Boats Made of Watermelon

Karpuz Kabugundan
Gemiler Yapmak / Boats Made of Watermelon

Turkey Now! 2008 FILM

Two village boys are crazy about movies and whenever they have some time they work on a film they are trying to assemble from old film fragments that they have found. Their dream is to become famous directors.
Turkish; English subtitles.
boatsmadeofwatermelonTwo friends, Recep (Ismail Hakki Taslak) and Mehmet (Kadir Kaymaz), live in a small village. Their one great dream is to become film directors but their reality is vastly different:  Recep makes a little money selling watermelons and Mehmet is apprenticed to the local barber, who constantly tries to make his life a misery. But their material hardship does not stop them from dreaming.
In their spare time they collect old films that are scrapped by the local cinema and organise their own 'screenings'. They use a wooden box and a lamp for a projector and the village idiot is their only customer. Recep has another dream as well: he is in love with the somewhat older Nihal, the daughter of a lady he delivers melon slices to. But realisation of this dream seems even more improbable than that of becoming a film director. He asks his friend Mehmet for help.
The title is a made-up expression from watermelon peddler Kemal:  'making boats with watermelon peel’.  The meaning: placing your hope in things that will never happen.