TIMES AND WINDS (Bes Vakit)

In a small Turkish mountain village overlooking the sea, families eke out a living from olive trees, hard scrabble farming, and a few sheep. Each day is divided into five parts by the muezzin’s calls to prayer. The villagers’ habits, customs, and methods are those of their parents and their parents before them. In this setting three young adolescents, Ömer, Yakup and Yildiz, try to understand adults and their own preordained place within this village. Ömer, the son of the imam, wishes his father were dead. His friend Yakup has his own secret – an intense love for his teacher. Yildiz, still trying to get an education, must also do the house chores dictated by her mother and take care of her baby brother. The lives of these children on the edge of adulthood – there will be no “teenage” years for them – seem rather joyless, but there is always the sky, the sea, the changing seasons, and their momentary dreams. This beautiful, lyrical film has won several international awards. -- Chale Nafus, Director of Programming, Austin Film Society