The Fountain

Original title: Çeşme

“What happens to ordinary people when an empire falls down?”

30 years ago, the Gagauzian minority living in the northern regions of the Black Sea was left abandoned in the middle of colliding political powers of European Union, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Turkey. Today, Gagauzians have nothing other than their bonds to each other. The Fountain is about the ceasing culture and language of the Gagauz people. It portrays the effects of the rise and fall of the Soviet Union on different generations while displaying the consequences of the vast social assimilation by following the daily lives of local families. The tradition of the Gagauz community is unique and preserved almost intact for centuries. However, it is rapidly fading now, as the elderly pass away. Unfortunately, the fountain flows weaker and weaker through the new generations.