Within the scope of the "14th Boğaziçi Film Festival" organized by the Boğaziçi Culture and Arts Foundation, with Anadolu Agency (AA) as the Global Communication Partner and with the support of the General Directorate of Cinema of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, "Decolonization of Cinema: Whose Story is Whose, Whose Perspective is?", where cultural representation, collective memory and power relations in cinema are discussed. The panel titled: was held.
Kosovo director Zgjim Terziqi, Spanish producer Leire Lopez, Austrian actress Sarah Zaharanski, Vietnamese director Thien An Nguyen and Palestinian director Ward Kayyal attended the panel held at Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) Yeşilçam Cinema in cooperation with the Festival and World Decolonization Forum (WDF).
Boğaziçi University Film and Media Studies Institute Director Dr. In the panel moderated by Faculty Member Cihat Arınç, power relations in the cinema industry, which stories gained visibility and how to create space for different narratives were discussed.
Speaking at the opening of the panel, WDF Scientific Board Chairman Selçuk Aydın stated that they aimed to put the experiences of participants representing the cinema cultures of different countries at the center of the discussion.
Moderator Cihat Arınç touched upon the meaning of the concept of decolonization in terms of cinema and stated that cinema not only represents the collective memory of societies, but also shapes how the past will be remembered.
Arınç noted that cinema can create counter-memories that transcend the boundaries of national and collective memory by making repressed stories and experiences visible.
The visibility of different narratives in cinema was discussed
Kosovar director Zgjim Terziqi commented on the approach of the European-based film ecosystem to filmmakers from different geographies.
Terziqi stated that funding institutions and festival circles mostly evaluate stories coming from outside developed countries through images of war, poverty and patriarchy, and explained that filmmakers who want to go beyond these stereotypes have difficulties in terms of support and visibility.
Spanish producer Leire Lopez also drew attention to the relationship between institutional structures in the film industry and progressive discourses.
Stating that the decolonial, feminist and environmentalist discourses of film festivals are not reflected in practice in the same way, Lopez stated that filmmakers sometimes have to tell stories that meet the expectations of institutions during the funding process.
"As long as Western organizers of film festivals continue to exoticize these regions, we will all be stuck in the same hierarchical structure," Lopez said. shared his opinion.
Austrian actress Sarah Zaharanski talked about the actor's position in the creative process and the conditions for a permanent transformation in the industry.
Pointing out that the actor's role is not just about portraying the character given to him, Zaharanski said that a real change in the industry is possible when people from different geographies and marginalized communities take part in the decision-making processes.
Vietnamese director Thien An Nguyen also made evaluations about the identification of Vietnamese cinema with certain stories internationally.
Nguyen stated that putting the lives of contemporary Vietnamese youth at the center of cinema means moving away from the expectation that the country's cinema should only tell about the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
Stating that he preferred the satire genre to convey the current experiences of his generation, Nguyen said, "Focusing on today's youth in my film is a form of decolonization in itself. Because this means breaking away from the expectation that Vietnamese cinema should always tell about the Vietnam War or what happened after it." he said.
Palestinian director Ward Kayyal made statements about the destruction of Palestinian archives and the role of cinema in creating memory.
Explaining that Israel has been trying to eliminate the archives documenting the identity of the Palestinians and the historical roots of the occupation since 1948, Kayyal stated that the film production conditions are also a document of the occupation.
Underlining that cinema functions as a political archiving, Kayyal said, "For us, the archive is the past, present and future. It is a living foundation that needs to be rescued from capitalist control and colonial framing. We must liberate our stories from the monopoly of those who try to speak on our behalf and reclaim the truth through our own lenses." made his assessment.
All developments and current news about the 14th Bosphorus Film Festival, which is held with the support of the General Directorate of Cinema of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with the main sponsorship of Turkcell, Turkish Airlines and Fuzul, the corporate business partnership of TRT, the co-sponsorship of TV+ and the main media sponsorship of Turkmedya, can be accessed at "www.bogazicifilmfestivali.com" and the festival's official social media accounts.
