Children in Turkish cinema: From exploitation to realism

It’s hard not to see a child actor in any number of recent Turkish films, with some of them responsible for single-handedly taking the film to box office success. It’s a far cry, however, from the days when children ruled Turkish cinema, and half the actors were no taller than a meter

Before the movie season comes to a halt in summer, studios are rushing to release as many films as possible, with just a couple of months left to keep the audience indoors. Every week, you will see as many as three Turkish films released. And every week, there is at least one where little voices are heard and little eyes peer from the screen.

Turkish cinema seems to have found the way to cast and coach child actors. And to good effect. There are some terrific little actors who, at times, single-handedly drive a film. Take, last week’s El Yazısı (One Day or Another), written and directed by Ali Vatansever. Among the three-story arc, one of them follows 8-year-old Ragıp’s quest to find the missing love letter he had written to the town’s pharmacist. In his innocent detective work, he is not alone. The little girl Sevgi, who seems to have a crush on Ragıp, helps him out.

In a darker story, we will get to watch a little girl in one of the leading roles in Ali Levent Üngör’s Mevsim Çiçek Açtı (Spring Blossoms) this week. The film tells the story of little Mevsim and her mother, living in Germany, as they are protected by the state against the abusive patriarch of the home. Later this month, we will watch yet another child actor in Caner Erzincan’s Mar, which tells the story of an old man, a teenager and a little boy’s quest to find love.

While there is obviously a boom of children in Turkish cinema, they are no newcomers to big screen. In fact, at one point in the history of Turkish cinema, half of the leading actors were 6- and 7-year olds, ready to allow filmmakers to exploit their innocence.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)