Bliss

The most acclaimed Turkish film of the decade -- the first anywhere to address the taboo subject of honor killings – is finally coming to a Los Angeles screen. When 17-year-old Meryem is found dishevelled and unconscious by the side of a lake in the Turkish countryside, her family imagines the worst: that her chastity has been lost. They turn to the ancient principle of “tore,” a strict moral code that condemns Meryem to death. When she refuses to take her own life, the duty of upholding the family's honor falls upon a distant cousin, Cemal, who has just completed a brutal tour in the military. Cemal reluctantly agrees to take Meryem away – and kill her.

Based on the internationally acclaimed novel and set against the backdrop of Turkey's natural wonders, BLISS is an unconventional road movie that pits tradition against modernity, urban against rural and East against West, all the while refusing to settle for easy answers.

Born in Istanbul in 1958, director/producer Abdullah Oğuz has worked prolifically in Turkish television and is one of the pioneers of the Turkish music video industry. Oğuz made his feature film directorial debut in 2003 with The Ivy Mansion-Life, which was the continuation of a hit television series and the highest grossing film in Turkey that year. His other feature films include Jailbirds (2005) and Kismet (2008).

Ömer Zülfü Livaneli (b. 1946) is a popular Turkish musician, novelist, journalist and filmmaker. Published in 2002, BLISS is his third novel and has enjoyed immense international success. It was published in the U.S. in 2006 by St. Martin’s Press. Livaneli is actively involved in the struggle for the prevention of honor crimes and frequently writes about honor killings to create public awareness about the problem. He has been a highly influential political figure in Turkey for the last thirty years, serving in the Turkish Parliament and, since 1996, as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. He also composed the music for BLISS.

“Breathtaking…beautifully acted, consistently gripping, visually intoxicating…a landmark of Turkish cinema.” (Stephen Holden, New York Times)

“Gripping…supremely engaging.” (New York Magazine)

“Strikingly lensed, accessible, surprisingly moving…shades of Knife in the Water.” (Derek Elley, Variety)