On the Fertile Lands (Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde) (translated)

Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde (On Fertile Lands) is a 1979 Turkish drama film directed by Erden Kıral. Adapted from Orhan Kemal's novel of the same name, its screenplay was first written by Mahmut Tali Öngören and then rewritten by actor Tuncel Kurtiz after Kıral rejected the original draft. The film follows three friends — Köse Hasan, Pehlivan Ali and Yusuf — who leave their village in Sivas to work under harsh conditions in the Çukurova region. The cast includes Tuncel Kurtiz, Yaman Okay and Nur Sürer.

Completed in 1979, the film was banned by the martial law authorities and its negatives were stolen and lost during the coup period; producer Nurettin Sezer took them to Sweden for safekeeping. In 1981 it was voted "Best European Film" in Strasbourg and won two awards at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, though Kıral could not collect his prize because of a travel ban. Once the negatives resurfaced, the film was shortened by 12 minutes and re-released on 2 May 2008, 28 years later.