PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Baris Sarhan, director of the film The Cemil Show.

To listen to the interview, click on the ► icon on the right, just above the picture

A conversation with Baris Sarhan, director of The Cemil Show, which will be presented at the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The film’s origins can be traced back to a short film of the same name made five years ago with most of the same cast. We talk about these origins over the course of the interview, as well as how the feature explores the theme of celebrity, which Sarhan admits to feeling close to him. Other topics touched upon are whether there will be a continuation of this Cemil saga in the future, the type of cinema that he makes reference to throughout the movie and the strong sense of absurdist style that defines The Cemil Show, among other things.

The Cemil Show: When he auditions for the remake of a classic Turkish film, Cemil is rejected almost immediately. He returns to his job as a security guard at a large shopping mall, where he finds out that his colleague is the daughter of veteran actor Turgay Göral, who once played Cemil’s dream part. When Göral dies an ignominious death, Cemil promptly immerses himself in his life’s work. In the meantime, the mild-mannered protagonist is taunted and humiliated from all sides to such an extent that he increasingly withdraws into Göral’s acclaimed villainous role.