DOCUMENTARIES EXPLORING BEYOND THE VISIBLE WERE AT THE GOLDEN ORANGE FESTIVAL

An Armenian blacksmith, an unknown painter from centuries ago, and a designer whose name remains hidden behind book covers; the documentaries at the Golden Orange Film Festival brought these names to the audience.

The 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival continues to introduce valuable works to the public through its National Documentary Competition films. Today at the festival, the documentaries “Yerli Yurtsuz”, which tells the story of Mardin-based Armenian blacksmith Yervant Demirci; “Üstad Mehmed Siyah Kalem”, about the mysterious artist Mehmed Siyah Kalem, whose identity remains unknown; and “Kitabın Rüyası”, which focuses on graphic designer Birol Bayram, were screened for the audience.

Following the screenings at the Perge Hall of the Atatürk Cultural Centre (AKM), director Rıza Oylum, producer Murat Yıldırım, and editor Ali Moslemi were the first to answer questions.

Director Rıza Oylum explains the background of the process, saying that after meeting Yervant Demirci and becoming close friends, he decided to make the documentary: "I have been writing about cinema for over 10 years. Beyond transcribing footage from the camera into writing, I also wanted to create content using the camera myself. My general work discipline focuses on others, on minorities. Alongside minorities within Turkey, I also look at those who exist outside the dominant faith and structure in different countries... That's why I thought it was necessary to translate the dilemmas and conflicts here into visual language."

When asked how she defined the concept of ‘homelessness’ in the documentary, Oylum said, “I generally talked about the problem of belonging. Yervant is looking for a deep connection rather than a place to call home.” Oylum stated that they approached Yervant Demirci's life story as a ‘human story’ and made the following assessment about the documentary: "For me, the one sentence that sums up the film is: 'If you had looked at the tree, you would have eaten its leaves and fruit. But you cut down the tree. It was also a journey during which I discovered new things about myself. I didn’t just make a documentary; I transformed myself and learned new things.”

Perhaps the most original and mysterious figure in Turkish painting, Mehmed Siyah Kalem, was the subject of the documentary “Üstad Mehmed Siyah Kalem,” which was also screened today. Following the screening, director Selin Aktaş and composer Mehmet Can Özer answered questions.

Director Evren Karayel Gökkaya stated that he learned about Siyah Kalem through Prof. Evren Karayel Gökkaya's article, “The Grotesque World of the Middle Ages and the Demons of Mehmed Siyah Kalem.” He summarised the process of bringing the documentary to life, saying, "Upon this, I began researching what was available about Siyah Kalem and came across Mehmet Bey's album, ‘Siyah Kalem Dance.’ That's how our paths crossed," he said, summarising the process of bringing the documentary to life.

Mehmet Can Özer, on the other hand, described his approach to music-making based on Siyah Kalem's work: “I tried to depict this world by stepping outside the familiar sounds, instruments, notes, and note usage. I transformed sounds using instruments or software I developed myself and tried to create something different from them.”

Mehmed Siyah Kalem's identity, which remains a complete mystery, was also questioned during the interview. When asked whether the unknown artist's name was real or given by someone else, Özer replied: "As mentioned in the documentary, there is no clear naming. All these drawings were found by Mazhar İpşiroğlu while searching for the Fatih album. And they are signed ‘Kâr-ı Üstad Muhammed Siyah Kalem’, but it is not known who signed them. The earliest date we can go back to is the 1920s; there is nothing before that. The first signature I saw in 2004 was: I am Mehmet Siyah Kalem, master of jinns and humans. This is very bold, and the things he drew are too! I actually suspected that this might have been done later, in the 1940s or 60s. However, carbon tests have been done, and it has been determined that these date back several centuries."

“Kitabın Rüyası” brings graphic designer Birol Bayram to the big screen, with narration by special guests such as Zeynep Atakan, Ahmet Ümit, Yekta Kopan, and Gürbüz Doğan Ekşioğlu. The director of the documentary, Aslı Atasoy; the cinematographer, Hakan Kasırga; the academic-curator, Sevengül Sönmez; one of the participants in the documentary; and the documentary's central figure, Birol Bayram, answered questions from the audience after the screening.

Journalist-director Aslı Atasoy stated that after meeting Birol Bayram through a news report she had prepared, she became aware of his book cover designs, which led to the development of the documentary idea. Birol Bayram described the documentary project as “a wonderful experience” and added, “This is the first time I've heard so many people mention Birol Bayram!” Sevengül Sönmez, one of the interviewees in the documentary, said, "We reviewed many different book covers from different periods, both before and during the documentary process. It was very eye-opening. Encountering the best examples of book covers was one of the most important gains from the documentary."