Güneşi Gördüm

I Saw the Sun
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Mahsun Kırmızıgül
Produced by	Murat Tokat
Written by	Mahsun Kırmızıgül
Starring	Mahsun Kırmızıgül Demet Evgar Altan Erkekli Seyhan Arman
Cinematography	Soykut Turan
Release date	13 March 2009 (2009-03-13)
Running time	120 minutes
Country	Turkey
Language	Turkish
Budget	US$5 million
Box office	US$12,812,281

I Saw the Sun (Turkish: Güneşi Gördüm) is a 2009 Turkish drama film, written and directed by Mahsun Kırmızıgül, which tells of a Kurdish family who are forced from their village in southeastern Turkey by the conflict there. The film, which was released on 13 March 2009 (2009-03-13), was one of the highest grossing Turkish films of 2009, prompting its re-release on 18 September 2009 (2009-09-18). The film was Turkey's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Writer-director Mahsun Kırmızıgül has stated that the screenplay was inspired by the story of a man he met during the filming of his debut film The White Angel (Turkish: Beyaz Melek), whose 21-member family had to abandon their village around 15 years previously. I was overwhelmed by what he told me. As I am a native of that region myself, I thought I would recount the story in the way it deserves. I hope everyone gets the right message from the film, Kırmızıgül said. Those who watch this film will see that nothing can be solved through hatred. My aim is to stop the bloodshed by boosting Turkish-Kurdish fellowship. This film will delve more strongly into the concepts of brotherhood and unity. We have to love each other without prejudice because nothing can be solved with hatred.

Veteran screen actor Cezmi Baskın, who has a minor role in the film, stated Mahsun has a rising momentum in Turkish cinema. He is a professional and his communication with the actors was excellent. I believe he filmed the story he wanted to tell in the best way he could.