MES presents: Jolly Life

"Jolly Life" is the first Christmas film made in Turkey. Described as the great story of a small man by Erdoğan, its director, the film focuses on Rıza, a middle-aged, ordinary man with no luck on his side in business and no money. When his restaurant closes down and later he loses all his savings in a chain marketing scam, he lands a job as a Santa in a shopping mall, although he doesn't quite know what Santa is. With the burden of the world on his shoulders, our Santa learns the works: what we call life is not more real than what those children believe.

Written and directed by Yilmaz Erdogan

Open to the public! 

Co-sponsored by the Turkish Student Association, the Turkish Language Program within the Department of LLL, and the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.