Sevda is a real estate developer driving Istanbul’s rapid gentrification. As she prepares to evict the keeper of an old Ottoman cemetery, her past resurfaces, forcing her to confront her story, and her city, from a new perspective.
SEVDA
a film by Ufuk Emiroglu
Written by Ufuk Emiroglu et Ercan Kesal
Production : Akka Films
Co-production : Stenola Productions, Bir Film, RTS Radio Télévision Suisse
- Producers : Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi, Nicolas Wadimoff, Philippe Coeytaux
- Cinematography : Florent Herry
Editing : Kaya Inan
- Location sound mix : Carlos Ibañez Diaz
- Music : Nicolas Rabaeus
Cast : Tülin Ozen, Mert Firat, Ercan Kesal, Macit Koper
SYNOPSIS
Istanbul, a sprawling city where past and future collide. Sevda, an ambitious real estate developer, is on the verge of completing a major property project—a symbol of her rise and success. On the surface, she has it all: a thriving career, a stunning home, a devoted partner.
Yet the start of construction hits an unexpected obstacle: a centuries-old Ottoman cemetery, guarded by an elderly caretaker who refuses to leave. Their confrontation becomes a battleground between tradition and modernity.
As her certainties begin to waver and buried memories haunt her nights, Sevda receives an unexpected call. Elif, a Turkish immigrant living in Switzerland, tells her that her father, Nazim, who abandoned her as a child, is gravely ill and wants to see her at his hospital bed in a small Swiss watchmaking town.
Sevda finds herself facing a dilemma: pursue her ambitions or reconnect with her roots.
And what if her family history were intimately tied to the transformation of the city itself?