A poet drags his kid through war zones to write a nation's soul in 12 verses.
Mustafa Kemal invites Mehmet Akif to Ankara for prevent the propaganda of the occupier states and to increase the participation of the people in the liberation struggle. Mehmet Akif is set out with his 13-year-old son and encounters many incidents as he moves towards Ankara. Mehmet Akif, who was deeply affected by his experiences and witnesses, tries to write the National Anthem in this process.
Acting
Yavuz Bingöl carries the weight of a nation's voice cracking.
Production
Period detail that makes 1921 Ankara feel dangerously alive.
Writing
Dialogue that actually sounds like people thinking in verse.
Director
Sadullah Şentürk
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Mehmet Akif initially refused payment for the anthem, considering it a religious and national duty rather than literary work.
Only 724 words long, İstiklal Marşı remains one of the world's longest national anthems—Akif couldn't stop once he started.
TR
