MEN ON THE BRIDGE
aka KOPRUDEKILER

Year: 2009
UK: Verve Pictures
Cast: Fikret Portakal, Murat Tokgoz, Umut Iker, Cemile Ilker
Director: Asli Ozge
Countries: Germany / Turkey / The Netherlands
Language: Turkish (English subtitles)
UK: 87 mins
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language
UK Release Date: 28 January 2011 (Limited Release)


Synopsis

A bit of a Don Juan with his styled hair and single earring, Fikret (17) 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 (28) drives a shared taxi passing the Bosphorus 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 (24), who is stationed at the Bosphorus bridge, feels alone amidst the solid lines of cars. Each night at home, he logs on to the internet seeking for dating chances.

Unaware of each other, Fikret, Umut and Murat intersect in the rush hour every day with millions of other Istanbulites, coping with the straits of fulfilling their aspirations in the big city. The story is based on the lives of the characters depicting themselves in the original locations.