HEROES

HEROES (ŞEHİTLER), 2019
Turkey, Australia | DCP, Color, 88’ | Turkish, English
Director: Köken Ergun

Contemporary artist Köken Ergun was featured in the 2013 Count Us In! program with his documentary short Aşura. His first feature-length documentary Heroes follows people visiting the monuments in Gallipoli/Çanakkale and explores the concepts of national identity, cultural ritual, and “tourism of martyrdom”. The film took a total of three years to complete, following two years of research during which the director joined many Gallipoli tours and spent time with participants and guides. In the film, he brings together the thoughts of tour participants, theatrical reenactments of the Campaign, and the narratives of guides which vary from one group to the next.