Tweet
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 7 2014
Director Fatih Akın: `The Cut' is not a film about `genocide'
Turkish-German director Fatih Akın's `The Cut,' which opened in
Turkish cinemas on Friday, is the first film focusing on the events of
1915 by a filmmaker who has his roots in Turkey.
`The Cut,' which premiered at this year's 71st Venice Film Festival,
follows the fictional story of an Armenian blacksmith named Nazaret
Manoogian, who is separated from his wife and twin daughters during
the atrocities committed against Ottoman Armenians in 1915 and then
sets out on a journey across the globe to find his family.
The film is the last installment in 40-year-old Akın's `Love, Death
and the Devil' trilogy, which began in 2004 with `Gegen die Wand'
(Head-On) and continued in 2007 with `The Edge of Heaven.'
About his new film, Akın firmly says `this is not a film about
`genocide',' and adds, `It might not be my best film, but it's an
honest one,' responding to comments by film critics.
`I'm not a member of a certain [political] movement,' Akın told
Today's Zaman during a recent interview. `I'm not a rightist, a
leftist, a communist or a fascist. I'm an artist. I have done some
right things and some wrong things in my life; there are things I
agree with and things I don't. I just want to tell those in my own
stories.'
Akın continued: `In this film � I actually just wanted to tell a
story, but this story cannot be seen clearly and simply. However
loudly I say, `This is not a film about `genocide',' all the
discussions and interviews [about the film] somehow turn in that
direction. From now on, I'll either make totally different films, like
`Recep İvedik,' or I'll make my films and never speak about them.'
Here is an excerpt from Akın's conversation with Today's Zaman:
You said you received threats from ultranationalist groups because of
this film at the time of its world premiere. Now it's opening in
cinemas in Turkey. Has there been any kind of pressure from such
groups or elsewhere?
Not really. The dust has settled. Showing the film here [in Turkey]
was my first objective. Actually I knew it would be calm.
So you think Turkey is ready for such a film.
Yes. There's no 301 [a former article in the Turkish Penal Code (TCK)
that made it a crime to insult Turkish identity and state
institutions] anymore. It hasn't been censored, there are no death
threats and so there aren't any problems, really.
Would it have been different a few years ago?
Of course. Hrant [Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist] was
assassinated in this country only seven years ago. Cinema is a popular
field; we could have faced a lot of trouble. [Writers] Hasan Cemal,
Orhan Pamuk, Hrant Dink, Elif Şafak all paved the way; I'm actually
following in their footsteps.
But what has changed in Turkey?
I guess [people are] more knowledgeable now. Since Hrant was murdered
there's been a catharsis and there is more awareness about `genocide.'
Previously, this word could not be uttered easily, now it is --
without anyone pressing charges against you.
Do you believe the events of 1915 were genocide?
The United Nations set a definition of genocide in 1948 � and what was
experienced in this country is included in that definition. If you
accept the UN's framework [as the standard], yes, I call [the
atrocities of 1915] genocide.
What kind of research did you do while preparing for this film?
I read a lot. � I read work by Bernard Lewis and G�Levi and also
by some authors [whose work] has traditionally been denied in Turkey.
Taner Ak� is a very important historian; he almost became my
companion during my work on this film. [I also read] Wolfgang Gust's
writings on genocide. On my film's German-language website there's a
link that offers a lengthy bibliography on the subject.
Some critics have called your film `overly careful' yet some others
said it was a commissioned work. Is it a commissioned film?
Well, for that to happen, someone has to commission [it]. And who
could that be?! I commissioned myself to do this film.
Many people go to the movie with certain expectations and when their
expectations aren't met, they feel frustrated and talk negatively
about the film -- which is normal. The heavier and the more sensitive
the issue at hand the more [comments] you get and they're harsher. I'm
a filmmaker; [I know] you can't always be liked. Life doesn't work
that way, although I wish it did, and neither does my job.
Why did you choose this theme?
I don't know. I'm not an Armenian, I'm not a Kurd; I come from a
family who is part of the majority [of the population] in Turkey. But
in Germany, I'm a member of the minority. That's why I am capable of
relating to all other minorities around the world. Also, to be able to
understand the Kurdish issue, one has to live here, it's nothing you
can understand by looking from the outside [of Turkey], but that's not
the case with the Armenian genocide, it's something the whole world
can relate to.
All the Armenian characters in your film speak English and this
prompted some major criticism you faced during your film's Venice
premiere. Was this a deliberate choice or a necessity?
It was a choice, and I find it reasonable. There are other examples of
this in cinema: for instance, `The Pianist' by [Roman] Polanski. Had
it been a different director that made this choice, that director
wouldn't have been criticized this much, I bet. The critics want me to
continue standing in the same corner they're used to seeing me in. �
They want me to stay in my `own neighborhood;' [They say] Do what
you're familiar with and don't deal with stuff you don't know about!
But I don't plan my actions according to others' expectations.
How was the film received in Germany, a country with a Nazi past?
Germans had some very harsh criticism, too. Germans are very
knowledgeable about the Holocaust. The Holocaust has certain symbols
and there are certain images [associated with the Holocaust] such as
Auschwitz. They expect to see [something similar to] Auschwitz in the
film and when they don't, they criticize your film. Whereas, of course
there are other visuals that are highly symbolic of [atrocities
toward] Armenians, but since they have no information about those,
they tend to criticize.
Do you think Western film critics have been harsh on `The Cut' because
they didn't have enough knowledge about the subject matter?
There's a huge lack of knowledge; I worked for five years on this
subject and at some point you fall under the illusion that everybody
around you has the same level of information about the matter, but
that's not the case! There's been an upside to Venice [the film
festival] though; I've seen how far Western [audiences] are from
[understanding] the Armenian genocide compared to the Holocaust.
But we do not see an analysis of the Armenian issue in your film.
In my opinion, that is not a task a film has to fulfill. I can only
motivate people to learn more about genocide; just like the cue ball
in a pool game. A film doesn't have to analyze and solve everything.
Had I wanted to shoot a film about the genocide, I would have made a
12-hour documentary, and that documentary would start by recounting
events from the 10th century.
http://www.todayszaman.com/arts-culture_director-fatih-akin-the-cut-is-not-a-film-about-genocide_366337.html
From: A. Papazian
Dec 7 2014
Director Fatih Akın: `The Cut' is not a film about `genocide'
Turkish-German director Fatih Akın's `The Cut,' which opened in
Turkish cinemas on Friday, is the first film focusing on the events of
1915 by a filmmaker who has his roots in Turkey.
`The Cut,' which premiered at this year's 71st Venice Film Festival,
follows the fictional story of an Armenian blacksmith named Nazaret
Manoogian, who is separated from his wife and twin daughters during
the atrocities committed against Ottoman Armenians in 1915 and then
sets out on a journey across the globe to find his family.
The film is the last installment in 40-year-old Akın's `Love, Death
and the Devil' trilogy, which began in 2004 with `Gegen die Wand'
(Head-On) and continued in 2007 with `The Edge of Heaven.'
About his new film, Akın firmly says `this is not a film about
`genocide',' and adds, `It might not be my best film, but it's an
honest one,' responding to comments by film critics.
`I'm not a member of a certain [political] movement,' Akın told
Today's Zaman during a recent interview. `I'm not a rightist, a
leftist, a communist or a fascist. I'm an artist. I have done some
right things and some wrong things in my life; there are things I
agree with and things I don't. I just want to tell those in my own
stories.'
Akın continued: `In this film � I actually just wanted to tell a
story, but this story cannot be seen clearly and simply. However
loudly I say, `This is not a film about `genocide',' all the
discussions and interviews [about the film] somehow turn in that
direction. From now on, I'll either make totally different films, like
`Recep İvedik,' or I'll make my films and never speak about them.'
Here is an excerpt from Akın's conversation with Today's Zaman:
You said you received threats from ultranationalist groups because of
this film at the time of its world premiere. Now it's opening in
cinemas in Turkey. Has there been any kind of pressure from such
groups or elsewhere?
Not really. The dust has settled. Showing the film here [in Turkey]
was my first objective. Actually I knew it would be calm.
So you think Turkey is ready for such a film.
Yes. There's no 301 [a former article in the Turkish Penal Code (TCK)
that made it a crime to insult Turkish identity and state
institutions] anymore. It hasn't been censored, there are no death
threats and so there aren't any problems, really.
Would it have been different a few years ago?
Of course. Hrant [Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist] was
assassinated in this country only seven years ago. Cinema is a popular
field; we could have faced a lot of trouble. [Writers] Hasan Cemal,
Orhan Pamuk, Hrant Dink, Elif Şafak all paved the way; I'm actually
following in their footsteps.
But what has changed in Turkey?
I guess [people are] more knowledgeable now. Since Hrant was murdered
there's been a catharsis and there is more awareness about `genocide.'
Previously, this word could not be uttered easily, now it is --
without anyone pressing charges against you.
Do you believe the events of 1915 were genocide?
The United Nations set a definition of genocide in 1948 � and what was
experienced in this country is included in that definition. If you
accept the UN's framework [as the standard], yes, I call [the
atrocities of 1915] genocide.
What kind of research did you do while preparing for this film?
I read a lot. � I read work by Bernard Lewis and G�Levi and also
by some authors [whose work] has traditionally been denied in Turkey.
Taner Ak� is a very important historian; he almost became my
companion during my work on this film. [I also read] Wolfgang Gust's
writings on genocide. On my film's German-language website there's a
link that offers a lengthy bibliography on the subject.
Some critics have called your film `overly careful' yet some others
said it was a commissioned work. Is it a commissioned film?
Well, for that to happen, someone has to commission [it]. And who
could that be?! I commissioned myself to do this film.
Many people go to the movie with certain expectations and when their
expectations aren't met, they feel frustrated and talk negatively
about the film -- which is normal. The heavier and the more sensitive
the issue at hand the more [comments] you get and they're harsher. I'm
a filmmaker; [I know] you can't always be liked. Life doesn't work
that way, although I wish it did, and neither does my job.
Why did you choose this theme?
I don't know. I'm not an Armenian, I'm not a Kurd; I come from a
family who is part of the majority [of the population] in Turkey. But
in Germany, I'm a member of the minority. That's why I am capable of
relating to all other minorities around the world. Also, to be able to
understand the Kurdish issue, one has to live here, it's nothing you
can understand by looking from the outside [of Turkey], but that's not
the case with the Armenian genocide, it's something the whole world
can relate to.
All the Armenian characters in your film speak English and this
prompted some major criticism you faced during your film's Venice
premiere. Was this a deliberate choice or a necessity?
It was a choice, and I find it reasonable. There are other examples of
this in cinema: for instance, `The Pianist' by [Roman] Polanski. Had
it been a different director that made this choice, that director
wouldn't have been criticized this much, I bet. The critics want me to
continue standing in the same corner they're used to seeing me in. �
They want me to stay in my `own neighborhood;' [They say] Do what
you're familiar with and don't deal with stuff you don't know about!
But I don't plan my actions according to others' expectations.
How was the film received in Germany, a country with a Nazi past?
Germans had some very harsh criticism, too. Germans are very
knowledgeable about the Holocaust. The Holocaust has certain symbols
and there are certain images [associated with the Holocaust] such as
Auschwitz. They expect to see [something similar to] Auschwitz in the
film and when they don't, they criticize your film. Whereas, of course
there are other visuals that are highly symbolic of [atrocities
toward] Armenians, but since they have no information about those,
they tend to criticize.
Do you think Western film critics have been harsh on `The Cut' because
they didn't have enough knowledge about the subject matter?
There's a huge lack of knowledge; I worked for five years on this
subject and at some point you fall under the illusion that everybody
around you has the same level of information about the matter, but
that's not the case! There's been an upside to Venice [the film
festival] though; I've seen how far Western [audiences] are from
[understanding] the Armenian genocide compared to the Holocaust.
But we do not see an analysis of the Armenian issue in your film.
In my opinion, that is not a task a film has to fulfill. I can only
motivate people to learn more about genocide; just like the cue ball
in a pool game. A film doesn't have to analyze and solve everything.
Had I wanted to shoot a film about the genocide, I would have made a
12-hour documentary, and that documentary would start by recounting
events from the 10th century.
http://www.todayszaman.com/arts-culture_director-fatih-akin-the-cut-is-not-a-film-about-genocide_366337.html
From: A. Papazian