Genco Erkal’s life to be on screen

ISTANBUL

A documentary film, produced by ENKA Sanat and tells the career and artistic life of Genco Erkal, the master of the Turkish theater, was screened for the first time on Aug. 16, with the participation of Erkal and producer and director of the film, Selçuk Metin.

The documentary will be screened at ENKA Open Air Theater again on Sept. 6.

Speaking after the screening, Erkal said, “What more can one expect from life? This is a great gift for me.”

Uğur İçbak is the cinematographer of the documentary, whose script was written by Erkal, and therefore has a rare autobiographical character.

The documentary, which takes the audience on a journey through the past under the guidance of Erkal, tells the life story of the artist, who is completely devoted to theater and has so far directed 55 plays, acted in 80 plays, translated nine plays, made 23 adaptations and written one play.

The documentary, which starts on Istiklal Street, where he spent a great part of his childhood, youth and professional life and at the same time the socio-cultural life of the period was shaped, continues with associations between events, times and spaces, rather than following a chronological order.

The first stop of this historical journey is the Muammer Karaca Theater, where the artist first took the professional stage at the age of 22 and which is now in the process of restoration. Karaca Theater, Ali Paşa Han, Arena Theater, Küçük Sahne, Ses Theater and Kenter Theater, which are visited respectively in the film, have an important and special place in the artist’s life and career, as well as in the history of Turkish theater.

The 90-minute documentary offers the audience a visually rich and unique adventure with documents, photographs and videos from the archives of Erkal and Dostlar Theater, founded by Erkal in 1969.

The history of ENKA Sanat, which is the production sponsor of the documentary, and Dostlar Theater is based on a deep-rooted partnership of nearly 25 years.

“Throughout our partnership, which started with the play ‘Bir Takım Azizlikler’in 1997, many plays by Dostlar Theater regularly took the stage at ENKA Sanat halls and were seen by thousands of audiences,” ENKA Sanat Director Gül Mimaroğlu said.

“‘Genco’ is a project that makes us extremely proud and excited to leave an important resource in the field of theater history of our country for future generations. We present this documentary, which illuminates not only an artist’s career but also an important and great period of Turkish theater with memories and anecdotes, to the archives of Turkey’s theater history and especially to future generations,” Mimaroğlu added.