Turkish director’s film accelerates work in garbage dump

TRABZON - Anatolia News Agency

Fatih Akın’s documentary film ‘Polluting Paradie’ shows struggle of villagers in Çamburnu with the government’s decision to turn the place into a garbage dump. AA photo

Trabzon Governor Recep Kızılcık held a press conference on May 29 at the site of the solid waste facilities in Çamburnu Kutlular in the Black Sea province of Trabzon’s Sürmene district. The area is the subject of Turkish-German director Fatih Akın’s latest film “Polluting Paradise,” which was screened at the Special Screening section at this year’s Cannes.

The documentary film tells the struggle of villagers in Çamburnu with the government’s decision to turn the place into a garbage dump.

The governor said he was holding the press conference in order to share information because of the recent discussions about the area with the release of the film. “Our region is a tourism place and we are working to make Trabzon and its area more habitable place,” he said.

He said the facility began operations in 2007, that the current situation was very different, and that the environmental problems had been partially solved. “Garbage has been stored in this area since 2007. Local administrations are putting in serious effort for this facility to give less damage to the environment. We have solved many problems compared to past. We want to create an area away from pollution and bad smell.” He also said they would develop a project with the Trabzon Municipality to decrease the amount of solid waste. The Turkey premiere of “Polluting Paradise” will be made in Istanbul on June 5, World Environment Day.