Referring to the attitude of the Turkish cinema community towards the July 15 coup attempt, International Cinema Association President and director Nazif Tunç said, "Filmmakers lost the test on the night of July 15 and faced a shame that they will not be able to lift up their faces for as long as they live." he said.
Tunç evaluated the effects of the coup attempt of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) on the cinema industry on July 15, 2016, the attitude of the intellectuals and the reflections of this epic resistance on the big screen to the AA correspondent.
Stating that he was on the Marmara Island on the night of the coup attempt, Tunç said, "That night was a pitch black night. It was a night when betrayal, treachery, insidiousness and coup came slowly. A night as tense as a tambourine, as sharp as a sword. I was in a place surrounded by water on all four sides. I watched with envy as my people took to the squares without fear, with the spirit of the National Anthem, the spirit of monotheism." he said.
Tunç explained that he returned to Istanbul with the first ferry the next day and participated in democracy watches, and said:
"I joined the people who flowed towards the squares, the beloved nation that never kneels before any system, order, coup, or invader other than God. What I saw clearly was that there was a people marching to become martyrs with their chests as a shield for their homeland. I felt proud a thousand times, another War of Independence was carried out as an example to the world. With the anger that he had been swallowing against the coups for years, he suddenly broke his chains and stood up."
"While the nation says independence, our filmmakers say festival"
Pointing out the silence of the art community in the face of the coup attempt, Tunç underlined that some so-called intellectual artists were disconnected from the public.
"There is intellectual honor, and there is intellectual alienation. Intellectual honor means stopping the flowing waters when it comes to the country, regardless of whether one is an opponent or a denier. What we call intellectual alienation is 'the one who looks in the mirror and combs his hair while the village is burning.' It means surrendering to the tutelage of the West, without any doubt, like the heedless Young Turks, far from their homeland and people. Applause is waiting. The situation of your intellectuals who deny not only the people of their homeland, but also its clouds, grass, trees, dust and soil made me laugh once again. Go back to your hometown, friend. Even grass rises on a root. Where will you branch out without a homeland? This was a pointed betrayal, without any need for interpretation or interpretation. While the whole world envied the Turkish Nation waving like a flag that night, those who called the bloody coup attempt 'theater' were drowned in shame that they could not lift their faces from the ground forever. Oh man, 253 people lost their lives that night. When those martyrs were resurrected and came back to life after the curtain was raised, it became theatre. It is a shame to say this. This dear nation turned that pitch black night into a clear future by running to God with their courage and life."
Stating that filmmakers take solace in the awards given rather than pursuing martyrdom and veteran status, Tunç said, "While the nation says independence, our filmmakers say festival. Love for the country requires courage. As Yahya Kemal said, 'Yes, we are studying in school, but we cannot return to our country.' Filmmakers lost the test on the night of July 15 and were faced with a shame that they will not be able to lift their heads up for as long as they live. Maybe they did not understand what happened in the first move, the reason for this attempt, they may be in a state of heedlessness. So why didn't they attend the independence vigils in the following nights? "They sneered, saying this was a theatre, and they did not come to their senses even in those scenes of horror in which 253 martyrs gave their lives for the country." shared his opinion.
The master director pointed out that July 15 is the Çanakkale epic of the modern age and that it cannot be adequately transferred to the cinema, and emphasized the power of real images shot on the streets.
Tunç said, "The reason why this cannot be transferred to the big screen is that what is happening in the squares with mobile phones, handheld cameras and mobile phones is so real and lively that it is not possible for the fictional, imagined, designed film to overtake all this reality. Screenwriters and directors do not dare because they know that they cannot rise above this reality. The pieces fall into place, observations come to the surface. The dark is illuminated and the emotions of that day bubble up. Unhurried, not looking from a distance, free from arrogance, "There is a need for a simple and aesthetic touch." made his assessment.
"We brought the story of an ordinary hero to the screen"
Stating that he included activities depicting July 15 in his filmography, Nazif Tunç reminded that a week after the coup attempt, they visualized poet Dursun Ali Erzincanlı's poem "30 Birds" and turned it into a short film.
Nazif Tunç said, "This is the first film made about July 15. It is a commemoration, a gift that we offer to our martyrs. It was a remembrance of those fearless and sublime moments when Ömer Halisdemir walked to martyrdom. In the second year of the treacherous uprising, we shot a short film called 'Kiss Me Under My Right Eye, Mother', in which we showed our martyr Tolga Ecebalın turning that dark night into a night of roses with his martyrdom. In the tenth year, we brought the story of our country-loving hero, who was martyred and went to heaven to taste the unique treats offered by his Lord to the martyrs again and again, under the name of 'Ten More'. It makes me proud that my sons are the ones who made this movie, written by Yusuf Faruk Tunç and directed by Ömer Miraç Tunç. Just as Martyr says 'ten more times' on July 15th. "Ten more times is not enough for the movies. This short film will be broadcast on TRT on July 15." he said.
Underlining that cinema has a great responsibility in transferring the spirit of July 15 to future generations, Tunç concluded his words as follows:
"Generations that lived through July 15, that black night when traitors attacked their own people like insidious and poisonous snakes, will not forget it until the end of time. Forgetting is also betrayal. In order not to forget, films and projects should be realized at all times. There should be folk songs. There is a folk song for every great pain of ours. Pictures should be made, adorning the museum walls with all their majesty. It cannot be done without poetry. 'Human Landscapes from My Homeland' of the night of July 15 is waiting for our poets. Scenario competitions should be opened. All our cinema people should rise up. Everyone should express their art for a national film, regardless of our left or right. A Nation Awakens, Establishment, and Salvation were written and produced with such heartache. This was a war of independence, a struggle that set an example for the whole world. The world should see how to get rid of the tutelage, the coup, and the invaders. "The films should be awakening films for all the mornings of the world, ending the darkness."