在肥沃的土地上

Embraced by a new generation of moviegoers, Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde (On Fertile Lands) has been surrounded by controversy since its initial release, when the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival’s Best Film Award of 1981 was withdrawn due to the military regime’s ban. The film, based on Orhan Kemal’s novel of the same name and featuring remarkable performances by an ensemble cast, tells the story of three friends who move from their poverty-stricken village to Çukurova, where they hope to find well-paying jobs. Life, however, has different plans for them, and together they end up working in factories, construction sites, and cotton fields under very difficult conditions, discovering at every turn a system designed for exploitation and the frustration of their dreams.