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De kinderen van mijn vader

Short documentary, 2005, 54 min.

'My father has always been a remote father', Meral Uslu says at the beginning of her, never bitter, portrayal of her family ties. In the sixties, her father left his family in Turkey, in search of a better future in Holland. Owing to his well-groomed appearance, he could enjoy the increasingly liberal sexual morals to the full. Later, he brought his wife and children to Haarlem, where he lived at the time. He left their upbringing to his wife. 'Allah gave me these children, so I must respect them', she explains her sense of duty. Father sought his luck elsewhere, resulting, in addition to the four children he had with his wife, in at least as many extramarital children. Today, father, who does not speak one word of Dutch in the film, has returned to the Turkish country. He tells his children he loves them in his way and rubs it in that they owe it to him that they were brought up in a modern and prosperous country. `For me, you are always close', he concludes. Awarded a Golden Calf for Best Short Documentary 2005.

won prizes

  • NL - Netherlands Film Festival Golden Calf

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