By Glenn Erickson
10 to 11
Brief Synopsis
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For Mithat, Istanbul is as vast as his collections. However, for the concierge of his building Ali, it is nothing more than a few blocks around him. When the neighbors decide to upgrade the building in preparation for a major earthquake, Mithat is faced with finding a way to save his various collect
Cast & Crew
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Pelin Esmer
Director
Nejat Isler
Mithat Esmer
Laçin Ceylan
Tayanc Ayaydin
Savas Akova
Film Details
Also Known As
11'e 10 kala, Ten to Eleven
Genre
Drama
Foreign
Release Date
2009
Production Company
Arte; Arte France Cinéma; Stromboli Films
Distribution Company
Ozen Film; Peripher Filmverleih; Özen Film
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 50m
Synopsis
For Mithat, Istanbul is as vast as his collections. However, for the concierge of his building Ali, it is nothing more than a few blocks around him. When the neighbors decide to upgrade the building in preparation for a major earthquake, Mithat is faced with finding a way to save his various collections. The future of the building links the destiny of these two men who will involuntarily change each other's fate.
Director
Pelin Esmer
Director
Film Details
Also Known As
11'e 10 kala, Ten to Eleven
Genre
Drama
Foreign
Release Date
2009
Production Company
Arte; Arte France Cinéma; Stromboli Films
Distribution Company
Ozen Film; Peripher Filmverleih; Özen Film
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 50m
Articles
10 to 11 -
Women directors aren't a rarity, especially in World Cinema; the issue has always been finding wider distribution for their work. Turkey's Pelin Esmer has made a big mark on the international festival scene. Esmer's first feature film is 2009's 10 to 11 (11'e 10 kala). It's an extension of Koleksiyoncu: The Collector (2002), a short documentary she made about her eccentric Uncle Mithat (Mithat Esmer). The charming gentleman is a hoarder-rebel with an apartment jammed with paper. Mithat's intriguing philosophy centers on holding onto the past, which he repeatedly argues is better than the present. The neighbors complain that his hoard of magazines and newspapers will make the building collapse. Mithat's own nephew Ali (Nejat Isler) wonders at the old man's apartment, which is so densely packed that one can barely move. The principled packrat's one defender is the janitor, who would like the old man to put his rooms in shape as well. Mithat is a vocal representative of the proud past; his neighbors think in terms of property values. Pelin Esmer's amusing portrait of her fascinating uncle is a lightly fictionalized character study; the man's winning personality carries the show almost on its own. Film festivals approved, even if some critics complained of a too-leisurely pace. The writer-director's filmmaking career has since blossomed, with invitations to work in Germany and France. Her latest film Queen Lear (Kraliçe Lear, 2019) is a lively comedy-drama about peasant women who form a theater group. In one interview, Esmer credits her effort to create "a continuity with the past" to her university studies in anthropology.
By Glenn Erickson
By Glenn Erickson
10 to 11 -
Women directors aren't a rarity, especially in World Cinema; the issue has always been finding wider distribution for their work. Turkey's Pelin Esmer has made a big mark on the international festival scene. Esmer's first feature film is 2009's 10 to 11 (11'e 10 kala). It's an extension of Koleksiyoncu: The Collector (2002), a short documentary she made about her eccentric Uncle Mithat (Mithat Esmer). The charming gentleman is a hoarder-rebel with an apartment jammed with paper. Mithat's intriguing philosophy centers on holding onto the past, which he repeatedly argues is better than the present. The neighbors complain that his hoard of magazines and newspapers will make the building collapse. Mithat's own nephew Ali (Nejat Isler) wonders at the old man's apartment, which is so densely packed that one can barely move. The principled packrat's one defender is the janitor, who would like the old man to put his rooms in shape as well. Mithat is a vocal representative of the proud past; his neighbors think in terms of property values. Pelin Esmer's amusing portrait of her fascinating uncle is a lightly fictionalized character study; the man's winning personality carries the show almost on its own. Film festivals approved, even if some critics complained of a too-leisurely pace. The writer-director's filmmaking career has since blossomed, with invitations to work in Germany and France. Her latest film Queen Lear (Kraliçe Lear, 2019) is a lively comedy-drama about peasant women who form a theater group. In one interview, Esmer credits her effort to create "a continuity with the past" to her university studies in anthropology.
By Glenn Erickson
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 2010 (Shown at Rotterdam International Film Festival (Bright Future) January 27-February 7, 2010.)
Released in United States 2010
Released in United States September 2009
Shown at Rotterdam International Film Festival (Bright Future) January 27-February 7, 2010.
Shown at San Sebastian International Film Festival (Official Selection/Competitor for the Kutxa-New Directors Award) September 18-26, 2009.
Released in United States September 2009 (Shown at San Sebastian International Film Festival (Official Selection/Competitor for the Kutxa-New Directors Award) September 18-26, 2009.)
