Striking Daily Lives: Etgar Keret

“The fact is that everything I have in my pockets is carefully chosen so I’ll always be prepared. Everything is there so I can be at an advantage at the moment of truth. Actually, that’s not accurate. Everything’s there so I won’t be at a disadvantage at the moment of truth.” – Etgar Keret

The famous Israeli writer Etgar Keret, is known for combining real and fantastic elements in his short stories that know no boundaries in their creativity. For the first time in Turkey, Pera Film presents a retrospective of Etgar Keret, a well-known short story writer, filmmaker and screenwriter, with a screening program of the films he directed, as well as TV series and films based on his stories. Striking Daily Lives: Etgar Keret program combines TV series and films to offer audiences an audiovisual journey through the world of Keret with both physical and online screenings, exploring how his stories offer a natural tone while being so striking at the same time, how he turns his real life experiences into fiction as well as the milestones such as how he was prompted to become an author after his close friend’s suicide.

The program includes Skin Deep, a tragic comedy of a destined loser who will do anything to prove that the destiny is wrong; Wristcutters: A Love Story, a film filled with unexpected miracles and absurd humor which shows just how precious and surprising one’s life truly is; Jellyfish, a poignant, often witty and exceedingly cinematic first feature film by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen; What Animal Are You?, an entertaining and intimate documentary portrait of Etgar Keret bringing a whirlwind book tour to New York Keret and his filmmaker friend Gur Bentwich embarks to the silver screen; Etgar Keret: Based on A True Story, a film where everyone, mainly Shira – his wife and also a director herself, childhood friends, famous colleagues such as Jonathan Safran Foer and Ira Glass, shares their favorite story by Keret; The Middleman, Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen’s comeback to directing with a new TV mini-series where David Lynch meets Luis De Funes in a unique tale that tries to take a humorous peek into the darkest corners of our subconscious; and Outside, a short film about life in the days of the pandemic and how we might feel as soon as we step outside when the pandemic is over.

Within the scope of the program that will take place between 11 - 31 May, Etgar Keret will come to Istanbul and meet with the audience on Tuesday, May 17.

Born in Ramat Gan, Israel, in 1967, Etgar Keret is the most popular writer among Israel's young generation and has also received international acclaim. He has been published in The New York Times, Le Monde, The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Paris Review and Zoetrope, among others, and over 40 short movies have been based on his stories. Keret resides in Tel Aviv and lectures at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He received the Book Publishers Association's Platinum Prize several times. In 2007, Keret and Shira Geffen won the Cannes Film Festival's "Camera d'Or" Award for their movie Jellyfish, and Best Director Award of the French Artists and Writers' Guild. Keret's books have been published abroad in 42 languages in 45 countries.

This program’s screenings are free admissions. Drop in, no reservations. As per legal regulations, all our screenings are restricted to persons over 18 years of age, unless stated otherwise.