Tavuri

Crime considers the themes of crime, crime addiction, society and freedom through the personality of Mustafa Serttas, a.k.a. the Devil (Tavuri) who spent half his life behind bars for theft and fraud. Mustafa Serttas, a primary school dropout raised in a poor, broken home in Cyprus, began stealing as a child. He later developed this early experience into a lifestyle or, as he put it, an 'obsession'. Director, Dervis Zaim knew Mustafa Serttas from the age of eight. The director managed to film the last five years of his life, right up until his death. Some of the filming was carried out during Serttas' time in jail. At the beginning of the film director visits his old friend in the jail and we realize that he has questions in his mind: After last release from prison, can Tavuri manage to create a new life or would he choose to suicide in slow pace? Is there still a chance for him to have compassion even if he may be the biggest 'con artist' of the country? Mustafa Serttas, a primary school dropout raised in a poor, broken home in Northern Cyprus, began stealing as a child. He later developed this early experience into a lifestyle or, as he put it, an 'obsession'. He spent a good half of his life behind bars in Lefkosa's Central Prison. He is well-known for never having used violence during his career as a thief. Married and divorced three times, he had one daughter. When he wasn't in jail, he led an extravagant life of luxury, but was also generous with his money. He was diagnosed by psychologists with personality disorder. He scammed Lefkosa's Central Prison at two different times. The extraordinary thing was that on both occasions he was an inmate at the time. This probably makes him the only prisoner to rob the jail from the inside during two different prison terms. Serttas died in 2019. Director, Dervis Zaim knew Mustafa Serttas from the age of eight. The director managed to film the last five years of his life, right up until his death. Some of the filming was carried out during Serttas' time in jail.