The Herd (1978 film)

The Herd (Turkish: Sürü) is a 1978 Turkish drama film, written, produced and co-directed by Zeki Ökten and written by Yılmaz Güney during Güney's second imprisonment. It features Tarık Akan as a peasant, forced by a local blood feud to sell his sheep in faraway Ankara. According to Güney's own account, the development of the script of Sürü, began in 1973 in prison in Selimya and finished it while in prison in Izmit.^[1] The conditions to write were at times rather difficult, in Izmit he wrote in a room he shared together with eighty other inmates.^[1] The film, which went on nationwide general release on 27 September 1978 (1978-09-27), was screened in competition at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won Interfilm and OCIC Awards, the Locarno International Film Festival, where it won Golden Leopard and Special Mention, was scheduled to compete in the cancelled 17th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, for which it received 6 Belated Golden Oranges, including Best Film and Best Director, was awarded the BFI Sutherland Trophy and was voted one of the 10 Best Turkish Films by the Ankara Cinema Association.

The Herd
Directed by	Zeki Ökten
Written by	Yılmaz Güney
Produced by	Yılmaz Güney
Starring	Tarık Akan Tuncel Kurtiz Güler Ökten Yaman Okay Erol Demiröz
Cinematography	İzzet Akay
Edited by	Zeki Ökten
Music by	Zülfü Livaneli Melike Demirağ Şiwan Perwer
Distributed by	TurkishFilmChannel
Release date	27 September 1978 (1978-09-27)
Running time	129 minutes
Country	Turkey
Language	Turkish

Awards

• 17th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival
  • Belated Golden Orange for Best Film (won)
  • Belated Golden Orange for Best Director: Zeki Ökten (won, also for The Enemy)
  • Belated Golden Orange for Best Music: Zülfü Livaneli (won)
  • Belated Golden Orange for Best Actress: Melike Demirağ (won, shared with Güngör Bayrak for The Enemy)
  • Belated Golden Orange for Best Actor: Tarık Akan (won, also for The Sacrifice, shared with Aytaç Arman for The Enemy)
  • Belated Golden Orange for Best Supporting Actor: Tuncel Kurtiz (won)
• Belgian Film Critics Association: Grand Prix (won)