This is a networking project funded by the British Academy. The aim is to bring together academics, film practitioners, writers, and policy-makers, to reflect on the changing nature of Turkish cinema in Europe. The first workshop of this network took place in London on the 8 and 9th of December 2000. The second workshop will take place in Ankara between November 29 and December 2, 2001.

see CALENDAR / workshops & conferences

Project Aims

The first aim of the project is to analyse films and videos made by Turkish migrant filmmakers in Europe in order to understand how they articulate issues around migrant identity in their adopted 'homelands', and how they portray the reactions of the host society to the question of migrants.

The second aim of the project is to examine the cross-cultural fertilisation that is taking place between the Turkish migrant culture in Europe and the popular culture in Turkey, and among the Turkish diaspora in Europe. Within this context, we shall be examining those co-production films between Europe and Turkey that tackle the issue of Turkish migrants in Europe. We shall also be looking into pan-European co-production or distribution deals involving films made by Turkish filmmakers in Europe.

The third aim of the project is to think about the reception of Turkish migrant cinema by the host societies. How are these films received by the mainstream German or British audiences? Are they seen as examples of marginal, third world, or immigrant films? Related to the issue of economics, questions around cultural policy need to be addressed. How are the multiculturalism policies of various agencies and authorities (like local authorities, immigration agencies) affecting the film-production activity of the Turkish migrant community? What are the policy issues that can be promoted with the objective of developing a vibrant, and economically viable migrant cinema sector? How would a pan-European policy perspective help in this process?