Yusuf and Kenan
(Yusuf ile kenan)
by Ömer Kavur
Turkey
Script: Ömer Kavur, Onat Kutlar
Cinematographer: Günes Karabuda
Music: Cagdas Arastirma Grubu
Cast: Cem Davran, Tamer Celiker, Yalcin Avsar, Hakan Tanfer, Sevket Avsar
Producers: Ömer Kavur, Necip Saricioglu
Production: Alfa Film
Year: 1979
35 mm, Colour, 83 min,
Turkish OV with French Subtitles
Yusuf, aged 14, and his 9-year-old kid brother Kenan earn their livelihood as shepherds. Their father is murdered as result of a blood feud and the boys are forced to flee to Istanbul in search of their only relative alive, their uncle Ali. Face to face with the harsh realities of Istanbul, they soon abandon their search for him. The brutality of big city life encumbers them, and as they strive for daily survival they encounter a street boy named “Bug”. Bug introduces them to “Crooked”, a youth involved in illicit affairs. Crooked proposes Yusuf to work for him. Helpless, Yusuf accepts and becomes a thief. Kenan, bearing a stronger character, looks for a way to learn a craft and make an honest living... «Yusuf and Kenan» is rooted in one of Istanbul’s continuing social problems - the thousands of street children, ranging in age from six or seven upward, who have migrated into this metropolis of twelve million.
