Turkish cinema asks: Which human rights?

Celebrating global Human Rights Day, here is a look at human rights violations in recent history with a brief journey through Turkish cinema. Hunger strikes, political prisoners, war in southeastern Turkey and disappearances in custody are some of the subjects of these films

Today is Human Rights Day across the globe, the day we celebrate the proclamation and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For many in Turkey there isn’t all that much to celebrate these days considering the hunger strikes, imprisoned journalists, disappearances in custody and a growing perception that the rule of law is no longer the norm.

Perhaps the best way to take a look at human rights in Turkey - or rather the violation of human rights - is to remember some of the feature films and documentaries that have brought some of these violations into the spotlight in recent memory.

The obvious first choice is journalist Ruhi Karadağ’s documentary Simurg (Simurgh), currently on release in theaters. The film focuses on hunger strikes, an issue that recently made the news, although the recent hunger strikes were different to the ones shown in the movie. What’s more, the recent ones did not end up with an infamous operation in which police and soldiers broke into prisons to halt the strikes.

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The year of politics and thrillers in Turkish cinema

2011 in Turkish cinema saw political propaganda cede its place to more objective storytelling and directors hone their craft with action/thriller-type films. In 2012, meanwhile, vampires are getting ready to sink their teeth into cinemas

Last year might not have been the most inspirational one in Turkey’s cinematic history, but it saw the biggest number of movies released in 20 years. There were the obligatory award-winning art house movies, and the mainstream comedies aiming for cheap laughs.

But 2011 was also the year political propaganda gave way to a more refined method of storytelling in regard to Turkey’s recent history. 2011 also saw some directors try their craft in action/thrillers to impressive effect. Here’s a look at some examples of the trends in 2011 films, though there were many more that could have made our list.

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Searching for elegies in ‘Future Lasts Forever’

Having impressed the audience with his debut feature, director Özcan Alper shows that waiting is worth while with his second feature. ‘Gelecek Uzun Sürer’ (Future Lasts Forever) is a harrowing journey into the heart of the war in southeastern Turkey, not through political propaganda but through powerful human stories. 

 
For those who had watched Sonbahar (Autumn), the inspiring debut feature from director and writer Özcan Alper that was released two years ago, his next feature had become the source of some true anticipation.

In Sonbahar, Alper took the audience to the Black Sea region, where his hometown is, and told the heartbreaking tale of a political prisoner released after a sentence of 10 years. The film was beautifully shot with real characters, some played by local amateurs, grasping the audience at once from the screen.

For some, Alper was already a promising name with two bizarrely-titled documentaries: Tokai City’de Melankoli ve Rapsodi (Melancholy and Rhapsody in Tokai City) and Bir Bilimadamıyla Zaman Enleminde Yolculuk (Travels On Time Continuum with a Scientist), as well as the critically-acclaimed short film Momi.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)