’Revolution Cars’ on silver screen once again

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

Turkish film "Devrim Arabaları" (Revolution Cars), which depicts "Devrim" (Revolution), Turkey’s first automobile, will be on the silver screen once again on May 1 due to intense demand. The film was first released in October 2008.

Directed by Tolga Örnek, the film’s script was written by Örnek and Murat Dişli. The film stars Sait Genay, who plays the role of the president at the time, Cemal Gürsel, Taner Birsel, Ali Düşenkalkar, Halit Ergenç, Altan Gördüm, Vahide Gördüm, Seçil Mutlu, Uğur Polat, Serhat Tutumluer, Onur Ünsal, Selçuk Yöntem and Haluk Bilginer.

For the second release of the film, a new poster and a new slogan, which is "Brave hearts are needed in order to achieve the impossible," have been prepared. The main sponsors of the film are Doğuş Holding, Doğuş Automotive, Garanti Bank and Koç Allianz as well as Turkish State Railways, some schools, universities and other organizations.

Awards
"The Revolution Cars won the Best Actor Award at the 14th Sadri Alışık Cinema and Theater Awards. Actors Taner Birsel, Ali Düşenkalkar, Halit Ergenç, Altan Gördüm, Serhat Tutumluer, Onur Ünsal and Selçuk Yöntem shared the award. Demir Demirkan, who composed the film’s music, was given the Best Music Award in the Turkish Films section by the 41st Cinema Writers’ Association. Art director Veli Kahraman won the Best Art Director Award at the 20th Ankara International Film Festival. The film also won many other national and international awards.

"The Revolution Cars" will be the opening film at the Monaco Film Festival on May 11 to 16, and will also be screened at the Milan Film Festival from May 11 to 19. In the competition section of the festival, the film will compete for the Best film Award and actor Taner Birsel will compete for the Best Actor Award.

The film was also invited to the Canada Film Festival from Feb. 19 to 21, 2010.

According to information provided by the Pinema Film Company, director Örnek found an article series about the automobile "Devrim" four years ago. Making a research about the project, Örnek saw the original automobile at the Turkish Locomotive and Motor Industry, or TÜLOMSAŞ, plant in the central Anatolian city of Eskişehir, examined its technical features, searched for the papers of that period and talked to engineers who are still alive and complete his research after two years.

After the completion of the script with Dişli, the result was not a story of engineering but an affecting story of human, friendship and solidarity. Finally, the audience was presented the story of extraordinary people more than a forgotten part of Turkish history.

Filming was made in the old Kundura Fabrikası (Shoes Plant) in Istanbul’s Beykoz district in six weeks. Including the supporting artists, a team of 115 people worked for 16 hours a day. The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra performed the music. The sound effects and designs were made in England.

10,000 people visited Devrim the car

Meanwhile, the first Turkish automobile Devrim, which was manufactured on an order from President Cemal Gürsel in 1961 in the Eskişehir Railway Plant, has been on display for about 10 years in a glass section in the garden at TÜLOMSAŞ. The automobile has been visited by 10,000 people since the film hit movie theaters and fast trains began to operate between Eskişehir and Ankara. Many automobile companies want to carry out the maintenance of Devrim for free. TÜLOMSAŞ officials say they will evaluate these demands. The Devrim weighs 1,250 kilograms and has a modified 140 bhp engine. It is not filled with gas for safety reasons.

The story of first Turkish car

"The Revolution Cars" depicts the sad story of the first attempt to manufacture the first Turkish automobile. The passenger cars were manufactured by 23 Turkish engineers within 130 calendar days in year 1961.

It was a perfect example of reverse engineering of a reputable US automobile as well as good project management and use of available human resources. The engine block was cast elsewhere under the supervision of the team, and machined somewhere else. The movie portrays the gratification of the workers as well as the local engineers, in a period of scarce material resources, difficult transportation means and difficult communication.

In 1961, the new administration decided to allocate necessary funds to build the new car. President Gursel, a former chief of General Staff, was well aware of prevailing transportation difficulties in the armed forces, and the uneasy situation of unnecessary dependence to foreign military vehicles. He sincerely encouraged the local production.