Yapım Tarihi - 2023
Süresi - 00:07:00
Format - Deneysel, Renkli, Türkçe
Yönetmen - Onur Akın
Senarist - Onur Akın, Tılsım Turan
Yapımcı - Onur Akın
Oyuncular - Onur Akın, Enes Öztürk
Cinematographer - Göksu Sencer Çoban
Art Director - Hümeyra Çetin
Editing - Onur Akın
Benmentor; hayatından memnuniyetsiz, depresif bir adam olan Ben'in hayatındaki
dönüşümü anlatıyor. Hayatındaki zorlukları ve yanlış seçimleri yüzünden mutsuz
olan Ben, bir gün gizemli ve bilge bir figür olan Mentor ile karşılaşır. Mentor,
Ben'e hayatında daha sağlıklı ve daha pozitif seçimler yapmayı öğretir, bu da
Ben'in hayat kalitesini dramatik bir şekilde artırır. Ancak, Ben'in kız kardeşi
ile bir karşılaşma, Mentor'un aslında Ben'in hayalinde yarattığı bir karakter
olduğunu ortaya çıkarır.
"Benmentor" tells the story of transformation in the life of Ben, a man
dissatisfied with his life and plagued by depression. Ben, unhappy due to the
difficulties and wrong choices in his life, encounters a mysterious and wise
figure named Mentor one day. Mentor teaches Ben to make healthier and more
positive choices in his life, which dramatically improves Ben's quality of life.
However, a confrontation with Ben's sister reveals that Mentor is, in fact, a
character created in Ben's imagination.
I aimed to tell a story about an individual's internal struggle and the power of
free will. My own life story and films that deeply impacted me, such as Fight
Club and Revolver, inspired me, along with Nietzsche's 'The Wanderer and His
Shadow' and Dostoyevsky's 'Crime and Punishment'. My goal was to illustrate that
people do not need external influences to make the right decisions in their own
lives. The characters represent different individuals and situations in our
lives; the main character representing me, the Mentor symbolising our inner
motivation, the Apartment Janitor reflecting our interaction with society, the
Drug Dealer signifying our relationship with crimes, the Woman in the Cafe
demonstrating our interaction with the opposite sex, and the Sister representing
our familial relationships. The importance of the story is rooted in the idea
that an individual should control their own choices with their own mind and
reasoning. The visual aesthetic of the film reflects the quality of the choices
made by the character. In the first half, as poor decisions are made, the image
quality deteriorates, with increased noise and pixelation. This is a deliberate
choice to illustrate that bad decisions affect our perspective. However, after
the character meets the Mentor, the image quality improves, providing a clearer
image. During the shooting process, I anticipate encountering some difficulties,
especially in the post-production phase. However, I believe that with good
communication and the right techniques, these challenges can be overcome. I plan
to utilize natural light and will combine boom microphone and camera sounds for
the audio. Upon completion of the film, I want to create a shock effect for the
viewer and encourage them to reflect. I aim to provide an experience that will
make the audience want to rewatch the film, and I plan to use some techniques
that have not been used before to achieve this. Specifically, I hope to change
the viewer's inner world after watching the film and encourage them to make more
conscious choices in their own lives.
Born on the 15th of October, 1994, in Turkey, the early life of our subject was
one of constant movement and change. The nature of his family's business
necessitated frequent relocations, engendering a childhood and adolescence
punctuated by shifts between cities and schools. These experiences, while
disruptive, cultivated an introverted demeanor which lasted through his
university years. The isolation fostered a deep interest in books and cinema and
an exploration into the world of computers and technology. His linguistic
prowess is noteworthy, with Turkish as his mother tongue, he has developed a
fluency in English and a working proficiency in Spanish. This polyglot nature is
reflective of his diverse life experiences. His perspective on life is deeply
shaped by a pronounced atheistic worldview and a skeptical outlook towards
established ideologies. His intellectual influences draw from an illustrious
line-up of writers and philosophers. Friedrich Nietzsche, the provocative and
iconoclastic German philosopher, remains his favorite, providing much of the
intellectual fodder for his thoughts and inspirations. The works of Fyodor
Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, and Albert Camus also figure prominently in his
literary influences, offering a nuanced view of the human condition. His taste
in cinema is as distinctive as his literary preferences. He admires directors
like Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, David Fincher,
Christopher Nolan, and Andrei Tarkovsky, each renowned for their unique styles
and storytelling prowess. His engagement with the arts is not limited to passive
consumption. From an early age, he showed a proclivity for acting, participating
in numerous theatrical productions. Towards the end of his high school years, he
took on roles as a theatre instructor and a Latin dance teacher. He pursued an
undergraduate degree in acting at Beykent University, during which time he
balanced academic pursuits with various jobs and engagements in several projects.
At the age of 19, he directed his first short film, "Not To Be." His time in
Istanbul was characterized by extensive involvement in the digital advertising
sector, where he worked as a graphic designer and videographer. He also served
as an editing assistant, production assistant, and director's assistant in
several production companies. His first long-form film experience was with the
movie "Kanlı Postal," where he played the role of a torturer, and contributed as
an assistant director and editing assistant. Upon graduation, he moved to
Hungary for a year to further his English language skills, followed by a year in
Spain to learn Spanish. Upon his return to Turkey, he worked as a freelancer for
several years, a professional arrangement that continues to this day. He is
currently enrolled in the Film Design and Management program at Başkent
University and the Visual Communication Design program at Anadolu University.
His recent work includes serving as a cinematographer, editor, and actor in
several award-winning short films. His latest project is a short film titled "Benmentor,"
released in 2023. His journey, marked by constant learning and exploration,
testifies to a life lived at the intersection of arts, technology, and self-discovery.
2. Gemlik Film Festivali, Kısa Film Yarışması, Yarışma Filmi. 2023
