'Ayla,' a movie based on a heart-breaking 65-year-old real-life story
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Suleyman, a Turkish soldier who fought in the Korean War, and Ayla, a Korean girl who lost her parents in the war, met by accident and became father and daughter. (Dijital Sanatlar) |
By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Sinem Betul
Video = Dijital Sanatlar
"Ayla" (2017) is the untold story of fatherhood, love, hope, friendship and, unfortunately, the scary face of war. It is strong evidence that the father-daughter relationship is quite possible, not only by blood but also in the heart.
In 2016, it was announced that there would be a film about Sergeant Suleyman and his daughter Ayla. He was a Turkish soldier sent to Korea, a place he was not familiar with, far away from his homeland. She was a little Korean girl in her homeland, but in an unfamiliar situation.
When the cast of the film was made public, expectations rose because they were all professional actors, and the music would have Fahit Atakoglu’s signature. Not very long ago, Turkish Airlines announced that it would sponsor the movie. Most filming took place in Turkey, and it's assumed that it would be screened in October 2017.
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| Sergeant Suleyman (left) and Cetin Tekindor, who plays Suleyman in the movie, sit together. (Dijital Sanatlar) |
Here are some shots of the movie backstage.
A brief summary of the film
On Sept. 17, 1950, the Republic of Turkey sent a brigade of 5,090 soldier to Korea at the behest of the U.N. In General Tahsin Yazici's command was a Sergeant Suleyman Dilbirligi, aged 25, who was one of the thousands of Turkish soldiers who went to Korea voluntarily.
One night after bloody fighting against the enemy, while Sergeant Suleyman and his squadron were on their way to base, they noticed some kind of movement behind the bushes. Was it an animal or the enemy? The movement was a 5-year-old girl who was glaring at Suleyman with her eyes due to extreme fear, and her hands were almost frozen. This was how Suleyman and Ayla first met.
Since it was not possible for them to look for her family at that moment, they had no choice but to take her with them to camp. She had neither an identity card nor could she speak, so they gave her a Turkish name, Ayla, because of her facial appearance that was round and bright like a moon. The camp became Ayla’s new home and playground. Ayla was an orphan princess who was stuck right in the middle of war and of an army that consisted of only men. While she was playing games and enjoying her childhood innocently, the war was still going on with all its cruelty just a few kilometers away.
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| Suleyman and other Turkish soldiers take good care of Ayla. (MBC) |
Day by day, Ayla got used to the soldiers, learned Turkish, acted as an interpreter and called Suleyman “Baba,” or, "Father," and other soldiers became uncles and brothers to her. Making the best of being a father now, Suleyman looked after Ayla for 15 months. When it was time to return home, Sergeant Suleyman did not know what to do. He was in a dilemma between two choices. He would either stay with her in Korea or go back to Turkey alone. Because of strict rules, he was not allowed to take her with him. In the end, Sergeant Suleyman decided to take the risk of abducting Ayla. He put her in a large box that was among his belongings, but unfortunately, he was caught red-handed.
“You are like a daughter to me. Do not ever forget me. I will never forget you, and I will patiently wait for the day when I can take you in my arms again!”
Heartbreakingly, this was how they parted.
How did they search for each other? Were they able to meet again? How did they live until then? We will learn the whole story after watching the movie. Until that time, to learn more about updates about the film, you can follow official social media accounts.
I would like to thank PiaPinar Ercan, social media coordinator at Dijital Sanatlar, for her help and kindness.
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| The touching story of a Turkish soldier and a Korean girl is made into a film and is scheduled to be released in October 2017. (Dijital Sanatlar) |
wisdom117@korea.kr
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