Cars of the Revolution (Devrim Arabaları)

Tolga Örnek wrote and directed the 2008 Turkish drama Cars of the Revolution (Devrim Arabaları). A historical and political story, it follows the making of Devrim, Türkiye's first domestically built car, and the lives of the people who worked on it. It reached cinemas on October 24, 2008, and grossed about $1.1 million. Produced by Ekip Film and distributed by Pinema, it runs 115 minutes.

The story begins after the military takeover of May 27, 1960. A year later, head of state Cemal Gürsel (Sait Genay) announces he wants a fully domestic car and gives the job to the state railways. The 23 engineers gathered at the Eskişehir locomotive workshop have only 130 days before Republic Day. Short of money, materials and political calm, they put careers and family lives at risk. The cast includes Taner Birsel (Gündüz), Halit Ergenç (Uğur), Haluk Bilginer (Necip), Vahide Perçin (Suna), Selçuk Yöntem (Latif), Ali Düşenkalkar (Hayati) and Uğur Polat (Sami). Devrim is best remembered for running out of petrol and stalling at the holiday ceremony; the film tells that story in full.

Örnek and Murat Dişli wrote the script after two years of research. Örnek's earlier documentaries include Hititler and Gelibolu. Demir Demirkan composed the music and Hasan Gergin handled cinematography.