MARYAM & VARTO

In 1915, in Anatolia, Maryam and her brother Varto, two Armenian children, are caught in the turmoil of war. Hassan, a young Turkish man, is given the difficult mission of saving them. During a perilous odyssey, the three of them will cross a torn country and discover each other beyond their differences. Their lives will be forever changed. This journey has unexpected consequences in the present day, where a young woman and her teenage son, who flirts with nationalism, embark on a trip from Istanbul to Paris to meet a grumpy old Armenian man. Together, they will piece together the story of Maryam and Varto, a story that is also their ownMaryam & Varto is a fictional animated film aimed at both teenagers and adults. The main theme of the film is separation and its corollary, reunion. The backdrop of the story is the Armenian tragedy and the relations between Turks and Armenians. Exile, whether physical or internal, despite the veil of family secrets, offers a path toward reconciliation.

Director’s statement
The story of Maryam & Varto is told from a child’s perspective. It has the power of testimony, as most of the situations are based on real events, but it also offers poetry with dreamlike and even fantastical moments. The idea that drives us is to make a film with universal reach. Therefore, we want to avoid making the film too exotic in its direction, whether through costumes or overly local music. The goal is to find the right balance in representing Anatolian culture without falling into folklore. The main story, that of the children, is primarily a road movie, an adventure film. The Anatolian landscapes will be vibrant, the skies magnificent, and the faces luminous. It is not a harsh or dark film, but an adventure, an odyssey. In the present day, the atmosphere is more suffocating, with a tighter camera. The codes of a thriller, and sometimes a fantastical film, will be present. Finally, the dreamlike or narrative moments will take us into poetic universes.