Journey of Hope (Umuda Yolculuk)

Journey of Hope is a 1990 drama helmed by Swiss filmmaker Xavier Koller. The script was written jointly by Koller and Feride Çiçekoğlu, and the picture came together through companies based in Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

At its center stands an Alevi farming family from the Maraş region. Knowing Switzerland only through a single postcard, the relatives set out on a smuggled route toward that unseen land. Steep mountain passes, brutal winter conditions and ruthless smugglers mark their path, and the ordeal ends painfully when one of the children is lost along the way.

Alongside Necmettin Çobanoğlu and Nur Sürer as the parents, the ensemble features Emin Sivas, Yaman Okay and Swiss actor Mathias Gnädinger. At the 1990 Academy Awards, the picture earned Switzerland the prize for best film in a foreign language.