Turkey’s General Directorate of Cinema, operating under the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has demanded the producers of Emin Alper’s Burning Days return production funding awarded to the film, almost seven months after it premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, say the filmmakers.
Alper and producer Nadir Operli said the Directorate contacted them last week with the demand, due to what they say the Directorate describes as ‘script revisions’ made during development.
Alper and Operli issued a statement on December 8 in response to the demand, in which they claim the decision was made “under the pressure of a large-scale media campaign in Turkey spreading disinformation and defamation, which started right after the film’s success at Cannes Film Festival and later at Antalya Film Festival.”
Scroll down to read the full statement
Neither the Directorate nor Alper and Operli in their letter cite the specific revisions that have caused the demand. Burning Days focuses on a newly-appointed young prosecutor in a small town, who is pulled into a political conflict during his first murder investigation. The film includes a depiction of a homosexual relationship, which has made it the target of pro-Islamist figures in the country. It was nominated for the Queer Palm, an independent prize for LGBTQ+-relevant films at Cannes Film Festival, in May.
The project made a first funding application to the Directorate in November 2018. It is this version to which the Directorate is saying changes have been made. Alper and Operli’s letter states a final version was submitted to the Directorate in April 2021 ahead of production in summer 2021, and that it is “remarkable” this decision has been made so long after the film was completed.
“In no democratic country in the world, public funds are supposed to control the versions of a film script,” states the letter. “Anyone familiar with the film industry knows very well that scripts change from the moment they are written to the day the film is delivered. It is in its very nature that a script undergoes many changes at the project development phase, even on set, and ultimately in editing. The opposite is unimaginable and unrealistic.”
“Unfortunately, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with new regulations that came in effect in 2019, is now able to initiate blatant censorship procedures against the film industry, under the pretext of controlling the changes in the scripts.”
The letter also states the “arbitrary decision” to demand the funding return has bypassed the country’s Cinema Support Committee, which is comprised of industry representatives.
“This constitutes an extremely dangerous example for the future of Turkish cinema,” continues the letter.
Burning Days opened in Turkish cinemas on December 9, distributed by Bir Film. It attracted 51,371 admissions across its opening weekend, a strong start for an independent title.
In 2019, the Ministry of Culture changed the law to allow it to end support for funded projects at any stage of the process – including after the film has completed and screened. Other films are believed to have made script changes to comply with the Ministry’s requests; Burning Days is the first film to receive a demand for repayment.
The Match Factory is handling worldwide sales on the film, which is also produced by Kerem Catay. It is a fourth feature for Turkish director Alper, after Beyond The Hill, Frenzy and A Tale Of Three Sisters.
Burning Days statement
In an unprecedented move, the General Directorate of Cinema, operating under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye has pulled back its financial support demanding the return of the production funding that Burning Days has received in full, plus interest. In an official letter, the directorate points at script revisions made during the project development phase as their reasoning, comparing it to the first draft submitted during the funding application in 2018. It is noteworthy that this decision comes 20 months after we had submitted the final version of the script, including all the changes, to the General Directorate of Cinema.
In an official letter, the General Directorate of Cinema, operating under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye has demanded full reimbursement of the production funding that Burning Days has received, plus the interest. The reason behind this decision, as declared in the letter, is the revisions of the script during the project development phase, from the first draft that was used in funding application in November 2018. It is remarkable that this decision comes 20 months after we submitted the final version of the script, including all the changes, to the General Directorate of Cinema.
As we see it, this decision was taken under the pressure of a large-scale media campaign in Türkiye spreading disinformation and defamation, which started right after the film’s success at Cannes Film Festival and later at Antalya Film Festival, a major event for the Turkish film industry.
In no democratic country in the world, public funds are supposed to control the versions of a film script. Anyone familiar with the film industry knows very well that scripts change from the moment they are written to the day the film is delivered: It is in its very nature that a script undergoes many changes at the project development phase, even on set, and ultimately in editing. The opposite is unimaginable and unrealistic. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with new regulations that came in effect in 2019, is now able to initiate blatant censorship procedures against the film industry, under the pretext of controlling the changes in the scripts. The decision to withdraw the production support from Burning Days was taken with the approval of the Minister of Culture and Tourism, and it’s an arbitrary decision that bypasses the Cinema Support Committee, which includes representatives of our industry. This constitutes an extremely dangerous example for the future of Turkish cinema.
We would like to underline that Burning Days is the only feature-length film that represented Türkiye at three major international film festivals in 2022 with remarkable success. Following its world premiere, the film travelled to many national and international festivals, and received various awards. Under normal circumstances, we would expect to be appreciated by the public authorities for using the support efficiently, and successfully representing our country in the international arena. Instead, Burning Days has now sadly become another example of how good deeds never go unpunished in Türkiye under the current climate.
In this situation, we would like to invite our audiences to watch Burning Days at the movie theaters in Türkiye as of December 9 to show their support.
It remains our hope that the public funds, generated by tax revenues, be used fairly for the sole benefit of art and cinema, supporting free, independent and creative ideas.
Emin Alper (Writer - Director)
Nadir Öperli (Producer)
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