Hamlet

Shakespeare's classic tale of betrayal and revenge shifts to modern-day Turkey, mirroring the real-life collapse of a horse-drawn carriage empire.

On an island off the coast of Turkey famous for its horse-drawn carriages, a mass horse culling is taking place. Seeing his brother – the head of their horse dealing business – quietly observing alone from atop a steep cliffside, Kadir (Erdal Beşikçioğlu) secretly and savagely murders him. As Kadir begins to insert himself into his brother's business and family, his niece Hazar (Elit Íşçan) harbours a distrust and suspicion that turns into a need to avenge her father's death.

Seven years after he wowed the Venice International Film Festival with his Special Jury Prize-winning Sivas (2014), director Kaan Müjdeci returns to narrative filmmaking with his first foray into long-form storytelling. This modern-day update on William Shakespeare's Hamlet, relocates from the rotten state of Denmark to a provincial island in Turkey, with a gender flip of the titular character into a 19-year-old woman set on revenge. Prepare to descend into the dark depths of human nature, as the animals of the island watch on.

The first 2 episodes (43 mins each) will screen in this program.