Fatma of the Forest

(1979)

★ 8.5 IMDb · 154 votes

Genres: Documentary

Year: 1979

Runtime: 28 мин

Country: Turkey

Director: Suha Arın

Plot

Reflects life, longings and a major “fear” in the subconscious of a 12-years old “woodcutter” girl living under very hard conditions in the forest of Toros Mountains at an altitude of approximately 2000 m. The documentary, aiming to symbolize a little-known but common practice of child labour, accomplishes a dramatic portrayal of laborers who work for Ministery of Forestry totally deprived of social security.

"Fatma of the Forest" documentary, screened in 1979, International Year of Children, reflects life, longings and a major "fear" in her subconscious of an 12-years old "woodcutter" girl living under very hard conditions in the forests of Toros Mountains at an altitude of approximately 2000 mt. The documentary, aiming to symbolize a little-known but common practice of child labor with Fatma, accomplishes a dramatic portrayal of laborers who work for Ministry of Forestry in works of lumbering and logging, totally deprived of social security. In the documentary, alongside with the daily lives of the woodcutters, Semah Dance, one of the most important elements of the folklore of woodcutters, is the final act. The Semah Dance symbolizes a "resistance" that was started about 400 year ago by the famous folk poet Pîr Sultan Abdal.