No Turkish promotion at year's biggest festival
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Aslı Sağlam
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 14, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The 62nd Cannes Film Festival opened its doors to famous directors, artists, producers and filmgoers Wednesday and this year well-known director Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a member of the jury. But the Turkish film industry struggles to compete at Cannes because of a lack of support
Posters for competing films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which opened on Wednesday with a glamorous celebration, are decorating the city but promotion of the Turkish industry is sorely lacking. Famous director Fatih Akın and Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk have been member of the nine-person feature films jury and this year director Nuri Bilge Ceylan is participating. Yet, film critics and directors think the Turkish film industry struggles to compete at Cannes because there is neither support from the government nor an establishment for cinema in Turkey. There is one director who broke the boundaries and had the chance to attend the Cannes Film Festival with his second film. Seyfi Teoman’s film named "Our Grand Despair" will be screened at L'Atelier until May 24. Teoman’s film is also the second Turkish project chosen for the L'Atelier category. The film is adapted from a Barış Bıçakçı novel and its script was co-written by Bıçakçı and Teoman. "I feel great to take part with the prominent directors. There are 15 films in this category and they are all in the development phrase," Teoman said.
Another Turk who will appear at Cannes is the director of a short film shot by a student. "The Story of the Tortoise a the Hare," made by Abdulbaki Yavuz, will be shown in the "Short Film Corner" section. Although there are a few considerable films that will not allow the Cannes festival to erase Turkey from the history of cinema, people in this sector are full of complaints. Alin Taşçıyan, a film critic who has been following the sector for a long time, said there are no cinema establishments in Turkey. At this year’s Cannes festival, organized for the 62nd time, there are no Turkish productions, except the two films, competing or scheduled to be screened, she said. "The state has established State Theaters a State Opera a Ballet long time ago, but why not State Cinema," she said. "It is not hard for those in the film i ustry to create an establishment but it is hard for the government. Unfortunately cinema is an i ustry a it has been hi ered just like people who want to cultivate this business." Taşçıyan does not skip the festivals a the supporting unions in the sector but she said most of them are managed by people who don’t u ersta cinema.
Taşçıyan regrets that there are no contemporary producers. Directors are on their own a she does not complain, according to her it is a nice habit to fight for doing something considerable. "In Turkey the norm is the collective work. We don’t have to establish an i ustry but we have to establish a system," Taşçıyan said. If there were an establishment supported by the government, Turkish films would be competing in each international festival.
’Young generation grew lazy’
When asked about the private academies a workshops for cinema, Taşçıyan said everyone has the right to make films, they meet the dema s of amateurs a Sadi Çilingir, a man of many talents in the cinema sector, agreed. According to him there is also one more reason that no Turkish films are prominent at Cannes. "Our young generation grew lazy in the last few years," he said not blaming it all on the lack of government support. But Çilingir who is of the same opinion with Taşçıyan, said there has been a lack of establishment for too many years. "Directors a producers even the artists put their back into se ing their films to have the chance to appear at international festivals," he said. As for Teoman, who is atte ing Cannes, to be among the competing films in Cannes is a tough path. "It is a competitive atmosphere," he said, adding that he does not agree with Taşçıyan, which is that the situation is not hopeless."
Another Turk who will appear at Cannes is the director of a short film shot by a student. "The Story of the Tortoise a the Hare," made by Abdulbaki Yavuz, will be shown in the "Short Film Corner" section. Although there are a few considerable films that will not allow the Cannes festival to erase Turkey from the history of cinema, people in this sector are full of complaints. Alin Taşçıyan, a film critic who has been following the sector for a long time, said there are no cinema establishments in Turkey. At this year’s Cannes festival, organized for the 62nd time, there are no Turkish productions, except the two films, competing or scheduled to be screened, she said. "The state has established State Theaters a State Opera a Ballet long time ago, but why not State Cinema," she said. "It is not hard for those in the film i ustry to create an establishment but it is hard for the government. Unfortunately cinema is an i ustry a it has been hi ered just like people who want to cultivate this business." Taşçıyan does not skip the festivals a the supporting unions in the sector but she said most of them are managed by people who don’t u ersta cinema.
Taşçıyan regrets that there are no contemporary producers. Directors are on their own a she does not complain, according to her it is a nice habit to fight for doing something considerable. "In Turkey the norm is the collective work. We don’t have to establish an i ustry but we have to establish a system," Taşçıyan said. If there were an establishment supported by the government, Turkish films would be competing in each international festival.
’Young generation grew lazy’
When asked about the private academies a workshops for cinema, Taşçıyan said everyone has the right to make films, they meet the dema s of amateurs a Sadi Çilingir, a man of many talents in the cinema sector, agreed. According to him there is also one more reason that no Turkish films are prominent at Cannes. "Our young generation grew lazy in the last few years," he said not blaming it all on the lack of government support. But Çilingir who is of the same opinion with Taşçıyan, said there has been a lack of establishment for too many years. "Directors a producers even the artists put their back into se ing their films to have the chance to appear at international festivals," he said. As for Teoman, who is atte ing Cannes, to be among the competing films in Cannes is a tough path. "It is a competitive atmosphere," he said, adding that he does not agree with Taşçıyan, which is that the situation is not hopeless."