Murat Can Memiş

Desktop images, letters, text messages, interviews and CCTV footage, this aesthetically eclectic, politically daring collection of films by Altyazı Fasikül: Free Cinema stresses the need for criticality in times of censorship and repression.

Muhammed Ali is a deaf and disabled boy. His biggest dream is to be able to walk one day but the intended surgery turns out to be risky and his doctor suggests learning how to swim to improve his condition. Encouraged by his grand-mother, Muhammed Ali now has a new dream in life: becoming a swimming champion.

A freelance artist, Zail feels unfulfilled yet knows he isn’t fully trying. He paints murals in cafes and bars, living without a steady job or schedule. After enduring prolonged spasms, a hospital diagnosis confirms his worst fears. Trapped by poverty and despair, he spirals into a void of insignificance, finding solace in a snail he befriends—both retreating into their shells from the world. As his illness worsens, hope fades. One night, seeking to recapture fleeting joys, he meets Gece, a transgender woman, in a bar. Their encounter sparks a journey through the most vivid, colorful night of his life, confronting his fears and fleetingly escaping his despair.