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Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds

Original title: Karpuz Kabugundan Gemiler Yapmak
  • 2004
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
6.8K
YOUR RATING
Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds (2004)
DramaFamily

In his award-winning debut feature film, director Ahmet Ulucay portrays the innocence of childhood and the lure of the cinema for two teens in a small Turkish village. Working for a watermel... Read allIn his award-winning debut feature film, director Ahmet Ulucay portrays the innocence of childhood and the lure of the cinema for two teens in a small Turkish village. Working for a watermelon seller by day, Remet spends his evenings trying to rebuild a film projector with his fr... Read allIn his award-winning debut feature film, director Ahmet Ulucay portrays the innocence of childhood and the lure of the cinema for two teens in a small Turkish village. Working for a watermelon seller by day, Remet spends his evenings trying to rebuild a film projector with his friend Mehmet. Both have big dreams to be famous film directors one day.

  • Director
    • Ahmet Uluçay
  • Writer
    • Ahmet Uluçay
  • Stars
    • Fizuli Caferof
    • Gülayse Erkoc
    • Hasbiye Günay
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    6.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ahmet Uluçay
    • Writer
      • Ahmet Uluçay
    • Stars
      • Fizuli Caferof
      • Gülayse Erkoc
      • Hasbiye Günay
    • 17User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 13 wins & 7 nominations total

    Photos7

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    Top cast8

    Edit
    Fizuli Caferof
    • Deli Ömer
    Gülayse Erkoc
    • Nezihe
    Hasbiye Günay
    • Güler
    Kadir Kaymaz
    • Mehmet
    Ismail Hakki Taslak
    • Recep
    Ahmet Uluçay
    • Berber
    Boncuk Yilmaz
    Boncuk Yilmaz
    • Nihal
    Mustafa Çoban
    • Karpuzcu Kemal
    • Director
      • Ahmet Uluçay
    • Writer
      • Ahmet Uluçay
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews17

    7.76.7K
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    Featured reviews

    8ipekbay

    simple and spectacular

    A very simple story with amateur casting can not impress me like this ever. It is about a passion of a two young people toward cinema, making their own projector with very primitive equipments. Their efforts are worth watching. Photography is perfect, every scene is a story itself, colored by the beautiful country side. Village and the villagers are so real that you get the impression as if you are watching a documentary about Turkish villages at the same time, showing the lifestyle, language, costumes, architecture, traditions, taboos and everything in a very lean way. A heartbreaking love story throws in a towel, very innocent but impossible because of the boundaries people set for their selves especially in Turkey. It makes you think how bright minds go in vein because of the lack of support or lack of facility. Fortunately imagination is all free. I am sure the filmmakers did not expect a box office, they put forth their hearts to display everything very sincerely and unreserved. Wish they can reach out the crowds.
    7nihatcan

    Two creative kids

    First this movie shows that money is not very important to create a movie. The story and the thriller takes you from the beginning to the end. The stories powerful characters are two kids this makes the intention powerful. Both kids are very shy and kindhearted. The story consists of determination, money, love, friendship and the family.

    I live in Ankara capital city of the Turkey and I also went to Kutahya before. The point of view is very very good. The life in the villages is like that. These are for real I heard a lot of stories like that. This movie is describes for my grandfather's generation very much. All the persons who are in my age know a lot of stories like that for our parents childhoods. For example my father gives this movie may be 9 out of 10 :) The cinemas takes his attention very much I think.

    Not much more to say about movie. Watch it pretty good. I like it very much I think every one will...
    7omouallem

    Moovey Paradiso

    Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds (Karpuz Kabugundan Gemiler Yapmak) is a most charming film out of Turkey. It follows a teenage boy, Recep, working as an apprentice for the local Happy Watermelon Man. His mother is evil (involved in some unexplained human-ear baking ring), but a nearby woman wants to take him under his wing. "Auntie" as he calls her, is somewhat flirtatious and very much weird. Recep has a crush on her eldest daughter, who resents him.

    The youngest daughter is infatuated with Recep, who doesn't take her seriously.

    On the side, Recep is also trying to build his own movie theatre with two friends. They've got the film, the wooden projector box, a light and lens. Now all they need is to find a way to manually move the film at 24 frames a second.

    Boats is witty, wonderful and at times, weird. It's a what Cinema Paradiso would be if David Lynch directed it. It is not perfect. There is a lull about 2/3rds into the movie that is hard to ignore. But this is one of those rare smart films for the whole family.
    9ziyat_aktepe

    lovely one

    An semi professional tray but whats is come out one of the best movie in Turkish cinema history. Just think about it ? Main actor's fist and last movies has 8+ in imdb i dont believe there is an other example you can find on wold " of course if actors is not die". The boy who play as an headliner he didt shot any other movie in his life and now he drive buss in his village. So very good camera very good and pure story i really love this movie.
    10gospodinBezkrai

    A humble, monumental and so necessary!

    Watermelons, boats, boats from watermelon rinds - clearly this is a film about childhood! About that special kind of childhood of the East or maybe of the Past!

    In childhood every detail is full of meaning, full of amusement, the near future holds grand plans and dreams, in childhood myths can have very real appearances, and there are many many summer minutes to spend with your friends, on the dried meadows of the village or maybe on the imaginary sands of the coast...

    A childhood in the East: where townsmen are too poor but have their pride, where they still pay a lot of attention and appreciate the small details, where life repeats its slow rhythms and the future is blissfully far away. In the East myths still can have very real appearances, and there are many many daily moments to spend enjoying the simple blessings of God while waving off the flies in the hot air, chatting with your watermelon customers, or taking a nap!

    I should warn you that just like our childhood, the film has no specific finale, it ends unexpectedly, taken away by the circumstances. One day we realise it has been gone for some time already, while we had still so much more plans and business to do with it...!

    A humble, monumental and so necessary memory of times that will one day pass, and places that will soon change! Ashkolsun arkadashlar!

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family

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    FAQ15

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 26, 2004 (Turkey)
    • Country of origin
      • Turkey
    • Language
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
      • Čamci od kora lubenica
    • Filming locations
      • Tavsanli, Turkey
    • Production company
      • Istisnai Filmler ve Reklamlar (IFR)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $13,500
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 37m(97 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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