Sidewalk Sisters

Elif and her sisters Funda and Aysun have spent much of their adult life coming to terms with a traumatic childhood in which their parents were killed during a bus accident that left the siblings terrified but physically unhurt. In time Funda and Aysun became mentally ill, and it fell to Elif to care for them, but eventually the burden became more than Elif and her husband could bear, and they deserted the siblings, leaving them to an unknown fate. Living in a country with no social safety net, Funda and Aysun fall prey to violence and exploitation, and their reunion with Elif and Yasemin is both poignant and troubling. Yasam Arsizi (aka Sidewalk Sisters) was an official selection at the 2008 Istanbul Film Festival.

Directed by Yasemin Alkaya, Sidewalk Sisters leans on a strong ensemble — Yasemin Alkaya, Elif Çağlayan, Funda Çağlayan — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2008.