The Mute

Living on his own in a modest home, Sami makes a living as a mural painter. One day, he learns that his doting grandmother has passed away, and has bequeathed him a small chest full of calligraphy materials. At first, Sami dismisses the contents of the chest, so much so that he even considers getting rid of them. But then he meets Selma at the library where he has been commissioned to do a mural, and this introduction marks a turning point for him. Selma, an attractive and dignified woman with the impeccable manners of an old Istanbul family, once took up calligraphy herself. With her guidance and encouragement, Sami embarks on learning the practice. He is helped in his endeavours by Esref Efendi, a gifted but demanding old-generation calligrapher, whose distaste for the present state of calligraphy has deterred him from taking on students for some time. And the master is quick to steer Sami towards love. For Sami, who finds himself caught between Selma and Esref, the calligraphy becomes a challenging journey in which he is forced to confront his memory, but also to address a fundamental question: Is practice impossible without love? (Sarajevo Film Festival)