screening-of-translating-ulysses

October 13, 2023

Screening of "Translating Ulysses"

Screening of "Translating Ulysses"

Turkish title: Ulysses Çevirmek

Kurdish title: Wergerandina Ulyssesê

Come join us for an exciting in-person event at the MACA on the 13th of October at 19.00

We are thrilled to present a special screening of the film "Translating Ulysses".

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of James Joyce's masterpiece as we explore the challenges and triumphs of translating this iconic novel. Be prepared to be transported into the mind of the brilliant author and gain a deeper understanding of his work.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to experience "Translating Ulysses" in the company of fellow literature enthusiasts.

Reserve your spot now!

‍

Directed, edited and written by Aylin Kuryel & Fırat Yücel

Cinematography Aylin Kuryel, Fırat Yücel, Şener Özmen, Roy van Egmond

Participants Kawa Nemir, Armagan Ekici, Şener Özmen, James Joyce Club – Turkey, Theater RAST, Şanoya Bajer a Amade, Celil Toksöz, Dodan Özer, Cemil Yıldız, Ceren Kuşdemir Özbilek, Margreet Dorleijn, Sadık Daşdöğen, Çetin Daşdöğen

Producers Özgür Doğan, Aylin Kuryel, Fırat Yücel

Sound mix Metin Bozkurt

Poster design Şener Özmen

Synopsis

Kawa Nemir is like a walking dictionary of Kurdish language. Whenever he hears a new word or an idiom, he records it and he never forgets. Considering the Kurdish language his home, he wanders from one exile to another. But how to transfer this collective memory into paper? With its vast, infinite range of words, symbols and anti-colonial resonance, James Joyce’s Ulysses becomes an obsession for him. A translation that would incapsulate all the Kurdish words and idioms he collected throughout the years. Exhausted from political prosecutions and language ban, he flees Turkey and takes refuge at Anne Frank’s former house in Amsterdam, now serving as residence for exiled writers. Will he be able to finish the translation of Ulysses and publish it?

Directors’ Statement

Following Kawa’s process of translating Joyce’s Ulysses into Kurdish, the documentary attempts to capture how history becomes a nightmare (as Joyce would say). It is an experiment on thinking about language and politics through the translation of Joyce's novel into a language that is repressed. Kurdish is a language that has a long history, yet so many words and idioms only exist in the minds of Kurdish people. We were fascinated by Kawa’s attempt to redeem the collective memory of the Kurdish language, as Kurdish is still a censored/prohibited/persecuted language in Turkey, despite its long history here. The translation of Ulysses, one of the hallmarks of modernist literature, serves as a dictionary of the everyday life of Kurdish people. The documentary, Translating Ulysses, also takes the shape of a dictionary through an episodic/multi-lingual/intertextual narration. It uses different forms and materials: found footage, archival footage, Youtube clips, Newspaper clips, documentary quotations and the footage we collected from Kurdish grassroots resistance, blending together in a collage-like documentary about “the thing that goes through everything”, namely language.

Awards

* FIC.UBA - Festival Internacional de Cine de la UBA, International Feature Film Competition, July 2023

Award: Special Mention

* 4rd Bloomsday Film Festival, Dublin, June 2023

Award: Best Feature Film

Festivals & screenings

* 38th DOK.fest München, Munich, May 2023

* Goethe Institute, Amsterdam, May 2023

* 3rd Amsterdam Kurdish Film Festival, May 2023

* 16th Documentarist - Istanbul Documentary Days, June 2023

* 4rd Bloomsday Film Festival, Dublin, June 2023

Award: Best Feature Film