The Town That Drove Away

About the film

Due to the Ilisu dam project in Turkey, the Tigris will overflow its banks, causing the historic village of Hasankeyf – along with many other villages in the region – to be submerged. The new Hasankeyf, where the residents must relocate, is being rebuilt further from the Tigris. In the panoramic Anatolian landscape, filmmakers Pilawski and Pietsch follow two Kurdish families on their way to their new home. As their village is being demolished, they prepare themselves mentally for a new life elsewhere. The large, modern houses initially seem like progress, but homesickness soon sets in.