Photo credit: Dave Zylstra
Filmmaker Emir Cakaroz will be screening a trilogy of films about his family's past and present in Turkey—including the world premiere of Dad's Apple—at the Arc Theatre in Saint Kate the Arts Hotel on Thursday, Nov. 21.
Emir Cakaroz makes compelling documentaries out of public places and everyday events—farm auctions, video stores and Turkish oil wrestling, to name a few. The filmmaker has recently completed the third and final film of a trilogy about his family’s past and present in Turkey.
In collaboration with the Museum of Wisconsin Art, Cakaroz will be screening his family trilogy—including the world premiere of Dad’s Apple—at the Arc Theatre in Saint Kate the Arts Hotel on Thursday, Nov. 21. The three films are 71 minutes in total.
What’s your background?
I’m from Istanbul, Turkey. I went to film school at Anadolu University in Turkey and worked as a director at a local TV station. In 2007, I received a full scholarship to do an MFA at UW-Milwaukee. So, I came to the United States. I met my wife in Milwaukee, got married, and we’ve been here ever since.
In addition to making my own films, I teach documentary filmmaking and pre-production as an associate lecturer at UWM. I also teach documentary filmmaking and narrative filmmaking as a lecturer at Lake Forest College.
Why documentaries?
There are many reasons I’m attracted to the genre. Fundamentally, “real” people going about their daily lives are just more interesting to me than actors interpreting a script. I like to see what people do, how they live. It’s also more efficient to make documentaries. You don’t need big budgets, film crews, expensive set design. Documentaries give me independence and freedom.
I used to think that all documentaries were just about animals, because that’s what they showed on TV. When I was in school I first saw films like Koyaanisqatsi, which was very inspiring. It’s an extremely observational film that uses various cinematic tools to convey meaning indirectly. Later, I became enamored of the direct cinema movement that took place in the United States in the late 1950s and early ’60s. Documentaries like the Maysles brothers’ Salesman and Grey Gardens influenced my work
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I’ve moved away from a purely observational approach. I’ll ask questions and add my own voice to films. I can go deeper, this way. Sometimes, I’m a fly on the wall. Sometimes, I’m a fly in the soup.
What will be showing at Saint Kate on Nov. 21?
There will be a screening of my newly finished family trilogy. This will also be the world premiere of Dad’s Apple.
The first film of the trilogy, Two Photographs (2012), is about my parents’ past. It is a short poetic expository documentary. The visual style is inspired by fine art books that use closeups to discuss particular aspects of paintings. Similarly, I use closeups of photographs to reframe and focus audience attention. I narrate background information, and, since the story is about Turkey, my voiceover is in Turkish with English subtitles.
Revza (2016), the second film, is an observational-participatory documentary. I followed my mother’s daily life in Turkey—her cooking, doing laundry, grocery shopping. We discussed the last 30 years of her life and I asked questions about my childhood.
Dad’s Apple (2019) goes beyond documentary. I would call this a narrative biopic. The film recreates memories I have of my dad. I play my dad, and my son plays me as a child. My wife, Sarah Buccheri, was the cinematographer and co-producer. I am excited to premiere the film.
What’s next?
I’d like to make a film about my 10 years in America. It will be called The Bench—a bench near the water tower on North Avenue was an important place for me. The film is about my immigration process, weaving in other people’s stories.
