Films that don’t annoy ‘the gentleman’

Reyan Tuvi is a director. Some may remember her through her travel articles that appeared in the travel supplement of Hürriyet at one time.

Tuvi shot a documentary film about the days of the Gezi resistance: “Yeryüzü Aşkın Yüzü Oluncaya Dek” (Love will Change the Earth). 

It has been screened in the country’s prestigious festivals, such as the Istanbul Film Festival and Adana Golden Boll at different dates and different places.

When it was the turn for the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival; actually, that turn was not able to arrive…

The preliminary jury of the Golden Orange’s National Documentary Film Contest, made up of three people, selected Tuvi’s film to compete among the 15 films it chose.

However, when the films to compete in the festival were announced, it was seen that Tuvi’s documentary “Love will Change the Earth” was “eliminated” by the festival management.

As a justification, it was stated that it was in violation of Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code (crimes against honor) and Article 299 (crimes against the respectability of the state’s sovereignty symbols and branches).

Preliminary jury begging

The preliminary jury was reported to have begged, “Do not do this. Art cannot be subject to any evaluation by penal codes.” However, the festival management did not give in… 

This is called censorship; there is no need to find better words, neither in Hollywood nor in Yeşilçam…
Actually, Antalya’s mayor from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Menderes Türel, who stood in as the deputy chair of the party when he was not elected the previous term, a short while ago answered the question: “Can a Gezi film be screened?”

He said, “Art is above politics. Our door is open to everybody…”

It must be one of the marvelous features of the “New Turkey” that a “film festival management” regards itself as a judicial body and undertakes the duties of a prosecutor, judge and high court, etc.  

The known reason

As a matter of fact, we know why the film was not screened, right? Why it was taken off the competition?

God forbid, what if it was liked?

God forbid, again, what if it won an award?

Who can explain this and how can this be explained to the “Gentleman?”

How can Mayor Türel look at his face? What if the gentleman says, “I will not come to Antalya again?”

Meddlesomeness and the approach of “the gentleman should not be annoyed” emerge and appear in the art environment of the New Turkey as such…

This is happening in the days where leggings are being banned for ballet performers.
It is happening in the brand new Turkey…

Good luck with it.