Gallipoli

In 1915 a battle lasting more than eight months was fought at Gallipoli. The documentary tells it not through the commanders' plans but through what the soldiers in the trenches wrote themselves: letters, diaries, photographs. What Turkish, Australian, New Zealand and British soldiers wrote is read side by side. The same day is told twice, from two trenches. Tolga Örnek wrote and directed the documentary, which rests on six years of research. The narration is read by Jeremy Irons, Sam Neill and Zafer Ergin, each side speaking in its own language. What stands out about the film is that it keeps its distance from nationalist accounts and holds the grief of both sides in the same place. It was released in Australia and New Zealand as well.