Istanbul Foundation for Culture and the Arts (IKSV) cancelled the screening of A Guerilla Documentary Bakur/North four hours before the showing. The justification was a warning by the Culture and Tourism Ministry concerning a “registration document”. Surela Film Production stated that the cancellation clearly constituted censorship.
A Guerilla Documentary: BAKUR (North) was to be shown in the 34th Istanbul Film Festival from the non-competing category. The documentary is about the daily and political lives of guerilla fighters, from their reaction to the withdrawal to their relationship with the mountains.
İKSV wrote in their statement that the film, which was scheduled to be shown at 4 pm on April 12th could be shown on the following days of the festival if it receives its registration documents. The foundation also wrote that although they oppose the registration document criterion imposed only to domestically produced films, they are required to comply with the rules.
“A clear instance of censorship”
Surela Film Production also sent out a written statement after the cancellation. They wrote:
“Although we did all we could to remove the obstacles in the way of our film, these attempts were fruitless. The cancellation of film screenings due to direct pressure from the ministry after the films have gone through various procedures to be put on the festival program is a clear instance of censorship.”
The company wrote that the so-called registration documents condition was an arbitrary mechanism of censorship that the ministry uses from time to time, stifling freedom of expression, and voiced their objection to the ministry’s bans.
Elif Akgül had recently written about the film in biamag:
“A Guerilla Documentary: BAKUR (North) directed by director Çayan Demirel and journalist Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and produced by Ayşe Çetinbaş is to be shown in the 34th Istanbul Film Festival in the non-competing category.
“The 92-minute documentary begins with Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call to withdraw on March 21st, 2013 during the Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır.
“Mavioğlu who is one of the directors said that they had previously asked the PKK to make a documentary, but that this had only been possible after the ceasefire. He goes on to say: ‘This film was shot with PKK’s permission of course. We entered the guerilla zones. We worked in various different areas, especially in three main zones in Dersim Amed Botan. We didn’t receive financial support from anyone. The film didn’t go through any preliminary audits. They trusted us so they let us into the zones, and we were free in shooting our film.’”
22 films withdraw from festival
Following the cancellation, moviemakers boycotted the festival by withdrawing their own films. 22 films withdrew from the festival following the decision to boycott.
The joint statement released by directors, film crews, SİYAD members and jury members read: “We, the undersigned, oppose the use of registration documents as obstacles to film screenings. We do not accept that this condition that does not apply to foreign films is mandated for domestically produced films. We recognize this to be oppression and censorship.
“Furthermore, some domestically produced films lacking this documentation have been screened without there being any problems. The fact that this intervention was made to Bakur shows that there is a political decision behind the censorship.
“We demand for the obstacles in the way of our films freely meeting their viewers to be lifted immediately. As the authors we refuse to submit our work operation licenses to festivals.”
“We would like to announce to the public that until the censorship placed on BAKUR is lifted, we will not be screening our films in Istanbul Film Festival in any way and that we demand the festival to stop all its screenings.”
“Furthermore, we invite all festivals, film industry unions, film industry employees, screenwriters and film-lovers to unite against censorship."
Radikal People’s Award gets cancelled
Radikal newspaper supported the filmmakers that withdrew their films from the festival by canceling the Radikal People’s Award.
Cem Erciyes announced the decision saying censorship and art cannot coexist, and that “no-one wants to live in a Turkey like that.” In light of the fact that almost all the domestically produced films withdrew from the festival, Erciyes commented that the domestic competition can no longer be held, and even though foreign films will still be shown, “the shadow of censorship has been cast on the festival’s free spirit and joy.” “All we can do now,” Erciyes said, “is to say no.”
Erciyes wrote in his piece in Radikal that filmmakers “gave a rightful reaction to censorship”: “They withdrew because they don’t have any weapon other than their own labor, their creativity.”
Erciyes also recalled Reyan Tuvi’s documentary that was disqualified in the 51st Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, again due to political reasons.
Ministry Issues Statement
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism denied the allegations of censorship saying the letter sent to IKSV was a general email informing them of the legal terms and dated January 9th, 2014. The Ministry stated that IKSV’s claim that a new letter had been sent showed a “unacceptable and purposefully misleading attitude”.
Istanbul Film Festival Director Azize Tan, on the other hand, said the same letter had been re-sent by the ministry on April 11th, 2015. While Tan stated that as the festival administration, they thought they could forego gathering the necessary documents since they were already in the process of appealing to change the legislation. The Ministry placed the blame on festival administrators for not following “the legal processes necessary for freedom” and fervently opposed allegations of censorship.
Meanwhile, the Ministry in their statement also placed emphasis on “terrorist organization propaganda”: “The fact that the film was a PKK documentary, that it features terrorist organization propaganda, already shows that the situation does not match up with fundamental democratic values, nor with the universal criteria of freedom of thought.”
“The fact that the film features terrorist organization propaganda as mentioned also implicates the foundation and the festival administration,” read the statement.
HDP Parliamentary Member Önder responds to incident
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul MP and film director Sırrı Süreyya Önder issued a statement about the cancellation of Bakur.
Deeming the decision “arbitrary”, Önder said: “The oppressive understanding dominating Turkey’s political arena continues to manifest itself in the area of culture and the arts.” Önder pointed out that the point of asking for documents is to protect the rights of a film, not to pose a hurdle.
Önder also said that trying to diminish the visibility of the guerilla in film screens even, constituted a manipulation by pro-war parties trying to erase public’s connection with the truth.
Film festival contests cancelled
Following the withdrawal of 22 films, the domestic and international contests that are part of the Istanbul Film Festival and the closing ceremony were cancelled. "I hope that this situation becomes an opportunity that brings the film community together with the aim of changing the legislation in question," spoke Festival Director Azize Tan.
Indeed, filmmakers did come together and issued a joint statement for the Culture Ministry to schedule an urgent meeting with Film Unions for the urgent change of legislature that allows for censorship. (AS-BK / PU)
