 The 8th PASO Student Film and Digital Media Festival took place on April 24 to 27 at the Bilkent University Communication and Design Department and the Goethe Institute. This year, 86 films were screened from various countries: Argentina, Georgia, Germany and Holland, as well as Turkey.
A number of workshops were held for students. Presenters included Emanuel Jannasch (production designer and art director); Rosa Menkman; Minke Kampman and Mariska de Groot (Viaduktape), Tjerk Timan (Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam Polytechnic); Seth Feldman (scholar, radio programmer and documentary director); Franziska von Malsen (director); Burhan Gün (lawyer); Jerry Szprot (director); Gürsel Korat (author) and Ezel Akay (director and producer). Bilkent News had an opportunity to speak with Ezel Akay.
Bilkent News: To start off, we'd like to ask about the video clip you directed for the band Mor ve Ötesi who will represent Turkey at Eurovision. It is very different in concept. Can you tell us about the process?
 E.A: The single is a typical Mor ve Ötesi single, but TRT (the Turkish Radio andTelevision Corporation) decided to take a chance and selected the eclectic group to compete in Eurovision. They did a very nice thing. I think it will be hard for them to win because Eurovision singles tend to be very simple and populist songs. The thing that we call a 'video clip' is just like an advertisement. The main thing is to sell the group or the single. But of course, with Eurovision, there is also an international element, so we have to sell a group and a culture. It is hard to sell a rock band from Turkey because foreigners think these two concepts are quite removed from each other, but, ofcourse, this is not true.
When I was thinking about the theme, I thought of the personality of Morve Ötesiand about some characters from history. I decided to choose historical figures that were isolated and different, much like the band, to include in the video. I used 40 Şekip Tava sculptures that challenge everything we know about the Ottoman Empire. The figures are all popular, although they are magicians, freaks, etc.
Bilkent News: What do you think about the student short films that were screened today?
E.A.: One should start a film by saying that this cannot be shot, because a film cannot be made. You have to take it by force, with money, persuasion, friendship...and waiting for the perfect sunset for forty days. Art is like this. Cinema, in particular, is very difficult because it depends on social relations.
The most important things in short films are the concept and the visuals.
Bilkent News: What do you think about the condition of Turkish Cinema today?
E.A.: Turkish cinema is evolving, but the main problem is poor quality. Every film student in Turkey wants to be a director when they graduate, but we don't need that many directors.
Alev Değim and Sezgi Eser (COMD/III)
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