Asylum on the Bosphorus
Excerpt from the film
Synopsis
The film documents the strong influence of German and Jewish academicians and artists in the development of modern Turkey through the stories of two children of German exiles who fled to Turkey from the Nazis. The present-day situation of the protagonists reflect a rather sad aspect of refugee-life: Once in exile, always in exile... Writer, director and musician Nedim Hazar of Turkish origin, has been living in Germany since 1980. In his first feature-length documentary film, he worked together with the renowned Czech documentarist Pavel Schnabel, who acted as cameraman and producer.
Many German and Jewish scholars, artists and their families migrated to Istanbul and Ankara after 1933. When Atatürk, the founder of the new Turkish republic needed brain power to carry out his visionary reforms, many academicians in Nazi Germanychose the country as a place of asylum. This was love at first sight. Eventually, over 800 scholars, among them Ernst Reuter, the first mayor of West Berlin after the war, composer Paul Hindemith and many others lived in Turkey throughout World War Two.
Although "Asylum on the Bosphorus" sets out on historical grounds, this film chooses a present day approach. The two protagonists, 75 year old Adelheid Scholz and 73 year old Cornelius Bischoff grew up in Turkey during that time. Adelheid recounts Atatürk's reforms, while Cornelius, who has Jewish roots and is the present German translator of Yashar Kemal's novels, tells about how they "went swimming in the Bosphorus, while the rest of the world was in flames."
Asylum on the Bosphorus in the Press
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