFormat: 35mm

SYNOPSIS

Ali is flat on his back by the side of the road, next to the taxi he drives for a living. A donkey brays as a dog looks on,and Ali cries out – he doesn’t remember how he got there, or how he was hurt. The police think they know – a jewelrystore was robbed, and the driver of the get-away car is missing. Ali’s father and the neighbors try to help himremember – Neriman, the tailor who lives downstairs with her son Keten; Ipek, the young pregnant woman whoseboyfriend wants his mother’s ring back; Selvi, the doorman’s wife, who spends her time on the balcony among theseagulls swooping and sailing above the stunning harbor of Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Neriman might be allergic to her dog, and the butcher says the only answer is to send the dog away.Selvi’s little boy, Cetin, has not been circumcised, and the parade is leaving soon. Aytekin has avoided military serviceas long as he dares, but maybe his trembling hand will be enough to spare him. Umit, the pretty gymnast who sharesthe apartment with Ipek, is preparing for admission to the Academy, which will allow her to stay in Istanbul. Ketenhas a crush on Ipek, and wants to help her raise her baby, but first he will need the courage to stand up to his mother.Against the backdrop of the beautiful city of Istanbul, with their lives intertwined by the mystery of Ipek’s ring, thesecharacters learn how much more it is to be human than bones and muscles and beating hearts.

CHARACTERS

Ali Aktar The main character, a taxi driverRasih Aktar Ali’s father, a retired health officerNeriman A tailor who lives downstairs from Ali and RasihKemal The butcherIpek A young pregnant woman who lives in the buildingKeten Neriman’s son, who lives with herCetin Young boy, son of Riza and SelviSelvi Cetin’s mother, wife of the doorman of the buildingUmit A gymnast who lives with IpekAytekin Friend of Ali’s, an ex-boxerZambak Friend of Aytekin’sCakir Neriman’s dog

ABOUT THE FILMWHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE 2

3Vocabulary

Celal Hodja A Hodja is a local imam (an honorific title among Sunni Muslims), a respected person who leadsprayers. Aytekin gives a good luck charm blessed by Celal Hodja – a local imam named Celal — to Ali,to wish him luck in recovering his memory.

Circumcision Called Sünnet in Islam, circumcision is performed as a rite of passage to manhood recommended bythe Prophet Muhammed. While circumcision is sometimes performed in the hospital shortly after a boyis born, the preference is to wait until he is about 7 years old, so he will remember the event. Sünnetis treated as a great celebration, accompanied by music and a feast. The boy to be circumcised wears along white dress and a hat bearing the message “Masallah,” which means “God preserve him.” Thebed where he will recover is decorated with ribbons; he may also wear a red sash to mark his entry intomanhood. The boy is restrained during the procedure by a man designated as kirve, which correspondsto the Christian godfather. The kirve will act on the boy’s behalf throughout his life.

Commando Highly-trained special forces. Ali was a commando in the Turkish military, which has three brigadesof commandos, a total of about 5,000 troops, tactically comparable to the U.S. Army Rangers. TheTurkish commandos have been engaged in recent years in the ongoing conflict with Kurds insoutheastern Anatolia.

Kilo Measure of weight in the metric system: 1 kilo equals about 2.2 pounds. Ali weighs 92 kilos – this is about203 pounds. Ali’s father says he ruined 300 kilos of sea bass – this is about 661 pounds.

Kilometer Measure of distance in the metric system: 1 kilometer is about 2/3 of 1 mile. The butcher abandonsCakir, the dog, 350 kilometers from home – this is about 217 miles.

Meter Measure of distance in the metric system: 1 meter is slightly longer than 1 yard. Ali shot “three out ofthree from 250 meters” – this is about 273 yards.

WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE VOCABULARY 3

4About the Director

WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE ABOUT THE DIRECTOR 4

WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY...

Collar bone, rib cage, spine, skull, nail, a mouth full of teeth.

Arthritis, back pain, bone loss.

Lots of flesh. Lots of bone.

Lots of vein.

Kilos of intestines.

Big breasts. Sagging lungs.

Ulcer, weariness, surgery, laughter, a slap, cursing, tumour, tit, love, glasses, dandruff.

Finds a job, borrows money, pees in his pants, lies, pops a zit, itches, heaves.

Has a photo taken, runs through the fields, pukes, kisses, laughs.

Eats grass, eats animals, itches, sleeps.

Gets sad, thinks, fears.

WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY...

This is the question that the film explores.

Through the streets of Istanbul, echoing with seagull cries and boat whistles, through the people in their homes who,scream, shoulder to shoulder, back to back, lip to lip, hand in hand, fist to fist, eye to eye, cheek to cheek:Ali and his father Rasih…Neriman the tailor and her son Keten…Ipek with her unborn child in her belly…Thedoorman Riza, his wife Selvi and their son Cetin…The neighborhood butcher, Kemal…Neriman’s dog, Cakir. Ipek’sgymnast roommate Umit…Ex-boxer Aytekin and his friend Zambak…

The film begins with Ali’s accident. Ali has lost his memory. With Ali’s confusion, all the characters of the story findthemselves in a state of chaos: this chaos being the chaos of daily life, of life itself. The mystery of a precious ringpassing from one to another with each claiming to be the owner, the distant story of a robbery, and a mock policeinvestigation add even more flavour to the story.

But there is a parallel story within ‘What’s a human anyway…’ This is the story of the human body. This story, whichin real life exists in every human body regardless of revolutions, incidents, or intrigues, comes to the forefront in thefilm. It outshines intrigue. It shadows the eyes and ears of the human bodies observing the incidents in the film.With his or her illness, routine, posture, eating and drinking habit and body language, everyone in the film becomes alead character in this universal theme. In this film, the language of the body speaks just as loud as the events andthe characters. Bodies cracking. Breaking. Being snipped. Bleeding. Aching. Healing. Nails growing. Hairthinning. Teeth rotting. The inner organs show their bloody faces through x-rays, ultrasound screens and bloodanalysis reports. People cry. Yawn. Sneeze. Walk. Run. Kneel. Climb.

Realising the strange reality of living in a human body, Ali after the accident is like a newborn baby, not only trying toremember past events but also exploring his own body.

5About the Director

WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE ABOUT THE DIRECTOR 5

In the finale of the film, the pieces of the puzzle finally fit. All the events each character goes through tie into alarger picture. Memory is restored. Ali remembers. With Ali, we also remember. What’s a human anyway…,a memory woven by fears, weaknesses and desires and a fragile body made up of flesh, blood and bones.

Besides its narrative structure ‘What’s a human anyway’ is aiming to be a ‘montage’ film rather than a ‘decoupage’. Itdesires to establish the ‘meaning’ with its rhythm. The story of the film and the figures in the story exist to beelements serving the ‘meaning’ rather than forming the structure.

The effort of the project is to keep the distance from the realities of a daily life, this originates from the interest in thehuman situations beyond daily - trivial dimensions. No time period is especially defined, the story takes place in itsown period. The sizes of shots, the settings, the locations, the choice of costumes, the casting and the style of actingserves to break this genuine time.

BIOGRAPHY

Reha Erdem began his studies in history at Bogazici University in Istanbul. In 1983, he went to Paris 8University to major in Cinema and Modern Art and completed a graduate degree. He directed his first featurefilm, A Ay (Oh Moon) in 1989. It received awards at the Nantes Film Festival, and was screened at the Locarno,Moscow, Vancouver and Dunkerque Film Festivals. His second feature, Kaç Para Kaç (A Run for Money, 1999)represented Turkey at the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. It was featured at the Tokyo, Munich,London, Oslo, Thessaloniki and Seattle Film Festivals. Erdem was invited to direct Hizmetciler (The Maids) byJean Genet for the Istanbul National Theater in 1991. He directed a short film called Deniz Turkusu (The SeaSong), inspired by the poem of famous Turkish poet Yahya Kemal Beyatli. Since 1990, he has directed over ahundred TV commercials. In 1993, he founded Atlantik Film production company with Ömer Atay.

6Guide for Looking at the Film

WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE GUIDE FOR LOOKING AT THE FILM 6

FILM AESTHETICS AND TECHNIQUES

Film is unique as an art form in its synthesis of visual arts, writing, drama, movement, and sound. The following notes aboutfilm aesthetics and technique can be a guide for focusing students’ attention when viewing and discussing the film.

Editing (includes sequencing of shots and pacing)The sequence of shots builds meaning in a scene. Erdem comments that “besides its narrative structure What’s aHuman, Anyway? is aiming to be a ‘montage’ film rather than a ‘decoupage’.” Montage is an editing technique thatplaces seemingly unrelated shots next to each other to create a new relationship or meaning that is not explicitlyrecorded on the film. By contrast, decoupage is the familiar (Hollywood) style of showing a sequence of shotsclosely tied to the narrative “what happened next.”

Umit reads the questions from the online “Humanity Survey.” The last question asks, “How would you like to die?” The filmmaker presents a stream of answering voices – “Not in an accident” – “Away from doctors” – “Decently” – “Without knowingit” – over shots of the butcher sharpening his knife, Ali yawning on his balcony, Keten sewing, Selvi dancing on the balcony, Neriman measuring a dress pattern, Rasih taking his blood pressure, people walking, a man rubbing his foot, and many others.The filmmaker uses the kaleidoscope of images in contrast with the sound of many answering voices to give new meaning to the question, and suggest a new “answer”.

Composition of the Image Color and line; size and distance (long shot, medium shot, close-up). The director uses the technique of ‘mise enscène’ – in French, placing on the stage – to frame an image using the elements of setting, costume, colors, lightingand sound. The position and behavior of the actors are crucial to the composition, as is the choice of cameras andlenses, where they are placed and how they move during the shot.

The bustling port city of Istanbul provides the setting for the film. The filmmaker frames his characters on their balconies, against wideshots of the harbor, with seagulls soaring overhead that only Selvi, “the flying woman, the fairy of the windows,” seems to notice.

Narrative StructureBeginnings and endings of films contain important clues to the arc of the story; thus asking the following questionsmay provide great insights: Why does the film begin as it does? Why does the film conclude with this scene? What is the significance of the final image?

Possession of a ring connects the stories of Ali, Ipek and Keten with the robbery at the jewelry store. From a phone message to Ipekdemanding that she return the ring to her boyfriend, to Ipek’s visit to the jewelry store to sell it, to Keten’s crush on Ipek that leads him to buythe ring back from the jeweler – and then give it to his mother with a cover story that the ring belonged to Ali’s mother – to Ali’s assumingthat he simply doesn’t remember his mother’s ring – the ring is the narrative element that draws the characters’ stories together.

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WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE PROFILE OF TURKEY: STATISTICS 7

SIZE: 300,948 square miles, slightly larger than Texas

POPULATION: 69.6 million (CIA, 2005)

ETHNICITY: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (CIA estimate)

RELIGION: Muslim 99.8%, mostly Sunni; others (mostly Christian and Jewish) 0.2%

LANGUAGES: Turkish; some Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 9.3%, with 4% underemployed (CIA, 2004 estimate)

GEOGRAPHY: Turkey is a country on two continents, separated by the Bosporus Strait, which divides the city ofIstanbul. The larger part of the country is Anatolia (or Asia Minor), which lies on the continent of Asia, borderingSyria, Iraq, Iran, Armenia and Georgia. The European part of Turkey is Turkish Thrace, representing only 3% of thelandmass of the country, on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. Turkey is surrounded on three sides by water,with the Black Sea to the north, connected via the Bosporus Strait, the Sea of Marmara, the Dardanelles Strait andthe Aegean Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to the south. There are seven regions, each with a distinct geography:

TURKISH THRACE:Marmara – includes Thrace and the coastal area of Anatolia from Istanbul south along the Sea of Marmara to the Dard-anelles Strait. Fruit orchards and vegetables, sunflower and grain are grown in this fertile region. The North AnatolianFault traverses this region south of Istanbul; Izmit, on the Anatolian coast of the Marmara, was the site of the 1999 earth-quake that measured 7.4 on the Richter scale.

ANATOLIA:Aegean – the region south of Marmara in Anatolia and facing the Aegean Sea to the west. This is rich farmland, withtobacco, sunflowers, olives and fruit orchards as major crops.

Mediterranean – the Mediterranean coastline stretches for 980 miles but there are few beaches in this rocky terrain. TheToros Mountains dominate this southern region, with peaks as high as 12,850 feet.

Central Anatolia – this region is high plateau, surrounded by mountain ranges. With cold winters, a rainy season in thespring and hot, dry summers, this is farming and sheep-grazing country, producing grains such as wheat and barley.

Southeast – this region borders Syria, and although both the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers extend from this region south,into Mesopotamia, the hot, dry climate of Southeastern Anatolia makes for a short growing season, with grains being themost important crops.

Eastern Anatolia – the Pontic Mountains dominate this region. Mount Ararat, where the Biblical Noah is thought to havelanded his ship, is this region’s highest peak, at nearly 16,950 feet. There are numerous extinct volcanoes in this region,as well as active seismic zones.

Courtesy of The General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.

Profile of Turkey: Statistics

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WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE PROFILE OF TURKEY: STATISTICS

Profile of Turkey: Statistics

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Black Sea Coast – this region stretches more than 1,000 miles along the coast of the Black Sea, bordered by the PonticMountains to the south. The rich farmland produces tobacco, fruit and nuts, as well as excellent grazing for dairy cattle.Away from the shallow water along the shore, the Black Sea appears dark and even “gloomy” – because of the high con-centration of hydrogen sulfide in the deeper water.

CLIMATE: Much of Turkey experiences climatic extremes – from winter temperatures well below freezing (even reaching – 45°in the mountains) to summer high temperatures above 100°. However, the rainfall, arable land and adequate growing sea-son make Turkey one of the few countries in the world that can provide for the basic foods needed by her people. More than athird of the population is engaged in farming, livestock management or fishing in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

NATURAL RESOURCES: Oil, coal, iron ore, copper and other minerals

INDUSTRIES: Textiles and clothing, food processing, automobiles, mining, steel, petroleum, construction, lumber and paper.

CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: Water and air pollution, especially in urban areas; deforestation, and the potential foroil spills with increasing ship traffic through the Bosporus Strait.

HOW FAR IS IT FROMISTANBUL TO:

Ankara, Turkey 218 milesAthens 350Jerusalem 726Rome 848Baghdad 1,000 Moscow 1,091Mecca 1,488

London 1,553Madrid 1,699Kashgar, Xinjiang* 2,449New York 5,008

*(city in the central Asian region from which Turkictribes migrated toward Europe and the Middle East)

Courtesy of The General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.

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WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE PROFILE OF TURKEY: BACKGROUND 9

BACKGROUND: TURKEY, CROSSROADS OF CIVILIZATIONS

The fertile farmland of the high plateau has made Anatolia attractive for human settlements for thousands of years.The history of Turkey is of new civilizations arriving from Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and central Asia, building andrebuilding palaces and temples and expanding their empires in this bountiful land between the seas.

1900 – 1200 BC: The HittitesThey crossed the mountains from Asia into central Anatolia, warriors in chariots speaking an Indo-European language;they easily overwhelmed the people of the plateau. The Hittites ruled for more than 700 years, and then disappeared.

1250 BC: The Fall of TroyThe legendary city of Troy was discovered in the late 19th century, through a series of excavations a few miles inlandfrom the Dardanelles Strait. Layers of rebuilt settlements were found, dating as far back as 3000 BC. By the mid-13th century BC, Troy was a fortress city of palaces and temples. It was this fortress city that admitted a greatwooden horse inside its gates in about 1250 BC. Greek soldiers hiding inside the Trojan horse took the city by storm,burning it to the ground, as described by the poet Homer in his famous poem The Iliad.

7th Century BC: Founding of Byzantium by the GreeksThe Greeks founded a colony on the European side of the Bosporus Strait, on the peninsula known today as SeraglioPoint. One legend suggests that Byzas consulted the Oracle at Delphi before leading the Greeks to settle where theBosporus and the Golden Horn meet and flow into the Sea of Marmara. Byzas called the city he founded Byzantium.

2nd Century BC: Advance of the Roman EmpireFor hundreds of years, the Greeks fought historic battles to defend the empire they ruled from Byzantium. ThePersians expanded into Anatolia in the 5th century BC, but were driven out two hundred years later by Alexander theGreat. In 130 BC, the Romans defeated the Greek armies, and incorporated Anatolia into the Roman Empire as theprovince of Asia, with its capital at Ephesus.

Biblical History in AnatoliaThe highest point in Turkey is Mt. Ararat, an extinct volcano in northeastern Anatolia where Noah is thought to havelanded his ark. Abraham lived in Harran, and St. Paul was born in Tarsus, near the coast in southwestern Anatolia.Early Christians hid in villages carved into the mountains in Cappodocia, to escape persecution, and St. Paulestablished Christian communities in Ephesus and Antioch, where the earliest Christian church, St. Peter’s, wasfounded between 47 – 56 AD. According to legend, St. Paul traveled with Mary, the mother of Jesus, to Ephesus,where a house identified as hers is an important pilgrimage site.

Constantinople and the rise of the Byzantine EmpireConstantine was born in the third century AD in Serbia, and became sole ruler of the western half of the RomanEmpire after a major victory in battle. Constantine proclaimed that victory came through the power of the “God of theChristians,” whose sign he had placed on the shields of his soldiers. Under his leadership, persecution of theChristians ended, but Constantine also used the Church as an arm of enforcement. He renamed Byzantium in 330AD, as Constantinople, the capital of the eastern Roman Empire. Under the emperor Justinian in the 6th century, thecity reached a new level of splendor, including the architectural masterpiece called Hagia Sophia (the ChristianChurch of Holy Wisdom).

Profile of Turkey: Background

109th – 13th Centuries: Arrival of the TurksRelentless attacks, especially by Muslim armies from the south, eroded the authority of the empire over the centuries.In what seems a contradiction, populations across Europe, the Middle East and the Mediterranean continued toabsorb the Orthodox Christian faith and philosophy of the Byzantine Church, even as the great cities of the ByzantineEmpire were looted and destroyed.

In the mid-11th century, the arrival of the Turks in Anatolia caused general alarm among leaders of the westernchurch, who launched a series of Crusades against the holy cities of Nicea, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Constantinople,the first beginning in 1099 and the last ending with the utter destruction of Constantinople in 1204.

“Turk” refers to the cultural and linguistic family of peoples who settled the central Asian steppe in what is now Xinjiang,China, as long ago as 2000 BC. After centuries of constant territorial strife with the Chinese dynasties, some groups slowlymigrated westward, toward what is now Eastern Europe. One clan, named Seljuq for its founder, swept into Persia in the 11thcentury and conquered Baghdad. The Seljuq moved into Anatolia in 1071 AD, confronting the armies of the ByzantineEmpire. This was the first of many victories by the Seljuq Turks, leading to their dominance of Anatolia.

1453: Capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks were one of the Turkic tribes driven out of central Asia by Mongol invaders who dominated the Middle Eastin the 13th century. The Ottomans were a pastoral, nomadic tribe that found their way into northwest Anatolia by following theconquests of the Seljuq Turks.

Over the next century a warrior class grew among the Ottomans. These were warriors on horseback, with a new weapon – a“cupid-shaped” bow, shorter than the styles used by Byzantine armies and with much greater range. Ottoman warriors couldfell their opponents at a distance of 450 yards, an armed cavalry storming toward an army on foot. The Ottoman forces grew asother Turkic tribes joined them in conquering territory in Anatolia, and by the mid-15th century they confronted Constantinopleitself. In less than two months, the Ottomans conquered the city, bringing the Byzantine Empire to an end.

The Ottoman sultans rebuilt the great city of Constantinople, which translates in Turkish as Istanbul. They established theOttoman Empire, which dominated southeastern Europe, the Middle East and the Mediterranean until the 20th century.

The Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Turks were Muslim, a faith they adopted from the Arabs they encountered on their migration from centralAsia. The formerly Orthodox Christian city of Istanbul became the center of Sunni Islam, replacing Baghdad as thespiritual and political center of the Muslim world. The great 6th century Church of Holy Wisdom, the Hagia Sophia,was converted to a mosque.

One of the greatest leaders of the Ottoman Empire was Suleyman the Magnificent, known for his military prowess inexpanding the empire into Europe and North Africa. Suleyman was known to his subjects as kanuni, the lawgiver, forhis wisdom in administering justice.

The Ottoman Empire was slow to respond to the rise of European trading states – and to developments in technologythat affected trade and warfare. The Europeans developed sophisticated commercial treaties, and their armies beganto carry guns. The Ottoman sultans found themselves overmatched on the seas and defeated in battle, losing territoryand wealth as the European countries grew strong.

WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE PROFILE OF TURKEY: BACKGROUND 10

Profile of Turkey: Background

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WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE PROFILE OF TURKEY: BACKGROUND 11

1923: The Turkish Republic After the first World War, Istanbul was occupied by Allied forces. A young soldier named Mustafa Kemal, who had fought withdistinction against the Allies during the war, now organized a resistance movement to prevent Turkey from being divided amongthe Allied powers. Kemal made the capital of his resistance in the city of Ankara, in central Anatolia. He appealed to the Turk-ish people to oppose their government in Istanbul by fighting a “War of Independence.” Within two years he led them to victo-ry, driving out the Greeks, British, French and Italians – and bringing to an end the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The Treaty ofLausanne in 1923 ratified a new Turkish state, with Ankara as its capital. Its borders have changed little since.

Mustafa Kemal became known as Atatürk, “Father of the Turks,” and he is honored as a great hero of the modern state. Underhis leadership, a “Turkish identity” arose from long-standing ethnic conflicts between Muslims and Christians. Although most ofthe population of Turkey is Muslim, there is no longer an official state religion in the constitution. The country took the name“Türkiye” to honor its thousand-year heritage of settlers from the central Asian steppe.

Governments of Turkey have focused on modernization in the 80 years since the Republic was formed. Turkey is a member ofthe United Nations and NATO, and held its first democratic elections in 1950. In recent years the government has worked toimprove its human rights record with respect to the minority Kurds, who live in southeastern Anatolia, and Turkey is in talkswith the European Union as prologue to joining the EU. The parliament continues to work toward equality for women and amore humane penal system.

Istanbul in 2005: Where Europe and Asia Meet Istanbul today is a city of more than 10 million people, living on two continents, linked by bridges crossing the Bosporus Strait.Byzantium – Constantinople – Istanbul, this city of three names and many empires was officially designated as Istanbul in1928. Istanbul is a city of small and medium-size businesses, specializing in textiles and rugs, gold and jewelry, and amongits most famous destinations are the bazaars, palaces and mosques.

The Grand Bazaar extends for 65 streets and provides covered walkways for about 3,000 shops, selling Turkey’s famous rugsand carpets; gold and jewelry and textiles. The Spice Bazaar sells the exotic spices, caviar and tea that for centuries have beenbrought by traders over the Silk Road.

The Topkapi Palace is among the most elegant of Istanbul’s palaces. It was built in the 15th century, and was home to sul-tans of the Ottoman Empire for four hundred years. The palace is now a museum and historic site, filled with the treasuresof the Ottomans.

Istanbul has been called a city of mosques – there are more than 450, including the Blue Mosque, known for the color of the lightreflected by the ceramic tiles that decorate its walls and windows. Five times a day the call to prayer echoes in the streets of theOld City, on the European side of Istanbul, as the voices from the towers call the faithful to prayer.

Istanbul is also home to refugees from rural areas in Anatolia, which has frequent earthquakes. Makeshift housing is evidenton both the European and Asian sides of the city, as people bring their hopes, along with their families, to a new life in the city.

Profile of Turkey: Background

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WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE SCREENING PREPARATION & DISCUSSIONS 12

Reha Erdem filmed What’s a Human Anyway? in his native city of Istanbul. Besides the characters in the apartmentbuilding, Erdem incorporates glimpses of daily life in the city — of people working, dancing, taking the ferry – topresent the rich human tapestry which is the subject of the film.

The structure and pace of this film may be unfamiliar to American audiences. Story elements may be presented infragments and the filmmaker’s intentions may not be obvious — just as events occur in life, but not always as we areaccustomed to seeing them in film. Viewers are encouraged to notice the film techniques used to “put us in thescene” – particularly the music and the sights and sounds of the city that make Istanbul seem a familiar place.

IMPORTANT THEMES EXPLORED IN THE FILM WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?

Scenes from What’s a Human Anyway? have been organized around the themes of “Those with an Uncomfortable Head,”“The Birds Can’t Fly Because of the Wind,” and “You Put All Your Fears in Your Pocket,” and “What’s a Human, Anyway?”These themes provide a lens for focusing attention while viewing the film.

Watch for scenes or events that correspond to a particular theme, making mental or written notes as to how the themeis explored in the film. Note whether the film developed the theme as might be expected, and if not, then what didhappen? For each theme, scene references are provided along with questions to encourage discussion.

“THOSE WITH AN UNCOMFORTABLE HEAD”

1. Ali’s father, Rasih, who is obsessed with his pills, his blood pressure, and whether he’s having a heart attack,says that those with “an uncomfortable head can never find the right path in life. That’s why you have to makean effort to walk straight,” he says. What do you think he means by “an uncomfortable head”? Give examples from the film of characters with“uncomfortable heads.”

2. Ali seems comfortable with the neighbors, even before he remembers them. Only with his father does Ali seemcautious, even fearful – very much as Keten is fearful of his mother. How would you explain Ali’s “uncomfortable head”? What is the point of view of the film toward young men, asportrayed by Ali and Keten?

3. Neriman says that she makes clothes that make people happy with the way they look. Yet she torments her sonand allows the butcher to take her beloved dog away. How would you interpret the character of Neriman in this story? What do you think it would take for Neriman to have a“comfortable head”?

4. Kemal, the butcher, tells Ali how to stand to impress Umit. “Look, you’ve gotta hide your weaknesses,” he says– “Why do you think this counter is this high?” What is the butcher’s role in this film? Kemal tells Ali, “what’s important is what’s inside.” What do you think is“inside” the butcher?

Screening Preparation & Discussions

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WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE SCREENING PREPARATION & DISCUSSIONS 13

“THE BIRDS CAN’T FLY BECAUSE OF THE WIND”

5. Aytekin, the former boxer, is supposed to enlist in the military, and Cetin is supposed to be circumcised with theother boys. Both look to Ali for protection, but Aytekin enlists, and Cetin is circumcised. What do you think Aytekin and Cetin wanted from Ali?

6. Ali says “the birds can’t fly because of the wind” when he’s watching the seagulls from the balcony, as they soaron the breeze looking for food. Why do you think Ali interprets the seagulls this way? How does this comment relate to Keten? To Ali’s father, Rasih?

“YOU PUT ALL YOUR FEARS IN YOUR POCKET”

7. Umit, the gymnast, tells Cetin that if he takes his fears out of one pocket and puts them into the other, all thewhile taking deep breaths, pretty soon there will be nothing there. “The ones you’re most afraid of are always atthe very bottom,” she says. “Don’t ever forget them there.” How do you interpret these comments? How do they apply to Umit? To Ali?

8. Rasih screams to Ali several times in the film, “bring me my pills!” Finally, Ali stops short and refuses to givethe pills to his father.What do you think Rasih is afraid of? How does Ali help his father come to terms with his fear?

9. With Neriman screaming at him, Keten climbs to the top of a dangerous promontory, where he stands in highwinds. Ali follows, climbing to the top to be with his friend. They lock arms, and look toward the sea, as Ketencalls to his mother that he is afraid. How do you interpret this scene? How do you think Keten and Ali have been changed in the story?

“WHAT’S A HUMAN, ANYWAY?”

10. In Umit’s “Humanity Survey,” the questions are, “What do you need to be happy?” – “What hope have you lostin life?” – Do you know how to prepare your favorite food?” – and “How would you like to die?” Why do you think the filmmaker chose these questions to describe “humanity”?

11. The film closes with glimpses of crutches left by the door, bottles of pills on a table, and Cetin’s underweardrying on the clothesline. Why do you think the film closes with these scenes? How do you think the film answers its own question, “What’s aHuman, Anyway?”

Screening Preparation & Discussions

14Online Resources

WHAT’S A HUMAN ANYWAY?: DISCUSSION GUIDE ONLINE RESOURCES 14

BBC News: Country Profiles, Turkey http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1022222.stm

The World Factbook:http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tu.html

Turkey: History http://www.hitit.co.uk/HistoryTk.htmlhttp://www.theottomans.org/english/history/index.asphttp://www.nybooks.com/articles/1167http://countrystudies.us/turkey/3.htmhttp://workmall.com/wfb2001/turkey/turkey_history_index.html http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/magazine/25turkey.html

Surface Distance Between Two Points: http://www.wcrl.ars.usda.gov/cec/java/lat-long.htm

Turkey: Istanbul http://english.istanbul.com/explorenew.asp?cat=1

Turkey: Geography http://www.ocean.udel.edu/blacksea/geographyhttp://quake.wr.usgs.gov/research/geology/turkey/http://www.ancientroute.com/water/Black_Sea.htmhttp://quake.wr.usgs.gov/research/geology/turkey/ http://www.columbia.edu/~sss31/Turkiye/geo.htmlhttp://www.mtnforum.org/apmn/6,1,c.htm

Turkish Culture http://www.turkishodyssey.com/turkey/culture/people.htm

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2005 Global Film Initiative Partners

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CLEVELANDTHE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART

COLUMBUSWEXNER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

DENVERDENVER FILM SOCIETY

HONOLULUHONOLULU ACADEMY OF ARTS

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MINNEAPOLISWALKER ART CENTER

NEW YORKTHE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

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