Scene from Takim: Mahalle Askina. | Photo courtesy of Takim: Mahalle Askina
As the head of the Vancouver Turkish Film Festival Selection Committee, Eylem Sonmez has assembled an intriguing selection of Turkish movies with the help of the Turkish Canadian Society. All proceeds go the Turkish Canadian Society and all the people involved in the festival work for free.
When Sonmez was growing up in Istanbul, her imagination was filled with the characters she saw in movies. Now as a successful movie industry professional, she aims to help Vancouverites’ imaginations flourish with a kaleidoscope of voices and beautiful landscapes from her country.
“We wanted to add the colours of the Aegean Sea and the warmth of Turkish culture to Vancouver’s imagination,” says Sonmez.
A growing trend
Turkey represents an emerging cinematographic force. Besides a few genres such as mainstream comedies and art movies, horror and action movies are now receiving international attention.
“The industry is now split into two: art movies and mainstream movies. I wanted to bring both to the film festival to present an accurate and updated picture of the current state of affairs of my country’s movie scene,” explains Sonmez.
Building bridges between West and East
Eylem Sonmez. | Photo courtesy of Eylem Sonmez
Because of its geographical location between Europe and Asia, Turkey produces movies that reflect a constant and mutual exchange of influences between European and Asian cultures.
Sonmez hopes that this film festival can help foster relations between the West and Turkey, demonstrating that we share the same path as human beings – living with the same feelings, experiences and challenges despite different nationalities or geographical locations.
“A movie like the Wool Doll for example, denounces women’s conditions in the rural region of Anatolia. It focuses on the taboo of violence against women perpetrated by women themselves,” adds Sonmez.
The Wool Doll recently received the best actress award at the New York Eurasian Film Festival. The film was shot entirely by the villagers of Arslanköy who had no previous education or experience in the industry. The film’s success is due to its expression of something universal about today’s women’s issues.
Soccer vs. gentrification
Takim: Mahalle Askina co-produced by Spark Film Collective and Karga Seven Pictures and directed by Emre Şahin is set in the suburbs of Istanbul. A number of young soccer players stand up against a big corporation that wants to replace their playground with a very lucrative residential complex. In other words, it’s soccer vs. gentrification.
The love Turkish people show for soccer has always been big and unconditional. It has become a symbol of a thriving popular culture against hollow financial speculation.
Scene from Wool Doll. | Photo courtesy of Wool Doll
“I remember playing soccer games endlessly in the streets of Istanbul with my friends when I was a child. When I saw Takim for the first time, it revived a connection with my childhood I forgot I had and I realized how important it was to preserve it before this feeling faded due to modernization. I hope our children will not see their chance to play the beautiful game with neighbours and friends denied by some business decision,” says Sonmez.
Soccer is just one of the aspects of Turkish pop culture which is rich and multi-faceted.
“We like to call our event an ‘all-inclusive’ festival as we assembled a wide range of movies, a real prism of emotions, colours and cultures that mirror the extreme vivacity and darkness of our culture,” Sonmez says.
For more information or to get tickets, please visit the Vancouver Turkish Film Festival website: www.vancouverturkishfilmfest.com.
