On the Dry Rock

“On the Dry Rock” chronicles the forced exile of a rural community displaced by a monumental dam project in Northeastern Turkey. Once sustained by the fast-flowing Çoruh River, villagers, farmers, beekeepers and craftsmen now face the loss of land, livelihood and memory. Uprooted from the soils and waters that shaped their lives, they are pushed to adapt to a sterile, engineered landscape and a consumer-driven “modern world.” The film follows their resilient and quiet struggle to preserve dignity, identity and belonging in a place that feels no longer their home.