Behind the Forest

The film focuses on the story of a shepherd minstrel Hayri Dev from Denizli, Çameli district. He was made known by the French etnomusicologist Jerome Cler. After Cler realized this film in Super-16 in Fall of 1998, together with Gulya Mirzoeva, Dev became so famous as to give concerts and lessons on music in France and he was selected as a Living Human Treasure of Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The story of the film is simple. Hayri Dev decides to go to visit his old friend and a violonist Akkulak, for coming back with him in his village and for bringing back the festivities, weddings of their youth, called 'yarenlik' (from the beautiful Persian Word yar, meaning friend or beloved one). This ended in a small countyman's 'road movie' through magnificent landscapes, sprinkled with episodes reflecting this universe of the 'Western Turkomen".