Turkey Submits “Like a Limbless Tree” for Best International Feature

Turkey has chosen the intimate social drama “Like a Limbless Tree,” directed by Tunç Davut, as its official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The film follows retired engineer Refik, whose life is upended after a terminal diagnosis coincides with the disappearance of his Syrian caregiver, who flees toward Europe and leaves Refik responsible for her two children.

Variety Magazine

“Like a Limbless Tree” continues Davut’s focus on human fragility; his earlier works include the 2015 drama “Entanglement” and the television series “Serçe” and “Kinali Kuzular.” The picture earned an award at the Bosphorus Film Festival and was selected for the Antalya Golden Orange and Ankara Film Festivals. Turkey’s Oscar track record includes a shortlist appearance in 2008 with Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Three Monkeys.” The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 14, where Turkey hopes to secure its first nomination and possibly its first win.

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• Tunç Davut – Director, noted for socially driven narratives.

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• Ali Ipin, Fayyaz Duman, Selen Kurtaran – Principal cast members.

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• Tekhne Film – Istanbul-based production company behind the project.

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In his director’s statement, Davut describes Refik’s journey as a search for atonement, emphasizing the tension between sincere kindness and personal reconciliation. Variety notes that the film’s thematic core centers on immigration and the precariousness of existence, positioning it as a representative of contemporary Turkish cinema on the global stage. The submission deadline for the international feature category falls at the end of September.

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• “His acts of kindness may be sincere, but they are also attempts to reconcile himself with the person he has become,” — Tunç Davut

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