A DAY OF UNUSUAL DOCUMENTARIES AT THE GOLDEN ORANGE

The Hatay earthquake gave rise to “Hayatın Çizgisi.” At the same time, “Kökere Yolculuk” followed in the footsteps of the population exchange, and the extraordinary story of “Hümanist Bir Deha: Gazi Yaşargil” set sail for new horizons with festival audiences.

Sunday, October 26, was, in a sense, a ‘documentary day’ at the 62nd Antalya International Golden Orange Film Festival. The audience also appreciated documentaries that drew attention with their unusual perspectives on familiar stories.

The first documentary screening and discussion at the Atatürk Cultural Centre (AKM) Perge Hall was “Hayatın Çizgisi”, which was inspired by the Hatay earthquake. Directors Osman Sarp Altay and Deniz Toprak, participant Derya Gümüş Türkoğlu, and producer Ceyda Yüceer answered questions from the audience.

"Life is like surfing": The goal is to stay balanced.

“Hayatın Çizgisi,” a story of hope that began with Deniz, who went to help after the major earthquake in Hatay in 2023, discovering the waves of the Samandağ coast and then teaching young people to surf with the help of a local fisherman, emerged to document what happened. Director Osman Sarp Altay said, “We started working on how we could translate this story into the language of cinema,” summarising the importance of the story as follows: “As you can see, a small business can have an impact on larger crowds. Perhaps this venture could change the lives of young people in that city. It is crucial not to succumb to despair, to remain steadfast, and to be able to rise again after disasters. Derya Gümüş Türkoğlu, who previously said she was afraid of the sea, described the change in the region through her surfing adventure with these words: “I went from being afraid of the sea to becoming someone who encourages young people to go to the sea and surf. In fact, all the mothers in Samandağ are very afraid of the sea; I started saying, ‘What's there to be afraid of? It's so beautiful, let the children surf.’ “This was a very radical initiative, but back then, people needed a reason to hold on to life. It never occurred to me that this reason could be a surfboard. Life is like surfing: children climb onto the surfboard and try to stay balanced. Life is like that.

“While searching for my roots in Kavala, the Greek man at the table behind me helped me.”

Bülent Vardar, known for his academic identity, was at the Golden Orange Film Festival as a director this time, having journeyed to the roots of his family, who were refugees from the Balkan War.

Vardar, who mentioned encountering many difficulties while preparing the documentary “Köklere Yolculuk”, which took seven years to make, shared a memory, saying that sometimes he also experienced unexpected luck: We were talking about the film while eating in Kavala. A Greek man at the table behind us turned around and said in perfect Turkish: “There's a man in Istanbul named Sefer Bey, the secretary general of the Lozan Stock Exchange Foundation. You can consult him.” While I was fretting about how to find support in Greece, a Greek man helped me. Until then, I had never heard of the Lozan Exchange Foundation.

Regarding the exchange depicted in the film, Vardar said, “There is a huge drama at stake,” and continued, "The Greeks actually suffered much more than those who came from Greece to Turkey. Because 1.5 million people left here for there. Greece was very poor at that time. I tried to approach this issue from both sides, without taking sides. I experienced a lot of material and emotional hardship. For a while, I believed I would never finish the film. Still, I put in the effort because researching my past was very important to me. My students, whom I helped with their education, helped me finish the film. For that, I am very grateful to all my students and to the executive producer, Hikmet Vardar."

“He created a brain model by hand that other scientists had made using computers, and 12,000 scientists gave him a standing ovation!”

One of Turkey's world-renowned figures, neurosurgeon Prof. Gazi Yaşargil's extraordinary life has been brought to light through the documentary “A Humanist Genius: Gazi Yaşargil,” directed by Atıl İnaç. Following the screening at the AKM Perge Hall, a discussion took place with director Atıl İnaç, producers Gülen Güler and Derya Tarım, and Yaşargil's colleague Cengiz Kuday.

Director Atıl İnaç, who says Yaşargil and his brother, now a doctor, were his childhood heroes, said, “Years later, thanks to this project, we came together to tell the story of my childhood hero.” Producer Gülen Güler noted, “For me, being a witness to the professor's journey was very special,” describing the journey with these words: "It was a journey about how a scientist's brain functions, his determination to achieve his goal, his perseverance, his deep passion for a cause, his boundless curiosity, and his desire to heal. In these destructive times, when nothing gives anyone courage, his decision to embark on such a journey solely for the sake of goodness and healing inspired me greatly. I hope it inspires everyone who watches it. That is why we made this film: both to honour our professor and to keep that passion and excitement alive.”

Derya Tarım, who drew attention to Yaşargil's passion for work, said, “As the professor said, he was a person who worked 100 hours instead of 38 hours. In fact, we tried to create a work that would convey these values, hard work, and curiosity to the new generation and remind them of them.”

Cengiz Kuday said, “Our teacher was like a comet,” noting that Yaşargil demonstrated his originality in every situation:

"He had a brain model, made from wires in 1959. In the 2000s, we had big meetings in America every year. Twelve to thirteen thousand people would attend these meetings. At one of those meetings, while brain models were being shown on the computer, the professor suddenly walked in; he took the model out of the plastic bag he was holding. It was identical to the one made on the computer, and he had made it himself! Twelve thousand people stood up and applauded; some were crying."

Emphasising that Yaşargil continued to work until his death at the age of 100, Kuday described his final work as follows:

Before he passed away, he showed Sulkus, which ended up on Swiss television. Sulci refer to the grooves on the surface of the brain. A region was also named after him, named Yaşar.

Criticising the lack of recognition Yaşargil received in his own country, Kuday said, "The professor worked in America. He really wanted to work in Turkey, but the environment there wasn't what he'd hoped for. Art and science cannot be produced in countries where they are not appreciated; we are experiencing this right now. This is one of the greatest disasters that can befall a country. We never embraced him. An academy was established for the professor, and we held the first meeting in Istanbul. Hundreds of people came from all over the world, but the number of participants from Turkey was fewer than the fingers on one hand."