As Usual, Good Things Are Happening With OCTAA!

Orange County Turkish American Association & Irvine Multicultural Association’s Joint Turkish Movie Event Thanks

The Fourth Turkish Film Event jointly sponsored by the Irvine Multicultural Association (IMA) and Orange County Turkish American Association (OCTAA) was held on November 14, 2007 at the Irvine Civic Center Council Chambers.  Nearly 50 people attended this outreach event.  Among the guests were members of IMA and other Irvine residents as well as members of the Turkish-American community in Orange County and in surrounding counties.  The objective of this event was to introduce Turkish culture to the greater community in Orange County.

We showed the entertaining film, Hokkabaz (The Magician).  This film is a Comedy and Drama that was released in 2006.  The enormously popular Turkish comedian Cem Yilmaz plays the struggling magician. The only person who believes in him is his childhood friend and together they dream of a better life. They embark on a tour of Anatolia to escape the hustle and bustle of Istanbul 's streets, and to make as much money as possible.  Things go wrong almost immediately when they are forced to take along the magician’s father, who wrote off his son years ago. On the road, they entertain at a wedding party only to have the disappearing trick go terribly wrong, leading them to leave town in a hurry with an unexpected new companion. A roller-coaster of a road movie, "The Magician" is heavy on both laughs and tears.  It is 2 hours and 2 minutes in Turkish with English subtitles.  It was an Istanbul Film Festival Best Film Nominee in 2007.

Hokkabaz inspired a fruitful 20-minute discussion with many questions asked by audience members.  Social Events Chair, Hande Can, and Board of Directors Chair, Michelle Deniz Drousé, entertained the questions about Turkish culture and discussed their cultural experiences as first- and second-generation Turkish immigrants.

OCTAA extends its gratitude to the following organizations and individuals who were instrumental in making this event a success and a memorable one:

• Irvine Multicultural Association for allowing us the opportunity to introduce the Turkish culture to the greater community through the Foreign Film Series.  We especially thank Bill Hsaing of the IMA for coordinating along with other IMA members for providing refreshments during this event.
• City of Irvine for providing a great venue for our movie event free of charge.
• Our volunteers Hande Can and Aysu Tazebay for taking photos and helping with set-up before the event.
• OCTAA’s Board of Directors Chair Michelle Deniz Drousé for planning and organizing this event.
• OCTAA’s supportive members & other friends for their continued support.

We intend to continue the Turkish Movie Event as an annual tradition to be held jointly with IMA in Irvine each November. 

Selam ve Sevgiler,

OCTAA Team
www.octaa.org