NATIONAL COMPETITION EXCITEMENT BEGINS

The excitement of the National Competition at the Golden Orange Film Festival began yesterday. First, the films “Sahibiden Rahmet” and “Barselo” hit the big screen, and after the screenings, the film crews appeared before the audience.

The excitement of the National Competition began at the 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. The Atatürk Cultural Centre (AKM) Aspendos Hall hosted two competition films and their crews yesterday.

Based on a true story, the film “Sahibinden Rahmet” tells the story of the meteorites that fell on Bingöl in 2015, using dark humour. Following the screening, directors Gözde Yetişkin and Emre Sert, actors Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu, Mehmet Şeker, Ozan Çelik, art director Aras Bilkin, and cinematographer Arınç Arısoy answered questions from the audience.

Director Gözde Yetişkin, who said the film's starting point was a radio news report, explained how they turned this news into a film story: "The news said that a very rare meteor had fallen in Turkey, and that it contained iron, uranium, and so on. The villagers were trying to sell this rock. The then-Minister of Economy, Mehmet Şimşek, had opened a poll on Twitter asking whether to collect income tax from these villagers. The villagers reacted to this, saying, ‘God sent this to us from the sky, what tax are we supposed to pay on it?’ We thought we could reflect Turkey's predicament through this topic."

When asked why they approached the subject as a dark comedy, the directors' answer pointed to their ‘perspective on life’ rather than a choice. Sert said, “Our way of coping with stress is based on making fun and laughing.” At the same time, Yetişkin added, “We have a habit of saying something annoying even in very funny, enjoyable moments,” completing his partner's statement.

We don't know how to work on our own.

Audience members also asked the team questions about the film being directed by two people, one woman and one man. “We've been friends since childhood, we've done everything together. We don't really know how to work alone,” said Sert, continuing, "But doing it with two people is great. Because you share the success and the failure. You share the stress. Sometimes you work in shifts. Sometimes one says, ‘We messed up,’ and the other says, ‘I'll fix it.’ Sometimes she's the sweet girl, and I'm the bad guy. Sometimes I'm the executioner, and Gözde is the witch. We find balance. The actors also evaluated the two-director shoot from their own perspectives. Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu said, "When there's only one director, if you can convince them, you've already done your job. But when there's another director, it can be more difficult. But it also serves as a very good control mechanism to iron out some flaws and deliver the best, most complex performance. “ Mehmet Şeker added,” Sometimes directors can be very busy. But when I have an issue with two directors, I can always find one of them."

Why is the stone that fell from the sky obsidian?

During the interview, the question of “why the stone that fell from the sky was obsidian” was also asked. Art director Aras Bilkin, who said, “I wasn't expecting this question, I'm happy,” responded as follows: “The first thing that came to mind was that this meteorite might contain metal so that it could be like obsidian.” My suggestion, the director's idea, metaphysical and mythological research, and series-cultural stories gradually led us to the necessity of it being obsidian, of it containing that darkness. And we really liked its reaction to light. So, I was able to sell it to Emre and Gözde!"

Regarding the obsidian stone, cinematographer Arınç Arısoy also said the following: "The story goes like this: Irfan finds the stone in the dark of night. You have to visualise this. Questions arise, of course: Does the stone reflect light? How can I distinguish the stone? How can the stone stand out within the scene? So that was one of the first things we discussed, namely, its brightness. Actually, cinema is a bit like that; cinema is on a fine line between reality and fiction, and this material serves that purpose a bit."

Would you sell the stone if you were in my place?

The most interesting question of the interview was, “If such a situation happened to you, what would you do; would you sell it, or would you wait?” The team answered this question very sincerely: Ozan Çelik said, "Of course, I would want to sell it for the highest value. Whatever happens there, happens! That way, they probably made the right decision. “ Mehmet Şeker's answer included an assessment of the character Cevat, whom he played in the film:” Actually, I don't think I understand Cevat very well. Because he talks one way, then another. But thankfully, Emre, Gözde, and my other fellow actors helped me a lot during this process. As for your question, I would choose to follow Cevat's path. I would change direction depending on which way the wind blows."

Rahatsız edici, gerçek bir toksik erkeklik öyküsü: Barselo

Following the screening of the second National Competition film of the day, “Barselo,” a discussion took place with director Erdem Yener, screenwriter Alper Kul, producer Hüseyin Yener, and actors Ahmet Varlı, Naz Çağla Irmak, Bora Karakul, Burak Can Aras, and Özlem Öçalmaz.

The story, adapted for the cinema from a script by Alper Kul and previously staged as a play, begins with a group of men seeking a “one-night stand” at the bus station but ends up far from fun, instead depicting a harsh transformation. Screenwriter Alper Kul, who states that the story is based on real events, said, "This is the story of those who abused a mentally disabled girl at the Esenler bus station for 10 years. I worked there for a while, and I know these things are true. Humanity is evil, and I wanted to portray it as it is. My goal was to disturb the audience and make sure they couldn't recover for a while after leaving the theatre."

The audience felt the same way; some even commented that it could have been “even more disturbing,” but director Erdem Yener said, “I think it's disturbing enough. What other dark stories do we hear and see? Maybe we're used to seeing it on the internet, but all kinds of violence are already in front of us all the time.”

Özlem Öçalmaz, who described the film as “a film that perfectly captures toxic masculinity,” said: "As both a woman and an actress in this film, I can say that this film perfectly captures toxic masculinity. We are telling a story where the slang and jargon used by men of the lowest social status, men with any social status, to show that they exist in the most primitive form of existence, is heavily emphasised." As women, we see these things and more: harassment, violence, bullying, murder, everything. We are artists, and our job is to reflect on what is happening in society. The political stance is to be able to make this film and say these things.

“We don't give the audience a chance for catharsis!”

Audience members, especially, asked how the actors portrayed these ‘disturbing’ characters and whether they engaged in a ‘moral reckoning’ while preparing for the roles. Bora Karakul said, “I don't think I'm playing a ‘bad guy,’” and added, "But unfortunately, there are many such people. I see them at the market, on the bus. And when approaching this character, I say, ‘How does he look?’ Then I understand that he only sees flesh, entertainment, and interests. Not being like that is something that requires effort."

Ahmet Varlı, on the other hand, unlike Karakul, said, “I think I played a bad guy.” He explained how he approached the character with this feeling: "When you play, you have to be your character's advocate. You can't play any other way. You find his reasons, his motivations, and you start creating that character with that motivation. Even if you watched Hitler's childhood, you would feel sorry for him! Until he grew up and carried out his actions. So, what is evil? Being good or bad is a claim, but actions are the most important thing that determines who you are. Even if he has many reasons and traumas, he is a bad character. Yes, as Ahmet, I am his advocate, but he is a bad man. When we ask why we made this film and what will remain from it, what makes me happy is that it doesn't give the audience an opportunity for catharsis. It doesn't give the feeling that goodness has won and that I can now go home happy. The world is no longer like that. I don't think there's any need to be comfortable anymore. That's also the responsibility of art.