My Father's Violin

In MY FATHER'S VIOLIN, Ozlem (Gulizar Nis Uray) is around 8, daughter of Ali Rizi (Selim Erdogan), a street violinist who plays folk tunes with his colleagues as his young daughter boldly sings, dances, and passes the hat to admiring crowds. They busk every day until the police chase them away. Ozlem doesn't have a mother and doesn't go to school, yet she's bright, warm, charming, outgoing, and amazingly self-possessed. When her father dies, coughing up blood, child welfare takes over and contacts Ali's brother Mehmet (Engin Altan Duzyatan), a successful violinist with a solo career, wealth, renown, and the means to care for Ozlem. But he wants no part of her. He's arrogant and cold, so obsessed with his career that he drives his wife away. And he's still angry at his older brother for all the wrong reasons, remaining too busy and self-centered to take the child. He agrees to legally gain custody in order to hand her over to the loving street musicians who want her, but child welfare sees the scam. Just when Mehmet and Ozlem bond, the authorities take her away. As Mehmet softens, he demonstrates that loving others is more important than his career.