Actor Mehmet Eryilmaz and director Nuri Bilge Ceylan during their November 2014 visit to the Walker.
Acclaimed Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan visited the Walker earlier this month to introduce his Palme d’Or Winning film Winter Sleep to a sold out theater. He was accompanied by his friend and actor, Mehmet Eryilmaz. Ceylan’s film takes place in the otherworldly landscape of Anatolia at a hotel run by a former actor, his younger wife, and his distraught sister. The expansive, three hour long feature film questions the importance of family, love, charity, and forgiveness. The film kicked off a retrospective that included screenings of Climates, Distant, and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia.
Ceylan’s career as a filmmaker grew out of a passion for photography. During his trip to Minneapolis, he made an excursion around the city to take photographs of the Mississippi River. Accompanied by Minneapolis artist David Goldes and Eryilmaz, the director visited the Stone Arch Bridge, the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and Goldes’ photography studio.
Ceylan with Senior Curator Sheryl Mousley in the Walker Art Center
Ceylan in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Photographer David Goldes with Ceylan at the Mississippi River.
The artists’ portrait (top) was taken by Gene Pittman in the Walker studio. All other photos were taken by Mehmet Eryilmaz.