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 Love of the Independent
So starts another semester (the last one for me as an undergrad student). By the time you read this, we will have left behind the first week of classes, much of the tension of the annoying adding and dropping, the artificial fad of Saint Valentine's Day, and God knows what else. Ahead of us are thirteen more weeks, a seemingly endless flood of assignments, midterms, readings, a lot of pain to suffer, and problems to solve.
Obviously, life is never smooth for any of us, but the subtle art of escapology might make it a bit easier to survive. Everyone employs different strategies to stay alive - some write, some play sports, some cry, some sleep.
 I think most people would agree that films and music are two of the best ways to escape, especially for young people. They are means in which one may lose oneself, or find oneself, if not both. Preferences change of course, but today I want to be a little more personal and recommend some recent products from what people all around the world call "indie." The word indie is derived from independent, as expected, and refers to a form of culture, free from the constraints or tastelessness of the mainstream. Independent films, music, fashion and art are made under smaller companies or labels, or no labels at all. This "labellessness" is not only an economic position, but it is a repudiation of routine chords and lyrics, of average scripts and montages, of the uniformity of global waves. In short, indie is more of an attitude than a genre.
So, in light of these definitions, I don't really mind setting up my own version of "Faces on Campus" here to give you some musical and cinematic suggestions.
 It's been three months since they released their last album, but the experimental/post rock band Replikas prove that being Turkish and chaotic at the same time is possible. They are better recognized than most of their contemporaries on the indie scene, but once you get a taste and like their music, you can easily find more Turkish indie bands of many genres via the website last.fm. For sadder times, try Mogwai, and be not surprised if you find you have heard their melancholic music in films or TV shows before. For bitterness and alienation, check out Slint, a band that broke up a long time ago, but left behind the "math-rock" genre as a legacy.
 When it comes to cinema, my job becomes easier. From February 26 to March 1, the movie theatre at CEPA shopping center will host the "!f Istanbul AFM International Independent Films Festival." There will be fewer films over a lesser number of days in Ankara as compared to Istanbul, but still, I am encouraging you to visit http://2009.ifistanbul.com and make your choices. The amazing documentary “Man on Wire,” the heartbreaking tale from India “Slumdog Millionaire,” and the humble American indie Wendy and Lucy would be a few of my recommendations.
These things, for me, make life somehow more valuable and prove that there is still hope. And lastly, I would love to hear from anyone at Bilkent and find about their own unique strategies of coping with life.
Damla Okay(AMER/IV)
d_okay@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
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