Something Useful

Something Useful
Why would someone like Leyla go to a high school reunion dinner? And take an overnight train to get there. After all, she hasn’t been to a single one for the last 25 years… What is Canan, a student nurse, doing on the train? Reluctantly going to an interview for a nursing job when she would like to be an actress instead. And Yavuz? He spends all day lying by the window watching the passing hawkers, horse carriages and people. He is waiting for Canan, or maybe Leyla, or maybe a executioner and a poet who meet on a train one night.
  • directed by
    • pelin esmer
  • written by
    • pelin esmer
    • barış bıçakçı
  • producers
    • pelin esmer
    • marsel kalvo
  • co-producers
    • françois d’artemare (les films de l’apres midi, FR)
    • frans van gestel (topkapi films, NL)
    • arnold heslenfeld (topkapi films, NL)
    • laurette schillings (topkapi films, NL)
    • mehmet aktaş (mitosfilm, DE)
  • associate producer
    • dilde mahalli
  • supported by
    • t.c. kültür bakanlığı sinema genel müdürlüğü
    • cnc
    • medienboard
    • eurimages
    • hubert bals fund
  • director of photography
    • gökhan tiryaki
  • editing
    • evren luş
    • pelin esmer
  • art director
    • elif taşçıoğlu
  • sound recording
    • kasper munck-hansen
  • sound design
    • cenker kökten
  • sound mix
    • jan schermer
  • executive producer
    • yonca ertürk
  • associate producer
    • nefes polat
  • casting director
    • ezgi baltaş
  • first assistant director
    • ulaş parlakyıldız
  • second assistant director
    • cemre can karaahmetli
  • third assistant director
    • çağatay yüce
  • production manager
    • azat yeşilbaş
  • assistant art director
    • elif öner
  • costume supervisors
    • selda durna
    • yasemen keskin
  • make-up and hair
    • ebru emine süren
  • coiffeur
    • yaşar ertem
  • focus puller
    • serkan gülgüler
  • gaffer
    • durmuş demirezen
  • grip
    • erdoğan gündoğdu
  • key grip
    • emre selçik
  • foley artist
    • daniel gries
  • post-production studios
    • atlas (istanbul)
    • eclair (paris)
    • abt istanbul
  • visual effects supervisor
    • kerem kurdoğlu
  • leading compositing artists
    • ilgi genç
    • alaz soytemiz
  • online editors
    • evren aydoğdu
    • james norman
  • dcp mastering
    • caner çevikkaya
  • production consultant
    • tolga esmer
  • translations
    • lucy wood
    • adele hattemer
    • melisa yener
    • gani ömür çekem
  • poster
    • bala kavlakoğlu
  • set photographer
    • emre baykal
  • music
    • “strokur”
    • beste ve icra: hildur gudnadottir
    • &
    • “cello suite 1 sarabande”
    • beste: johann sebastian bach
    • icra: sedef erçetin atala
    • &
    • “metamorphosis”
    • beste ve icra: sedef erçetin atala
  • original title: işe yarar bir şey
  • english title: something useful
  • formats: DCP, BLURAY, DVD
  • color: color
  • duration: 107′
  • language: turkish
  • subtitles: english, french, italian
  • aspect ratio: 2:35 (SCOPE)
  • sound: dolby digital
  • production countries: turkey – france – netherlands – germany
  • production year: 2017
  • başak köklükaya leyla
  • öykü karayel canan
  • yiğit özşener yavuz
  • ayşenil şamlıoğlu gülistan
  • berfu öngören dilara
  • melih düzenli canan’s father
  • sedat kalkavan man in the dining car
  • fatih sevdi ismail
  • ibrahim selim irfan
  • süleyman karaahmet serhat
  • aydan kalınağa sevgi
  • neslihan öztürk ilknur
  • aslihan kandemir ayşe
  • ozanay alpkan zeynep
  • ersin duymazlar kemal
  • emrah özertem ali
  • cüneyt yalaz murat
  • serkan çetinkaya sedat
  • özlem çınar ayşegül
  • güçlü yalçıner zafer
  • nalan kuruçim mehlika
  • murat kılıç cem
  • yavuz pekman ahmet
  • nilgün güneş nalan

21th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (2017) / Estonia (Europian premiere)

Best Screenplay

36th Istanbul Film Festival (2017) / Turkey (National Premiere)

FIPRESCI Award

24th Adana International Film Festival / Turkey

Best Screenplay (Pelin Esmer, Barış Bıçakçı)
Best Actress (Başak Köklükaya)
Best Cinematography (Gökhan Tiryaki)

7th Malatya International Film Festival / Turkey

Best Actress (Başak Köklükaya)
Best Supporting Actress (Öykü Karayel)

5th Bosphorus International Film Festival (2017) / Turkey

Best Director
Best Actress (Öykü Karayel)

50th SIYAD Awards (2017) / Turkey

Best Screenplay (Pelin Esmer, Barış Bıçakçı)
Best Actress (Başak Köklükaya)
Best Supporting Actor (Yiğit Özşener)

23rd Sadri Alisik Theatre & Cinema Awards (2018) / Turkey

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Başak Köklükaya)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Öykü Karayel)

29th Türkische Filmtage Münich (2018) / Germany

Best Film 
Best Director
Best Cinematography (Gökhan Tiryaki)

21st Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival (2018) / Turkey

Young Witch Award (Öykü Karayel)

6th International Zeugma Film Festival / Turkey

23rd Festival On Wheels / Turkey

41st Göteborg Film Festival / Sweden

23rd Filmfestival Türkei Deutschland / Germany

16th International Filmmor Women’s Film Festival on Wheels / Turkey

6th International Changing Perspectives Film Festival / Turkey

6th Let’s Cee Film Festival / Austria

13rd International Labor Film Festival / Turkey

6th Kayseri International Film Festival / Turkey

44th Seattle International Film Festival / United States

9th World Cinema Amsterdam / Netherlands

11th Kaunas International Film Festival / Lithuania

19th Port Townsend Film Festival / United States

6th Accessible Film Festival / Turkey

13th Films Femmes Méditerranée Film Festival / France

18th Türkisches Filmfestival / Germany

5th Vancouver Turkish Film Festival / Canada

6th Seattle Turkish Film Festival / United States

10th Festival Nuovo Cinema Europa / Italy

2019 DC Turkish Film Festival / United States

4th Sharjah Film Platform / United Arab Emirates