Students “Zero-Up” Nymphomaniac Censorship in Turkey

As Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac has been banned across Turkey movie theaters, several university student clubs have declared that they will have screenings - what they call “zero-up the censorship” in reference to recent leaked conversations allegedly between PM Erdogan and his son Bilal. 

Beginning from today, the movie will be on screening for three days in the university campus of Middle East Technical University Cinema Community (ODTÜ SİTop), Boğaziçi University Cinema Club (bü(s)k), İstanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Taşkışla Cinema Community and İstanbul University (İÜ) Diş Cinema.

The statement of 4 students from 4 universities includes these:  

“We are facing the state bureaucracy which translate every idea of the democratic troll (PM Erdoğan) into action.

“As BÜ(S)K, ODTÜ SiTop, İTÜ Taşkışla Cinema and İstanbul University Diş Cinema, we will screen the movie “NYMPHOMANIAC” simultaneously despite the anti-democratic prosecution. We “reset the censorship”.

“As a murderer in the street, a thief in the house, the government kills the cinema, builds shopping malls instead. They steal our money and impose the production of conservative art. 

How was the movie banned?

Expected to be on theaters on March 14, Nymphomaniac has been banned across Turkey on March 3. 

After viewing the movie, Evaluation Classification Lower Council didn’t evaluate the content, leaving the ruling to Evaluation Classification Higher Council.

It was decided against the two member’s objections that Higher Council banned the movie across the movie theaters.

Starred by Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe, “Nymphomaniac” counts the relationships of a woman from her adulthood to her 50s.

Acclaimed by the critics, the aforementioned movie has been fully screened in Berlin Film Festival in February.   

The movie was also part of !f İstanbul Film Festival with its “edited” version by Lars von Trier himself. (BK/BD/BM)

Upcoming screenings:

ODTÜ, 7-8 April, 19:00, Physics U-3 Amphitheater

Boğaziçi University, 8 April 17:30, İbrahim Bodur Lecture Hall

İTÜ, 8 April 19:00, Taşkışla Lecture Hall 213

İÜ, 9 April 16:30, Prof. Dr. Altan Gülhan Lecture Hall