On the Way to School = İki Dil Bir Bavul

Director
Eskikoy, Orhan and Ozgur Dogan
Producer
Eskikoy, Orhan and Ozgur Dogan
Year
2009
Spoken
Kurdish
Turkish
Subtitle
English
Country
Netherlands
Turkey
Length
82
Format
DVD/PAL
Off
Description

Director: Orhan Eskiköy and Özgür Doğan

Genre: Documentary; Drama

One year in the life of a Turkish teacher, teaching the Turkish language to Kurdish children in a remote village in Turkey. The children can't speak Turkish, the teacher can't speak Kurdish and is forced to become an exile in his own country. On the Way to School is a film about a Turkish teacher who is alone in a village as an authority of the state, and about his interaction with the Kurdish children who have to learn Turkish. The film witnesses the communication problem emphasizing the loneliness of a teacher in a different community and culture; and the changes brought up by his presence into this different community during one year. The film chronicles one school year, starting from September 2007 until the departure of the teacher for summer holiday in June 2008. During this period, they begin to know and understand each other mutually and slowly.