16 Ton

16 Tons is a 2011 Turkish documentary written and directed by Ümit Kıvanç. Named after the famous song Sixteen Tons about the hardship of miners, the film offers an ironic look at human history, questioning how the modern way of life was built and whether the free market and freedom era we have arrived at is essentially a product of public relations.

Largely a desktop production created by animating photographs, paintings, drawings and engravings, the film contains only a small amount of original moving footage and is the result of extensive research carried out over roughly a year and a half. Told in nine chapters, it moves through sections titled On the Fitness Road, The Bronze Age, The Discovery of Fire, The Age of Public Relations, The Age of the Percent, The Diamond Age, The Invention of Writing, The Radio Age and The Age of Freedom.

In 2021 the documentary was re-edited with new material and updated techniques, and the revised version, featuring fresh renditions of the title song, was released on Kıvanç's Vimeo channel.