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Ahmet is a carpet seller in Istanbul. At the beginning of the documentary, he apologises to the Dutch public for the lies he told them to make a living. One of the lies was the story that he was married to the Dutch Martha Vonk. With this story, he lured Dutch tourists to his store. Director Hester Overmars follows the sympathetic Ahmet in his unrelenting attempts to address potential customers on the street and, once inside his shop, to make them buy a carpet. Meanwhile, he tells about himself, about the tricks he uses to sell carpets, about his real wife and about his dilemma: as a good Muslim, he should not lie. Now and then, he shows a picture of Martha Vonk, whose guide he was twenty years ago in Istanbul and whom he - if only for commercial reasons - will never forget.

Credits

Set geluid
Sound Design
Production company
Selfmade Films
TV company
NCRV TV

Title: Martha Vonk gaat naar Istanbul
Year: 2007
Duration : 50 minutes
Category: Short Documentary
Edition: NFF 2007

Gouden Kalf nominees

Beste Korte Documentaire (2007)
Hester Overmars

NFF Archive

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Stills

Still