Turks and Greeks come together, even if on TV screens

The unprecedented popularity of the Turkish TV series ‘Yabancı Damat’ (Foreign Groom), featuring an intercultural love affair between a Greek man and a Turkish woman, seems to have opened the way for more intercultural stories on TV

“Greeks learn Turkish by watching TV series,” was the headline of a recent article in Hürriyet Daily News, alluding to the increasing popularity of Turkish series in Greece in the recent years. Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century), the historical drama about the court of Süleyman the Magnificent that is broadcast with the title The Magnificent Suleiman in Greece, and “Sıla” have been the most popular series in Greece this fall.

Another indication of the popularity of Turkish series in the neighboring country are the dozens of Facebook pages and groups with names like Greek fans of Turkish series or Turkish series on Greek TV, with pictures of Turkish heartthrobs like Kenan İmirzalıoğlu and Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ splashed over the pages. But perhaps the extent of the popularity of Turkish series can best be seen in some of the backlash in Greece. Thessaloniki Metropolitan Bishop Anthimos recently warned his followers, saying “No one should watch Muhteşem Yüzyıl,” the metropolitan said, according to daily Hürriyet. “By watching Turkish series, we tell them that we have surrendered.”

Similarly, Greek TV actress Nikoleta Karra sent an angry Twitter message last month to Greek channels for broadcasting Turkish series instead of Greek Cypriot ones. The popularity of Sıla was the object of Karra’s outrage. “’Sıla’ in the morning, ‘Sıla’ in the afternoon. ‘Sıla’ 24 hours a day. Enough! We’ve made so many shows in Greek Cyprus. Why won’t Greek channels air Greek Cypriot shows?” read her Twitter message.

While there may be some animosity against the ubiquity of Turkish series in Greece from a few nationalistic voices, the popularity is not fleeting given the similarity of two cultures. In fact, TV producers in Turkey seem to be well-aware of the fact that including Greek culture and some Greek characters into their shows might be a way to delver further into the Greek market.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)

Turkey and Greece unite on screen

The recent collaborations between Greek and Turkish filmmakers are an increasing interest on the part of Turkish moviegoers in cinema. This year’s edition of Documentarist, devotes a section to Greek - Turkish relations.

Celebrating its fifth year, Documentarist, Istanbul’s Documentary Days, is preparing to bring moviegoers face to face with the harsh realities of today (and yesterday) as seen through the eyes of nearly 100 filmmakers. This year’s festival, taking place between June 1-6, features a section devoted to Greece and the difficult times it has experienced in the last couple of years.

The section “Our Nextdoor Neighbor Greece” is the latest example in a string of collaborations between Turkey and Greece, as well as a growing interest in each other’s work both in film and TV. The sometimes-troubled relationship between the neighbors seems to have taken a friendly turn in the past couple of years, at least as seen through the camera.

In this year’s Documentarist, one can see examples from Greek cinema that shed a harsh light on the tough times of the recent past. Myrna Tsapa’s Katinoula of 2012 is a candid look at an elderly woman of Greek origin living in Egypt. Directors Chyrysa Tzelepi and Tania Hatzigeorgiou’s film, 25th Meridien, which took five years to complete, follows the lives of the few remaining Greek residents on the largest Turkish island in the Aegean, Gökçeada, or Imbros.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)