On the Dry Rock

Synopsis

"It was old and shabby, but our Yusufeli was so lovely."

This is the story of a community forcibly displaced by the massive Yusufeli Dam project. For centuries, the Çoruh River in northeastern Anatolia nourished generations of villagers, farmers, beekeepers, and artisans. Now, they must leave behind their land, livelihoods, livestock, and memories. Water and soil give way to concrete and the artificial conditions of the modern world.

Three locals stand at the center of the film: Kezban, Serhat, and Mahmut. As rising waters submerge the valley and split the community apart, the camera observes how their relationship with the land and livestock shifts. Trapped between what was and what is, they fight to keep their identity and roots intact, forcing a reckoning with the true cost of progress.

Director Biography

Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Selen Heinz

Yeşim Ustaoğlu

After making several award-winning shorts and her debut feature The Trace (1994), Yesim Ustaoglu received international recognition for her 1999 film Journey To The Sun, which screened at the Berlinale, where it received the Blue Angel Award (Best European Film) and the Peace Prize.

Waiting for the Clouds (2004) screened at Berlinale Panorama and received the NHK Sundance / International Filmmaker’s Award. After Pandora’s Box (2008) was honored at TIFF and San Sebastian FF, Somewhere in Between (2012) premiered at the 69th Venice FF and won numerous awards around the world. Her most recent film, Clair-Obscur (2016), was also awarded internationally after premiering at TIFF 2016. Her documentary On the Dry Rock premiered at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival 2026, while her latest project, What Remains, will premiere at the San Sebastian International Film Festival 2026.

Selen Heinz

Filmmaker and artist based in Vienna and Istanbul. She graduated from Central Film School London in 2019 and was named Best Filmmaker of the Year, specializing in Cinematography and Sound. Her short films, docs, and music videos have been screened and awarded internationally, including Raindance FF, Ars Electronica, and Vienna International FF. Her latest short, In Flux, premiered at the Flying Broom International Film Festival 2026. Her first feature documentary, On the Dry Rock, which she shot and co-directed alongside renowned director Yeşim Ustaoglu, premiered at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in 2026. Besides, her work as a photographer and painter has been exhibited in Vienna, Southampton, London, and Paris.

Credits

Cinematography / Sinematografi

Selen Heinz

Editing / Kurgu

Thomas Balkenhol, Hakan Aytekin, Svetolik Mica Zajc, Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Selen Heinz

Sound / Ses

Selen Heinz, Hüseyin Can Erol

Music / Müzik

Şevket Akıncı, Berke Can Özcan, Volkan Ergen, VOVA, Ayşenur Kolivar

Production / Yapım

Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Behrooz Hashemian, Anna Maria Aslanoğlu