Hollywood Turkish Film & Drama Days

November 13, 2023

By Bessy ADUT

Hollywood Turkish Film and Drama Days was a memorable honoring of cultural diversity, creativity, and cinematic excellence and I would like to start with two Turkish productions I had a chance to view during this festival.

I would like to share my experience as a Turkish filmmaker, now also a part-time writer/journalist in Los Angeles. I have been to one of the most prestigious and high-quality film festivals at Sony Studios last weekend. It certainly exceeded my expectations. And I would like to tell you a bit about the film festival along with my reviews of two screenings of these special nights.

“Ataturk 1881-1919”, the life story of Veteran Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey and its first President, supreme commander of the Turkish War of Independence, and revolutionary statesman and "Şahsiyet (Persona)" the 2018 Turkish crime drama miniseries written by Hakan Günday and directed by Onur Saylak...

Atatürk 1881-1919

"Atatürk 1881-1919" was directed by Mehmet Ada Öztekin and is going to be broadcast on FOX TV and the movie theaters. It is a Turkish drama period piece. The main character/protagonist is Aras Bulut İynemli playing Mustafa Kemal Atatürk tells a slice of his childhood and youth.

From what I heard in the news, because of certain issues, the movie was canceled on Disney+ which frustrated some of the cast members.

This movie is part of the celebrations of the Turkish Republic’s 100th year anniversary. October 29, 2023 marks a century since the establishment of the Turkish Republic, a symbol of resilience, unity, and progress. From the ashes of empires past, a new nation arose, guided by the visionary leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the relentless spirit of its people. We are Celebrating a Century: The 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Turkiye.

Atatürk 1881-1919

The movie was a very well-made biopic. As the short plot on IMDB states: The life story of Veteran Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey and its first President, supreme commander of the Turkish War of Independence, and revolutionary statesman.

The cinematography and lighting were excellent, the art direction and wardrobe were on point, and the cinematic performances were all award-worthy. It seemed like all the pictures I had seen of Ataturk as I was growing up, came alive in front of my eyes. First, we get to see Ataturk’s childhood and his relationship with his mom and friends. Later on, his becoming a soldier and growing in how he slowly transitions first to a national and then to a global hero. Even the end credits were incredible.

I was thinking to myself how are they going to be able to fit the entire life story of Ataturk into a movie? Then it turned out there are going to be upcoming sequel parts coming right after.

This movie is also a series telling the life story of the greatest leader of history Ataturk in different parts. As we have read in the books many times, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was born in Selanik, his father Ali Riza Bey dies at a very young age and he grows up with his mom Zubeyde Hanim and graduates school from the academy as a Staff Captain. Then he served on many corners of Ottoman lands until 1919. He starts to realize the corruption and he decides to bring change.

"Freedom and independence are my characteristics," said Mustafa Kemal and brought a dream to life by establishing a more civilized society he dreams of with his intelligence, talents, military genius and broad culture.

The film was mesmerizing to watch and it was very exciting to be in a room with so many talented and successful people experiencing the same powerful movie. It is also flattering for the rest of the world to see our history and our leader Ataturk we as citizens and audience look up to.

Here is the trailer to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8f7dkZYdkg

The quality is in world standards in every way, I should add the soundtrack and original scores of the movie were also on point along with the cinematography, art direction, editing and actors' performances. I would highly recommend everyone to watch this film and the following series to see the picture as a whole.

TV Series Review: "Şahsiyet (Persona)"

Şahsiyet is a Turkish crime drama miniseries written by Hakan Günday and directed by Onur Saylak.

In an interview Haluk Bilginer said: "Happiness Means Fighting"; on his Long Road to Emmy Award. He won the Best Actor Award at the 47th International Emmy Awards, for his performance in the TV series Şahsiyet and he added "I am very happy that this award went to Turkey more than myself.”

The new season of “Şahsiyet” can be watched at https://www.gain.tv/t/VPAA4SmX/sahsiyet. In this episode, we watched Agah dealing with Alzheimer as he tries to remember his past crimes and keep up with his children.

The cinematography, especially the colors and reflections in this TV show were very mesmerizing to watch along with the accompanying sound design and music composition. The screenplay is original and keeps us curious at all times with the suspense however manages to keep the warmth of a family feel and some humor at the same time within the darkness.

It was an honor to watch “Sahsiyet” at Sony Studios, Cary Grant Theater. It was short and definitely left us with a cliffhanger wanting to watch the rest.

About the Red Carpet Event & After Party :

This festival took place 2 days on the weekend of November 4th and November 5th. I would like to go over each day/night. If you would like to see the pictures I would recommend following @htfdlosangeles on Instagram. You can see the pictures from the red carpet & the event and stay tuned for future film festival events. 1st post reminds us of a quote from Audrey Hepburn “Everything I learned, I learned from the movies.” And Nuri Bilge Ceylan whom I wrote about in my last review says, “Every film teaches me how to get through my life.”

Day 1:

I sensed the importance of this film festival as it was approaching. I took two nights off from my weekend night jobs to be able to attend. I spend a good amount of time getting ready, finding the right elegant yet modest dress. Got my hair and make-up done and put a smile on my face. I was happy and grateful to be a guest on the first day of the event, I would like to thank Barbaros Tapan, and his wife Elif Tapan as the organizers along with the whole team of Hollywood Turkish Film and Drama Days. I have encountered many young and talented fellow filmmakers or artists who share a similar passion working at the festival. That motivated me to be there again either as part of the festival team or someday hopefully with my own film screening; that’s been added to my dreams... It was a great combination of the Turkish & American communities coming together. I saw many Turkish celebrities taking the THY flights and flying down to LA to be a part of this wonderful event. There were also many other successful, talented people from all over the world not just Turkey or the United States.

When I arrived, I was happy to find my name on top of the list as a guest. The reason being my first and last name initials yet making it so easy to find is great. I was welcomed in. Apparently, the first red carpet event was mostly for celebrities and guests could take red carpet pictures after the screening. I guess I had some high expectations as I am used to red carpet events being a mix but I took it with a grain of salt and thought maybe in the future when I am either a part of the team or one of the filmmakers there with a film that can happen. This is a warm-up. Also a warm-up with many male and female talented people I met that night.

First I met a beautiful couple who actively work at Golden Globes, such as Barbaros Tapan himself. It was an honor to meet with them and walk to the event. And I entered the beautiful Sony Pictures Studios with a big rainbow in the backdrop.

It reminded me of that famous “Wizard of Oz” song:

“Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow”

I was excited to see some of the Turkish actors and actresses that I know of. But I was also very stoked to find my fellow Turkish filmmakers at the venue. We had a chance to catch up and chat a little. However, I felt the need to warm up further. I remember telling 3 beautiful, talented Turkish filmmakers that “okay” I should bring them over for Turkish coffee or tea so we could warm up, and be more of a support to one another. Both in a professional sense and personal life, it’s hard for all of us to chase our dreams, hoping they come true, working on our careers as immigrants in LA. I appreciated and admired them all.

I saw another good friend of mine I initially invited as a guest working in the camera team and offered my assistance for camera as well. Overall I just wanted to be part of this experience more than a guest. And I hope someday, maybe next year or another time, it can come true. They had a great live production going on. Everything looked very professional and nicely organized. I don’t know any behind-the-scenes stories but it looked that way to my naked eye.

After a nice cocktail on the patio, we were welcomed into the screening room to watch “Atatürk” which is so very meaningful as the 100th year anniversary of the Turkish Republic of Turkey has just been proudly celebrated so it became a part of the celebration. The movie definitely earned a lot of support from the Turkish Ministry of History and Culture as well as blessings from our president.

Before I begin my movie review, let me mention some of the celebrities who dropped by on the red carpet of 1st night: Meryem Uzerli, she mentioned that her father used to tell her stories about Atatürk and that was the first movie she watched about Ataturk and she was excited. Beautiful in a royal blue dress. Fadik Atasoy, whom I had the chance to meet before I was very impressed by her play she did a few years back, a very talented and humble actress. Fadik Atasoy was shining in a beautiful black dress with a pearly smile. She also moderated the Q&A after the screening. She looked amazing. Engin Altan Duzyatan was very handsome, charming at the screening of Atatürk and his message was “We are following your footsteps, Atatürk!” Ebru Sahin looked elegant and graceful. Many talented, charismatic actors and actresses followed.

Aras Bulut Iynemli who had the role of ATATÜRK in the TV series said that it was the proudest memory in his life and that he was proud to take a part in this project. He definitely was perfect for this role.

Some of the other notable names are: Kerem Bursin - couldn't make it and made a video about it. Meryem Uzerli, Fadik Atasoy, Engin Altan Duzyatan, and Ebru Sahin were all looking just like Hollywood Stars and shined throughout the night. Aras Bulut Iynemli was certainly the center of attention.

Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning producer - Cindy Cowan 8. Chef Orkun Malkoclar, The Sony Pictures International Content Head - Shebnem Ashkin her partner Rene Siemens, 10. Elif Zorlu Tapan - head organizer, Hello Magazine's Chief Editor - Gokce Ates, Asli Arikan, basketball player Mehmet Okur with his lovely wife Yeliz, NBA chief Photographer Andrew Bernstein who captured iconic moments of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and many more legends for the last 42 years. He was also a speaker at the panel. Alican Barlas Itsiana Cornescu.

Last but not least the head organizers of the event, so-called The King and Queen of this film festival, were Barbaros Tapan & Elif Zorlu.

Ataturk the Movie is on Instagram to follow and the Los Angeles premiere happened at the Cary Grant Theater in Sony Studios Lot.

Day 2:

On the second night of the event, Fadik Atasoy talked on the red carpet about how she has been waiting for the "Şahsiyet" series @Gain. Meryem Uzerli praised Aras’s performance as another dimension. Helen Hoehne was one of the star names of the Golden Globes President "Voice of Vision" panel discussion - full house with full hearts. Naz Senyuva was the moderator, Enes Yilmazer YouTube star and real estate manager.

I have met a new female director lately whose presence I wasn’t aware of before. First I noticed her on my social media, then she was the translator at Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s screening and Q&A and in this event, aside from looking like a true Hollywood Glam Star, she apparently was the director of the event production. It was a pleasure to meet Ecem Lawton and some of my friends were working on her team such as Melodi Tuna, Cansu Vega Topaloglu and Seda Bilge Cetiner a few fellow filmmakers residing in LA, born and raised in Turkey like me I believe. And my friend Sarper Gokbulut was also part of the camera filming crew.

Back to the event, this was the first time a Turkish TV show premiered in America and we were all happy that was part of the Hollywood Turkish Film and Drama Days. Our country is a world leader in the TV series industry, and our actors are widely known and it's one of our biggest contributions to the global economy.

Gain TV show starring Haluk Bilginer is familiar to international viewers from Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Winter Sleep." In this show he plays an old man who has an unfortunate diagnosis. Haluk Bilginer won an international Emmy for the first season of the show.

News and videos of the event were also shown at Kanal D and TV 8 for the curious.

Both nights were very well organized and coordinated, and there was a high sense of art in the night. It was nice to see many friends in this event getting us all together with a shared experience. I would like to send my thanks, yet once again, to the event organizers and the whole team. It was an unforgettable weekend for me and very motivating/inspiring. Hope to see it continue and only grow each and every time with many more success stories to come.

Movies, food, music, and arts bring people together from all walks of life. For more peace, love and friendship in the world this is a must. I congratulate this event for making this possible. The panel was very nice, along with the after party giving space for us immigrant birds, LA-based or just visiting friends to get all together in a very friendly, peaceful and classy environment.

Happy to share my experience and review of the screenings here at Şalom to share with the rest of the world and leave a trace. In my search for goodness, I found good people, intentions and efforts in an event. Made us all proud to be there on the 100th year anniversary of the Turkish Republic, whether we were Turkish or sharing our art of film and TV.

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