Famous Turkish pianist denies having worked on ‘Fetih 1453’

Milliyet

Hürriyet photo

World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazıl Say has expressed anger at being incorrectly named as the musical producer for “Fetih 1453” (Conquest 1453), Turkey’ most expensive cinematic undertaking to date, according to daily Milliyet.

Say said in a written statement that his decision to back out of the project was based upon the alleged Turkish megalomania that the film exudes.

“If the film will only make Turkish viewers happy, why would anyone else want to see it?” said Say, adding that the film lacked artistic value and, most importantly, varied philosophical perspectives.

The only way for a film to gain success is to win approval in all societies, not just one, he said, adding that the film’s nationalistic idolization would cause problems with viewers of different cultural backgrounds.

The movie, directed by Faruk Aksoy, tells the story of Istanbul’s capture by the Ottomans during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II. It has angered Christians in the German city of Cologne, with the Christian association Via Dolorosa boycotting the film. The association said Turks should be ashamed of what they did to Christians in the past instead of celebrating Istanbul’s conquest.

The movie also angered Greek viewers after it was released there in January. Greek weekly To Proto Thema described the film as “conquest propaganda by the Turks,” in a story published on its website. “The Turkish invaders present themselves as rulers of the world” and “[fail] to show the mass killings of Greeks and the plunder of the land by the Turks,” the piece said.