When We Leave

Tribeca Film Festival, 2010:
BEST FILM, World Narrative Feature Competition
BEST ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli (star of HEAD-ON)

83rd Academy Awards® 2011
Official German entry for the Best Foreign Language Film

What would you sacrifice for your family’s love? Your values? Your freedom? Your life?

German-born Umay flees from her oppressive marriage in Istanbul, taking her young son Cem with her. She hopes to find a better life with her family in Berlin, but her unexpected arrival creates intense conflict. Her family is trapped in their conventions. They are torn between their love for her and the traditional values of their community. Ultimately, they decide to return Cem to his father in Turkey. To keep her son, Umay is
forced to move again. She finds the inner strength to build a new life for herself and Cem, but her need for her family’s love drives her to a series of ill-fated attempts at reconciliation. What Umay doesn’t realize is just how deep the wounds are and how dangerous her struggle for self-determination has become…

“At this year's Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, the movie When We Leave received the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature. And its star, Sibel Kekilli, walked away with the Founders Award for Best Actress in a Narrative Feature.

“It was no surprise to me when I heard the announcements because I'd been raving about this film and about Sibel's performance for days. I consider When We Leave one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is Bicycle Thief good, and the kind of movie I like the most: a simple yet meaningful story told without bells and whistles and with a small number of major characters. Another reason I love this film so much is the screen presence of the fabulous Sibel Kekilli, one of the most talented actresses working today.

“This is a very important film because it raises the horrible worldwide issue of "honor killings," those that occur when male family members kill girls or women who have "dishonored" their families. When We Leave is a remarkable artistic achievement. You must see this film.” ~ Joseph Smigelski, THE HUFFINGTON POST

“Writer-director Feo Aladag's powerful debut film about a Turkish woman fleeing her husband evokes a modern-day Greek tragedy.” (Maria Garcia, Film Journal Int’l)