Sami Mermer is a Turkish Canadian documentary filmmaker of
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
descent.
Biography
Mermer was born in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. He studied mathematics at the
University of Ankara
Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923.
The university has 40 vocat ...
from 1994 to 1996 and from 1996 to 2000, Environment Engineering at the
University of Istanbul
, image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis
, motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü
, mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future
, established = 1453 1846 1933
...
. He pursued cinema studies at the University of Mesopotamia from 1998 to 2000 followed by studies of French and Cinema Studies at the
University of Quebec
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
from 2000 to 2002.
He worked on several documentaries and fiction films, as a director and director of photography. He was co-writer and assistant director of ''Ax (the land)'', winner of several prizes and awarded best film in the 2000
Hamburg Film Festival
FILMFEST HAMBURG is an international film festival in Hamburg, the third-largest of its kind in Germany (after Berlin and Munich). It shows national and international feature and documentary films in eleven sections. The range of the program stret ...
. In
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
, he co-directed, with Aaron B. Smith a short fiction film called ''Sortie'', winner of Compass School for Cinematic Arts 24 Hour Film competition.
''The Box of Lanzo'', 102 minutes, was his first feature documentary about homeless people which he directed, edited and shot almost entirely in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2006, he collaborated as writer/director & DP with Benjamin Hoekstra on a feature-length fiction project, ''The Extra'' shot in both Los Angeles and Michigan, and since reduced to a short film.
From December 2006 to July 2007 Mermer lived in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...
and launched a production company called Turtle Productions with Hind Benchekroun based in Montreal-Casablanca.
Mermer has lived in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
since July 2007. In 2015, he released in collaboration with Benchekroun the long feature documentary film '' Callshop Istanbul'', about life of refugees from all over the world in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, a gateway to immigration to Europe. In 2018, Mermer and Benchekroun released their third feature documentary film, titled
Xalko
''Xalko'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Sami Mermer and Hind Benchekroun and released in 2018. The film profiles Mermer's own birthplace of Xalko, a Kurdish village in Turkey where the women are preserving Kurdish tradition after mos ...
. The film looks at Xalko, a kurdish village in Turkey, deserted by its men who have gone to Europe or America. It explores migration from the point of view those left behind. The film was selected in many festivals, including
Montreal International Documentary Festival
The Montreal International Documentary Festival (french: Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montreal) is a Canadian documentary film festival, staged annually in Montreal, Quebec.
In English, the festival now goes by the name Montreal I ...
(RIDM) and DOXA Documentary Film Festival. It won the
Prix Iris
The Prix Iris is a Canadian film award, presented annually by Québec Cinéma, which recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in Quebec.Turtles Do Not Die of Old Age (Les tortues ne meurent pas de vieillesse)'', 2010, Documentary. Morocco.
*2016: '' Callshop Istanbul'', Documentary jointly with Hind Benchekroun
*2018: ''
Xalko
''Xalko'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Sami Mermer and Hind Benchekroun and released in 2018. The film profiles Mermer's own birthplace of Xalko, a Kurdish village in Turkey where the women are preserving Kurdish tradition after mos ...
''
;Others
*1999: ''Photograph'', Fiction. Turkey. (as actor). 70 min.
*2004: ''Rumour'', Fiction. Grand Rapids. (as camera) Dir. Benjamin Hoekstra. 30 min.
*2005: ''Pompiste'', fiction. New York, New Jersey. Writer.
*2007: ''Les Traces du Temps'', Casablanca, writer, director, producer
*2007: ''Vendeurs ambulant'', Casablanca, writer, director, producer
*2007: ''Last stop Istanbul'', writer, director, producer
*2007: ''Victoria'', Fiction. (as camera assistant and lighting) Dir. Anna Karina.
*2007: ''Misafir'', Fiction. Dir. Eylem Kaftan.
*2007: ''Taxi Casablanca'' Documentary. (as cinematographer). Dir. Hind Benchekroun and Mary Fowles.Taxi Casablanca IMDb page /ref>