Strange Abandoned Deranged

synopsis

Turkey's first “eco” hotel, Naturland Eco Park and Resort, opened in 1991 and operated until 2014. A hybrid of documentary, black satirical comedy and circus-style performance, the film builds on fictional voice-overs that depict the experiences of hotel guests and staff and the gradual decay of the once-pompous and now dilapidated abandoned complex, which was closed due to overwhelming debts and left virtually untouched. Strange Abandoned Deranged is a kaleidoscopic portrait of an ambivalent place that is full of faded colours, scratched walls and kitschy life-size animal sculptures. Like the site itself, which was once a premier tourist attraction and a haven for local politicians and royalty, the unfulfilled dream of a harmonious fusion of capitalism and ecology is increasingly unravelling, revealing an unpleasant reality that has been carefully hidden behind the walls of a man-made paradise. Both the absurdity and the controversy surrounding Naturland are symptomatic of Turkey's modern history.

“Through its absurd voice, it crafts a circus-like panorama. Standing amidst abandoned state land with a history that echoes a mockumentary—filled with countless tragic incidents and boundless absurdities from Turkey's past—it becomes evident that to chase the controversial story of Naturland Eco Park is to journey through the last thirty years of a country.”

biography

Turkish filmmaker Ceylan Özgün Özçelik (1980) studied law at Marmara University. Until 2015, she produced cultural programmes for radio and television. She has made documentary and fiction films dealing with the theme of memory and violence from various angles. Her feature debut INFLAME (2017) premiered at the Berlinale and won the Gamechanger Award at South by Southwest.

more about film

director:	Ceylan Özgün Özçelik
cast:	Damla Sönmez, Hasibe Eren, Tuğrul Tülek, Selen Şenay, Selen Domaç, Öykü Ertürk, Ali Basmacı, Emine Beril Kütle
producer:	Armağan Lale
script:	Ceylan Özgün Özçelik
photography:	Zeynep Seçil
editing:	Selda Taşkın
music:	Ekin Fil
sound design:	Mine Pakel, Serkan Köseoğlu
co-producer:	Damla Sönmez, Ezel Domaniç
associate producer:	Beyza Yaren Büyük
Line Producer:	Nevra Koçoğlu

contact

Beyza Yaren Büyük / Filmada beyza@filmada.net