Capital

Logline: An ambitious journalist, fired from his job by his boss for allegedly reporting false news, disguises himself as a refugee to prove the news is true.

Sinopsis:

DENİZ (28), an ambitious journalist of Arab descent living in Istanbul, reports a story in 2012 about a large factory employing Syrian illegal immigrants at night. However, the news does not get published.

Deniz is threatened and fired by DURSUN (in his 50s), the factory owner who is also the owner of the newspaper. Deniz wants to use his knowledge of Arabic as an advantage to return to his profession and prove the accuracy of the news.

He contacts a guard working at the factory. Through him, he obtains the addresses of Dursun’s men who find illegal workers for the factory. He goes to Syria.

He meets with them in a shabby appearance, carrying clothes in a bag. He gets accepted for the job in exchange for money. He crosses the border in a truck with twenty Syrians fleeing the war. Some of them faint from hunger and lack of air.

He is taken to the factory. He works at least 12 hours a night for a week. He sleeps in the warehouse. He fills his stomach with sandwiches given as food. He gathers information and takes photos secretly. He manages to escape from the warehouse.

He combines the information he gathers, the photos, and the statements from the immigrants into a detailed research report. He makes a deal with a news channel and gets hired. The news gets published, and Dursun’s factory is shut down and he goes to prison. The immigrants are placed in a camp.

by Samet Bayrak (Turkey)