Deniz Bensusan´s ´Bluebird Society´: Efil´s Journey in a Fantasy World

Translation by Janet MITRANI

Would you introduce yourself to Şalom readers?

I was born in 1994 in Istanbul. I studied at Koç University, in both International Relations and Media and Visual Arts departments. I always had multiple areas of interest; a trait probably brought by growing up in a family that loves art very much. I always loved literature, philosophy, movies, music. As soon as I started university, I chose to direct where I could transform all these areas I loved into a profession, in film sets I found myself. I shot my own films, I produced others. This way, I earned the right to study Master's Program on Directing at MetFilm School in London. I've graduated now and I'm shooting music videos and short films.

Deniz Bensusan

How did you choose film directing as a profession?

As I discovered films, the freedom while choosing and producing my own films, in time, made me say "That's it, this is my profession". Just to watch life feels boring to me, but it's tempting to tear it down and remake it. The film allows me to do this by combining audio and video. I can show or hide whatever I want to. I can lie or tell the truth. It's up to me and I think it's very thrilling.

"BEING A WOMAN DIRECTOR IS A STUMBLING BLOCK"

How does it feel to be a woman director?

Being a 'woman director' is a stumbling block. Being a 'director' feels great. Of course, I am not saying this ignoring the male-dominant system or sector we live in. It is a way of being, despite it. I find it boring to observe the world through only a woman's or a man's eyes. I can feel I am a director when I can observe genderless, first from the outside and then from the deepest of inside. I have tens of woman directors whom I see as examples. Thanks to them, I can do my job by forgetting my gender which I am continuously reminded of, on the other hand, feeling proud that I can forget it. They give me courage. I am glad they exist.

With your latest short film 'Bluebird Society' you've received many awards in Turkey and abroad. It was also shown at Cannes Film Festival. Would you give us some information about the subject of this film?

Bluebird Society is a short film taking place in a fantastic universe. Dostoyevski's The Brothers Karamazov is one of my favorite novels. I built the whole film on a sentence I took from there, independent from the novel.

"Imagine that you are creating a fabric of human destiny with the object of making men happy in the end, giving them peace and rest at last. Imagine that you are doing this but that is essential and inevitable to torture to death only one tiny creature... in order to find that edifice on its unavenged tears. Would you consent to be the architect on those conditions? Tell me. Tell me the truth."

The film starts with the story of a society that had accepted this case years ago. By drawing lots they send a young person to go to the sorcerer to be tortured and finally die. When the tortured person dies, the sorcerer sends him/her body as a dead bluebird back to their village. The main character Efil is scared and runs away from the village when she learns she has been selected in the draw, but the sorcerer makes her lose her way and come to her. In the sorcerer's cave, they get into a heated conversation with Efil on happiness and ethics. Efil can save herself and destroy the system, however in exchange ambition, greed, or wars will come back. Or she can accept the illusion of happiness and save everybody.

"BLUEBIRD IS THE SYMBOL OF HAPPINESS"

What does the Bluebird symbolize?

In East European and Asian mythologies, bluebirds symbolize happiness. The story of the film does not include any socio-economic order. People of all classes and countries either fall into this trickery and illusion or are taught to do so. Therefore, I wanted to choose an inclusive mythologic hero who has traveled the world.

As far as I've read, this film tells the story of Efil going after her questions and doubts in a fantasy world where there is no happiness. There is also a journey in this film. Can Efil find answers to her questions at the end of the film?

Efil asks the first question in her life, most probably, in the sorcerer's cave. She doesn't have experience in life because she comes from an order designed by sorcery. All the barbaric emotions which we cannot overcome have been suppressed. There is no love, so there is no hate. Unconsciously she's aware that, what is made belief in the village as happiness, is an illusion but because she has never lived it, she doesn't have the strength to voice it. The only answer Efil finds can be the necessity to see the questions in order to find the answers.

To watch the 'Bluebird Society' Official Trailer, you may visit Deniz Bensusan's website denizbensusan.com.

Related News

3 April

"Power Nap" - Interview with Elçin Sadi

Today I am honored to introduce the young, beautiful, and also very talented Elçin Sadi. She is the founder of Power Nap which is a new-generation social media and creative marketing communications agency founded in 2020.

25 March

"Kindness is Magic" - Interview with Bobbi Koonse

I like shedding light on the goodness in us since there´s more and more anti-Semitism in the world. So I will keep on putting good people under the spotlight here. Today I would like to introduce you to Bobbi who happens to be my Tai Chi instructor at the YMCA while her husband is a musician/teacher at the school I graduated from, CalArts.

8 March

"Dreamers Market" - Interview with Deniz Karmona Benbicaco

Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Deniz Karmona Benbicaco is a dynamic entrepreneur bubbling with enthusiasm for supporting small businesses and fostering vibrant community connections. Fueled by her journey as a small business owner, Deniz founded Dreamers Market, a whimsical marketplace that radiates with the spirit of local artisans and provides an enchanting platform for them to shine. Let´s get to know Deniz Karmona Benbicaco more...

12 February

"Do Good and Then Throw It Into The Sea"; Interview with Robert Calgav

25 January

"Goodness Makes You Feel Happy"; Interview with Actor Yosi Mizrahi

29 December

A Conversation About “Behind the Scenes of Writing” with Elizabeth Graver, Author of Kantika

“Voice matters a lot to me—cadence and rhythm, the shapes that words take when spoken aloud. I read aloud as I write, and I notice every comma, every end beat, the way the white space works. In this way, I may be closer to a poet than a novelist”

28 December

Goodness in Us

I am excited to start a new interview series on Şalom and I am starting them with Izzet Bana. When I thought about asking questions to successful people, I remembered who has been one of my favorite childhood memories from our community. I was getting ready for the “Grease Musical” and it was a blast. I also remember filming a few other events and performances with Izzet Bana. I am happy that he returned my request so kindly and promptly. Without further ado, here is the Q&A with Mr. Izzet Bana.

5 April

Eitam: We Have To Respect Our Differences, The Last Decade Showed Us That

Acting Head of Post of the Consulate General of Israel in Istanbul, Ehud Moshe Eitam started his position in March 2019 in a very delicate time not just for Turkish-Israeli relations but also due to the pandemic. Once close allies, relations between Israel and Turkey have been strained for over a decade following the Cast Lead Operation in December 2008. Diplomatic relations were restored in 2016, but two years later, Turkey recalled its ambassador and asked Israel´s to leave in protest of Israel´s response to rioting on the Gaza border. Only after the historic visit of Israel´s President Isaac Herzog to Ankara in March 2022 did the two sides announce that they would be restoring full diplomatic ties, which picked up pace in 2022. Eitam witnessed the improvement of bilateral relations, which in the end reached the long waited normalization. We talked with him about the difficulties and opportunities encountered working in Turkey, the future of Turkish-Israeli relations, and his plans for the future, following his retirement from the ministry of foreign affairs.

1 March

When ´Tikkun Olam´ Joins Hands With "Peace At Home, Peace In the World!"

I met with Sam Amiel, the Regional Director of JDC, the Jewish Relief Organization, who came to our country following the earthquake disaster. We discussed the JDC´s contributions to the relief efforts in the earthquake region.

22 February

Lior Haiat: “We Were There When Turkey Needed Us, and Turkey Was There for Us When We Needed”

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Turkey struck on February 6 in southern Turkey. More than 40,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured. One of the first countries to send aid to the affected areas was Israel which responded immediately to the international appeal from Turkey. We talked with Israel´s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat, about the Israeli rescue operations, and Turkey-Israel bilateral relations.