SULTAN YAVUZ – Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Association of Journalists “Media for Democracy/Democracy for Media” project held a viewing of the film “the Band’s Visit” at the Press House. After the showing, journalist Haldun Armağan held a Q&A with the audience.
Prior to the showing, M4D Poject Director Yusuf Kanlı gave a brief speech talking about how the film depicts the intersecting lives of two peoples trying to live in the same region. Kanlı thanked the Embassy of Israel for giving them permission to show the film.

Guest journalist Armağan said “the main idea of the 2007 production is to depict friendships that flourish out of misunderstandings and confusion… The film is about a marching band from Egypt and how they interact with the people of a remote village in Israel”.
Remarking that such stories tend to be full of traps, Armağan added “what we expect to see is prejudice, discrimination and hate. But instead, the film shows us that the people have a lot in common and are not concerned with politics.  This film is full of humanity and sincerity…
The film has such a humane dimension to it that you wish it were true because what the director portrays on a micro scale is a world devoid of prejudice, discrimination, where everyone lives in harmony and peace.”

“The Band’s Visit”
Directed by Eran Kolirin, “the Band’s Visit” tells the story of a band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in the wrong town.