Larmo and Journeyman Pictures are pleased to announce that their feature will mark its World Premiere at Visions du Réel International Film Festival in Nyon, Switzerland on the 6th and 9th of April where it has been officially selected.
‘THE TOWN THAT DROVE AWAY’ is Written and Directed by first-time feature directors Natalia Pietsch and Grzegorz Piekarski and produced by Katarzyna Kostecka, the documentary isset in North Kurdistan where the last residents of an ancient town watch helplessly as centuries-old traditions disappear when the Turkish government floods their land.
The stark beauty of the Southeastern Anatolian landscape frames the site of Erdoğan’s political game requiring obedience and submission. Promises of modern life strip the people of Hasankeyf of their identity and old homes, replacing them with new buildings cast in concrete.
For Rengin, a Kurdish shepherd, and Burak, the local barber, when all has disappeared, only a bitter and unsettling sense of dignity will remain.
Directors NataliaPietsch and Grzegorz Piekarski said: “We are proud to begin not only our festival journey at Visions du Réel, but also to celebrate the fact that two remarkable Kurdish women from our team — Rengin, our protagonist, and Melike, our translator — will visit Nyon and Geneva as their first destinations outside of Turkey.
In a time when the grip of power is tightening not only in Turkey but also in other countries around the world, leading to growing restrictions on freedom, limited opportunities for travel, and increasing challenges in obtaining a Schengen visa, their arrival here feels like a beacon of hope after years of witnessing freedom diminish in Hasankeyf.”
The film won two awards at Doc Lab Poland 2022 and was selected for the dok.incubator program 2024.
International sales are handled by Journeyman Pictures.
‘The Town That Drove Away’ – World Premiere at the Visions du Réel International Film Festival
Sunday 6 April 2025 – 20:30
Wednesday 9 April 2025 – 14:15
