International Film Festival was held on September 23-30. As well as the scientific symposium, films from many different countries are run. I feel myself lucky for finding a chance to talk with the directors and actors of most of the films. Due to the theme of the festival, films were reflecting the pains of countries they were taken.
All reflected sounds have been formed in accordance with the way of self-perceiving of the each movie’s scenarist, director and have taken the form of voices of movie actors and actresses. Listening the voice I heard in the film and the feelings of those making that sounds movies together excited. Edouard Bamporiki, one of the leading actor in “Kinyarwanda” telling the story of Ruanda in which the greatest genocide is carried out and even children fight, could not stop his tears while telling his country and film. When he said that his biggest aim is to organize a “Peace Festival” in his country and demanded support, by joining the voice of the film, I said “Yes, for next generations”. Sufferings experienced are irreparable, it is hard to cope with trauma, but transfer of the pain to the next generations can be treated.
Buenos Aires, where the demonstrations for the losses still remain, that was meant to be hearing of the sounds of Argentine to watch the movie director Rafael Filipelli, who is 73 years old with a great life experience and came from Argentine, while he states the difference between the policy and moral ideology with the movie Abduction and Death. Having a chat with him was desire to live, trying to be happy despite everything and feeling the emotions belonging to human. Famous actor Rade Serbedzija’s son, director Danilo Serbedzija was also there. In the early 90s, during the wars in Yugoslavia, Rade also performed in a famous Macedonian Film “Before The Rain”. Viewers around the world know him from famous Hollywood films such as, “Mission Impossible 2”, “Eyes Wide Shut”, “Batman Begins”, “Snatch”, “The Dark Knight”, “Stigmata” and from hit series such as “CSI Miami”, “24”, “South Pacific”. He was in festival with “72 Hours”.
When I met with him and his family, I understood that there is no importance of your ethnical identity and nation for being on the right side, losing heart on peace, being against the torture and killing of people. There were lots of stories during the festival. Law, on the other hand, discussed the sufferings, revenge, realities reflected by the films in other words.
Jurists from Egypt to Korea, From Chile to Germany, from Greece to USA told their own countries and experiences.
And the idea that everyone should start making terms with oneself is necessary in order to make terms with past. “Where am I? What did I do? Maybe the most importantly, What didn’t I do?” The first step should have been to find answers to the questions.
As for my panels, I did not want to cite with my own words but with narration of a viewer.
PSYCHIATRY AND CINEMA
In the scope of International Crime and Punishment Film Festival; Cinema and Psychiatry Panel in the context of Crime and Punishment, Yagmur Taylan, director of “Muhtesem Yuzyil” said “art is dreaming about flying in a place that can only be passed by means of a bridge and added that cinema and psychiatry are two challenging areas.
By stating that it is mandatory and reality for the cinema to use the psychiatry, Taylan has brought forward that this usage should be in line with the dreams of the movie maker and it is not required to reflect the reality. Taylan stated that cinema’s use of psychiatry is real and necessity, he also suggested that this use should have been in line with the dreams of film maker
On the other hand, Psychiatrist Mustafa Bilici said that misinformation stigmatizes the patients and creates unnecessary hopes.
Prof. Dr. Mert Savrun stated that one of the most commonly used themes of cinema is Serial Killers and talked about the profiles of serial killers.
He emphasized that in contrary to emphasis made by cinema every criminal is not psychopath. Moderator of the panel Prof. Dr. Bengi Semerci both psychiatry and cinema have total point of view regarding human and both benefit from each other, and added that for years cinema showed psychiatry as a tool of punishment and psychiatrists as insufficient and assistant to crime.
At the end of the panel Semerci added that cinema had no obligation to educate but still, people responsible for transferring information like health reporter, reporter, series, movie makers, must be careful while presenting the information, otherwise, crime and punishment limit would be in question. It is necessary to think about “Until where can we share the information?” question because we all need to know our limits.
IS LOVE A CRIME?
Citylife Cinemas hosted a different event yesterday.
In the scope of “International Crime and Punishment Film Festival” arranged first this year by İstanbul University Law Faculty Deanship, there were famous director Zeki Demirkubuz, author Ahmet Umit and Selim Ileri among the speakers of the panel themed “Is Love A Crime?”
Prof. Dr. Bengi Semerci, moderator of the panel said that during the festival past of societies and their settlement are talked about and added that people also should face their mistakes regarding love by coming to terms with themselves.
Semerci told that love is related to our brain, when we fell in love a temporary perceptual disorder and blindness occur, after this situation passed, true love goes on.
According to author Ahmet Umit, in contrast to Prof. Dr.Bengi Semerci, “Love means suffering, it is groveling. It can be felt for more than one person simultaneously and when he/she is not reached we call it as love. Convergence is marriage and spaghetti means sharing.”
According to famous director Zeki Demirkubuz love is an illness and says it is most commonly used because it is a very suitable concept for artistic use. He also suggested that love is not for understanding but for living.
Author Selim Ileri told that love had been forbidden and crime in ancient Turkish novel, and said that now love is not a crime any more, one can die for love but he never dies for love, he believed that one should live for love. Selim Ileri larked Prof. Dr. Bengi Semerci about that even Karl Marks tells love more eccentric and she is more senseless than him.
Bengi Semerci has responded as love is happiness but it is not accurate that men of letters and movie makers put the people into impossible impressions by exaggerating the feelings and emphasized that it is not the fault of love, it is the fault of people creating this situation. On these words Selim Ileri said “you treated me stealthily” and viewers of the panel laughed at these words. At the end of the panel all speakers decided on a common final sentence: Art exaggerates, lets fly love. Science tries human being to be safe in life. If it fails it is love crime, law steps in.
