First film on Marmara quake to be produced

KOCAELİ - Anadolu Agency

The Aug. 17, 1999, Marmara earthquake, known as the disaster of the century which left more the 17,000 people dead, will be featured on film for the first time.

According to a written statement by the Kocaeli University Faculty of Communications, the events of the earthquake, the epicenter of which was the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s Gölcük district, will be made into a film titled “Kayıp Sabah” (Lost Morning).

The film will be shot in Kocaeli, the statement said, with a script written by Ali Bayraktar. The film will be produced by Ferhat Tosun and directed by İlker Özkap, a Gölcük local. Directors of photography Yon Thomas and Ekrem Ak will also work on the film.

According to the statement, the film’s team has already scouted shooting locations in Değirmendere, Gölcük and Kocaeli. Many students from the Kocaeli University Faculty of Communications will also be acting in the film, a first for Turkey. Shooting will begin in the summer with a technical team of 130 people. The film’s earthquake scene will be created by a Russian visual effect team.