Playing House - Asmin Film Production

About Film

In almost every corner of the world, children ‘play house’ which is fictionalized by their families and traditions.

This film deals with the early marriage problem which most people think is in the past but still hurts many lives. The film tells the story of four characters who married early and suffered the serious consequences early marriage.

According to studies, %50 percent of all marriages in Turkey are still early marriages. Early marriages don’t happen in one specific region. It is a problem of all regions and countries.

According to international contracts, early marriages are regarded as child abuse, a human rights violation and a public health issue.
One character in our film says: “Was it marriage? Were people lined up to torture me or was it something else? I still don’t know.”

Fragman

Watch the Movie

Movie Quotes

F.: İt was a nightmare. Maybe even worse than a nightmare. Were people lining up to punish me or was it something else I really don’t know.

Naze: I was very little. My father often abused me.

Hayriye:They did this because of the pressure they got from the elders. The whole family. My grandmother, my aunties a mother that never knew how to defend herself.

Şaziye: Whenever I spoke about something, my father would instantly get angry.He would tell me that I’m a girl and I wasn’t allowed to speak. How can a girl of that kind of upbringing say anything about the fact that she was being bargained off.

Purpose, Approach

Director Note

It doesn’t matter if we’re in country or city, when we look around we see lots of parents who were married in a very early age.
A friend, a neighbor or even ourselves may be a child of a little bride. This situation seems to belong to the past in big cities, but it still continues extensively in the country. Still girls and boys only at playing or school age are being married off due to “beşik kertmesi” tradition, marriages between relatives, and sense of decency. Besides they become parents while they’re still living their childhood.

And the tragic results of these childhood marriages are beyond our estimations.

In Erzurum, the city where I was born, girls were married of as soon as they grow up a little. When I look around I see that my mother, my elder sisters, my relatives, neighbors, mothers of my friends, nearly all of them were married in their childhood.

I grew up with my aunt who got married in a very early age and never stop missing her family. Since I was a small kid I’ve been a witness to the life of my cousin Imam who’ll also take part in the film. His experiences, his relationship with his children, how he felt when his children were calling him “brother” and their grandfather “papa”… These are all a part of my life, too. As a daughter of a little bride I need to tell this tragic situation and make people become aware of it. I have many questions to ask…

This film will try to find a way of communication and empathy between parents who gave way to little brides and grooms and their children. When doing this I do not intend to judge people or find the guilty. I’ll just try to understand the situation with all the causes and results.

As a witness to this tragedy I aim to expose the traumas of children due to these marriages, and derive the community and especially the parents to think about their decisions and change.

Crew

Director and Script: Bingöl ELMAS

Director of Photography: Koray KESİK

Camera: Caner CANERİK, Bingöl ELMAS

Consultant: Mustafa ÜNLÜ, Ümit KIVANÇ

Orginal Music: Nejla Melike ATALAY

Editing: Ümit KIVANÇ, Ercan ERDEMİR, Emrah DÖNMEZ

Sound Editing: Murat ŞENÜRKMEZ

Assistant of Director: Şirin Bahar DEMİREL, Özgür KÜÇÜKTÜLÜ, Aliye DÜŞÜNMEZ

Audio – Visuel Transcription: Aliye DÜŞÜNMEZ , Alev ELMAS , Özgür KÜÇÜKTÜLÜ , Zafer ÇEBİ, Zeycan ELMAS

English Translation: Peri JOHNSON, Yeşim HISIM ARPAĞ, Neşe AKIN

Kurdish Translation: Aliye DÜŞÜNMEZ, İbrahim Halil ÇELİK

Set Photographer: Şirin Bahar DEMİREL

Accounting: Metin AÇAR

Appearances

Naze ASLAN, Lezgin ASLAN, Hayriye DEMİRBİLEK, Şaziye ARSLAN

Supporters

Consulate General of the Netherlands Istanbul Human Rights Programme

Special Thanks to
Düşünmez Family

Thanks to

Leyla S. BARLAS-ASLAN, Deniz YURDATAP, Recep TUNA

Cem MADRA, Hülya ANBARLI, Selen DOĞAN, Talip ÖZDEMİR, Seçil TÜRKKAN, Gülsüm EKİNCİ

Tuğrul ARTUNKAL, Marie De MERCEY, Çiğdem KESİK, Ebubekir ÇETİNKAYA, Sıla ELMAS, Faysal SOYSAL,
Melek TORAMAN, Özgür KÜÇÜKTÜLÜ, Zeycan ELMAS, Asiye, İmam ELMAS, Hayriye SAVAŞÇIOĞLU,
Gülizar, Melek YILDIZ, Hakan PAŞALI, Sultan İLHAN

Ömer TUNCER, Peri JOHNSON, Ayfer TOKATLIOĞLU, Ersan OCAK, İsmet ARASAN, Ümit KIVANÇ

Hikmet KIRBAŞ, Mehmet Ali YILMAZ, Mine GÜNEY

Technical Support
Mustafa TEMİZTAŞ
Ferit KARAHAN
SFR Yapım
Gölge IŞIK

Special Thanks For The Contrubutions
Association of Documentary Filmmakers in Turkey (BSB)
Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival
Assocation of Capadocia Women

Festivals

61th Trento Film Festival 2013!

April 25 – May 2013, Trento, Italy

Boston 17. Turkish Festival, Documentary & Short Film Competition, Documentary Special Mentions. 2012

11th AFM International Independent Film Festival

February 2012 – İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir – Turkey

23th Ankara International Film Festival

National Documentary Film Competion

15- 22 Marc 2012 – Ankara – Turkey

2nd Pomegranate Film Festival

6-9 April 2012 – Gaziantep – Turkey

6th Addis International Film Festival