S I S T E R S   O F   L I L I T H 

Original title: LILIT'IN KIZKARDESLERI
Directed by: Emel Çelebi
Script & editing: Necati Sönmez, Emel Çelebi
Camera: Necati Sönmez, Özlem Günhan
Participants: Hatice Pınar, Semiha Başak, Nebiha Sarıçay
Music: Mircan Kaya
Consultants: Yıldız Cıbıroğlu, Tijen S. Gedik, Nadi Güler
Produced by: ZeZe Film
In collaboration with: Eurasia Art Collective (ASK)
Format: DVCAM
Duration: 41 min.
Year of production: 2008

Three women who live in harmony with nature, in nature, not succumbing to anyone with the force they draw off their labour: a shepherd who lives with her flock in the mountains; a fisher who goes out to the sea everyday although she can’t swim; and a farmer who cares for her home and buys and sells land when she has to...

They represent a productive way of life not yet disconnected from nature. This is a song of praise for the strong and productive identity of women told through the stories of three characters.

“People don’t care for animals. They call them ‘animals’ without understanding them. To me they are more valuable than human beings. I talk to them, communicate with them and share my grievances. I sing folk songs and clap to them.”

--Hatice Pinar, from the film

FROM THE PRESS:

“Celebi, combining the beautiful scenery of the villages with a humorous approach towards the women she followed, does a great job of illuminating the strengths that their ways of life require. As its name implies, the film is a compliment to the soul of the fallen goddess Lilith that lives inside of every woman and often waits to be discovered.”

--N. Buket Cengiz, Film International, issue 34

“Though the stories in ‘Sisters of Lilith’ were promoted as depicting life lived ‘in harmony with nature’, ‘Nature’ in fact was left an open category in these films, romanticized through the sheer beauty of the screen locations, but not without some acknowledgement of its hardships too.”

--Mireille Thornton Colak, Cafebabel

FESTIVALS

3rd Women's Film Festival in Chennai, India (March 2010)

PLUS CAMERIMAGE - 17th International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography,
Łódź, Poland
(Nov.-Dec. 2009) >>>

6. KIN International Women's Film Festival, Armenia (Dec. 2009) >>>

26th Autrans International Mountain Film Festival, France
(Dec. 2009) >>>

Terre des Femmes - 9th Women's World Film Festival, Tübingen (Nov. 2009) >>>

10th Astra Film Festival, Sibiu (Oct. 2009) >>>

Romania International Film Festival, Ro-IFF (Sept. 2009)

15th Aye Aye International Film Festival, Nancy-Lorraine
(Sept. 2009)

8th Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Prizren (Aug. 2009) - Best Balkan Doc Award

20. Türk Film Günleri, Münih

11th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

20th Ankara International Film Festival (March 2009)

7th Filmmor International Women's Film Festival,
Istanbul

13th International Film Festival of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram

11th International 1001 Documentary Film Festival, Istanbul

DocumFest International Documentary Film Festival, Timişoara, Romania

45th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival

5th International Bodrum Film Festival

11th Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival, Ankara

27th International Istanbul Film Festival

DOCUMENTS

For high-resolution stills >>>
Watch the video clip >>>

REVIEWS

Emel Çelebi's ‘Sisters of Lilith' named best Balkan documentary >>>
Turkish Cinema Newsletter
12.08.2009

Kosovo International Documentary Film Festival announces winners >>>
New Kosova Report
11.08.2009

“The lives of Turkish women revolutionized on the silver screen” >>>
Mireille Thornton Çolak,
http://istanbul.cafebabel.com
29.04.2008

“Sisters of Lilith, un film turco sui mestieri della terra”
(Italian) >>>
Marco Lombardi, Il Sole 24 Ore, 26.04.2008

“Turquía entra en Eiropa con su nuevo cine”
(Spanish) >>>
Juan Sarda, El Cultural (El Mondo), 24.04.2008