Son Mektup (Last Letter) Turkish pilot movie

[ErrolC]

Ottoman pilots in Battle of Gallipoli to be remembered in new film

The lives of the Ottoman pilots who served in Çanakkale during the Battle of Gallipoli will be brought to the big screen in an upcoming feature film that has received TL 1.75 million from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as part of the ministry's recent cinema funding.

Produced and directed by Özhan Eren, who made his directorial debut in 2007 with the historical film “120,” the movie “Son Mektup” (Last Letter) is expected to hit movie theaters in March 2015, on the anniversary of the war.
The film stars young actors Tansel Öngel and Nesrin Cavadzade in the leading roles. “Son Mektup” particularly focuses on the love story between pilot Salih Ekrem and nurse Nihal, who meet in the northwestern province of Çanakkale and try to protect an orphan named Fuat after volunteering to serve there during the war. Fuat, who is saved by Ekrem during a British air raid, helps the pilot and nurse connect more closely with each other.

Four airplanes used by the Ottomans in 1915 have been reconstructed according to their original models for the movie, whose aerial scenes will be filmed in Çanakkale using the most up-to-date technology.

The Battle of Gallipoli has recently been an attractive topic for filmmakers, with New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe filming a movie about the war with Turkish actors. Titled “The Water Diviner,” the first feature by the actor follows the story of an Australian father who comes to Turkey following World War I to look for his three sons who went missing during the war in Çanakkale.