East of Istanbul (video)

We follow an elderly couple in rural Turkey who refuse to abandon village life amid rapid urbanisation.

Villages across Turkey are seeing their youth disappear as the bright lights of Istanbul lure them with the prospect of a better life. The tiny village of Ardicalan in Sivas province has seen its population plummet to just 48 people, as its younger residents leave for greater employment opportunities in urban areas. Left behind are elderly parents, many of whom live a lonely and difficult existence. In East of Istanbul, we meet Naci and Sefika Boztepe who have refused to leave their picturesque village out of a sense of duty and love for their traditional way of life. We join them as tend to their farm, look after their animals and, every so often, bake bread to send to their children who have left for Istanbul.