A 1974 production titled "My Homeland" (Memleketim), the 1974 film addresses the classic Turkish cinema theme of "cultural alienation" across a vast geography spanning from Vienna to Skopje, under the direction of Yücel Çakmaklı. Though largely forgotten by many film enthusiasts today, this work is gaining renewed attention both for its cast and for its surprising family connection extending to Turkish theater history in the Balkans.
The Film's Plot: A Search for Return to Roots
"My Homeland" tells the story of a young woman named Leyla who has become estranged from her own culture as a result of her family's inadequate and misguided education. While studying music in Vienna, Leyla meets Mehmet, who is deeply rooted in his heritage, and their acquaintance develops into a relationship; however, Leyla's admiration for the West gradually leads to the end of this relationship. The production, with a screenplay signed by Atilla Gökbörü, was filmed in Vienna, Istanbul, and Erzurum, and produced by Elif Film. Director Yücel Çakmaklı's work carries traces of the "national cinema" movement in his filmography, bringing together popular actors of the era to explore both family values and issues of identity.
One striking aspect of the film's ninety-minute duration is the scenes that lie outside the main narrative yet leave an imprint on memory. Some sources note that the film includes footage from 1930s Skopje; however, these scenes should be evaluated as secondary elements alongside Vienna, Istanbul, and Erzurum, which are counted among the film's official and primary filming locations. Since our sources do not provide complete clarity on this matter, it is not currently possible to definitively state whether the Skopje footage belongs to the film's main structure or to a supplementary section. Nevertheless, even this possibility makes the film one of rare examples where Turkish presence in the Balkans intersects with cinema history.
The Cast: Recognizable Faces of Turkish Cinema and a Guest Actor
The film's leading roles feature Filiz Akın, one of Turkish cinema's most recognized names of that period, playing Leyla, and Tarık Akan playing Mehmet. The cast also includes character actors of the era such as Cemil Şahbaz, Kenan Pars, Diclehan Baban, and Nubar Terziyan. These names represent a generation frequently found together on the same sets in 1970s Turkish cinema, complementing one another.
Perhaps the most intriguing figure in the cast is Lütfü Seyfullah, who appears in the film as a guest actor. Born in Skopje in 1923, Seyfullah began his career in theater at the Skopje Turkish-Albanian Theater (today known as the minorities theater), spent over forty years on this stage, and is remembered as one of the founders of Skopje Theater, having left his mark on Turkish theater history in the Balkans. Seyfullah was also known for his pen, having written children's plays such as "Three Friends" and "A Puzzle Play," as well as "The Crank," a work for adults; his writings appeared in Turkish newspapers and journals published in Macedonia and Kosovo after 1975. Seyfullah, who passed away in Istanbul in 2005, had a brief yet meaningful appearance in "My Homeland," representing one of the rare contacts between Skopje Turkish theater and Turkish cinema.
Filiz Akın or Filiz Ahmet? Two Names That Should Not Be Confused
At this point, an important distinction must be made: Filiz Akın, who played Leyla in the film, and Filiz Ahmet, who is the granddaughter of Lütfü Seyfullah, are entirely different artists, and their similar names have sometimes caused confusion. Filiz Akın is one of Turkish cinema's most well-known female actors of the Yeşilçam era, having appeared in numerous films since the 1960s and taken the lead role in "My Homeland."
Filiz Ahmet, on the other hand, born in 1981, is another actress of Skopje origin. Born in the city of Skopje, North Macedonia, Filiz Ahmet graduated from Skopje's Academy of Fine Arts Theater Department in 2003 and subsequently continued her theater work within Skopje Turkish Theater. Fluently speaking six languages including Macedonian, Filiz Ahmet later appeared in television and film projects in Turkey as well. Sources confirm that Filiz Ahmet is the granddaughter of theater artist Lütfü Seyfullah; this means that the legacy of a Skopje theater figure appearing as a guest actor in the "My Homeland" film continues to live on stage and screen through his granddaughter generations later.
Yücel Çakmaklı and a Production in the "National Cinema" Line
Director Yücel Çakmaklı is recognized as a pioneering figure in the line that gained momentum in Turkish cinema during the 1970s, placing issues of identity, family values, and cultural origin at the center. "My Homeland" can be counted as a typical example of this line: as the tension between East and West, tradition and modernity is worked through the characters of Leyla and Mehmet, the film also makes a reference to the identity search of Turks living or studying abroad. In this sense, "My Homeland" is not merely a love story but also a reflection in cinema of a rising cultural debate in 1970s Turkey.
During the period in which the film was shot, Turkish cinema generally conducted its foreign scenes in European cities; the choice of Vienna in "My Homeland" is part of this tradition. However, the film's possible inclusion of Skopje footage alongside Istanbul and Erzurum, cities representing Anatolia, is an intriguing detail that sets this production apart from similar films of its era, one that has not yet been fully documented but arouses the curiosity of researchers. The direct treatment of Turkish traces in Balkan geography in Yeşilçam films was not a common choice of that period; this makes "My Homeland," if such scenes exist, a unique production within its generation.
The Traces of a Period Film Reaching Today
"My Homeland," which entered theaters in February 1975, continues to capture the interest of cinema historians and Turkish cinema enthusiasts as a drama-romance hybrid. The cinematography was handled by Çetin Tunca, while the editing bears the signatures of Nevzat Dişiaçık and Özdemir Arıtan. The renewed discovery of this film today, particularly by those interested in Balkan Turks and Skopje history, lies behind both Lütfü Seyfullah's brief yet valuable appearance and the documentary value that film footage of Skopje from that era might carry.
This story filtered through the lens of Turkish cinema is actually a small but meaningful example of how two different geographies—Turkey and Skopje—intersect through art. Behind the fictional love story enacted by Filiz Akın and Tarık Akan lies the traces of a real Skopje theater worker like Lütfü Seyfullah and his legacy carried to this day through his granddaughter Filiz Ahmet, making "My Homeland" far more than an ordinary period film. For travelers and cinema enthusiasts, remembering this city's place in Turkish theater history while visiting Skopje will add another layer of meaning to walks through the city's streets.
