TURKISH LONG FILMS SHOT IN CAPPADOCIA

Writer: Ayça Olcaytu İşçen
May 2008

In this issue, we look over the Turkish long films, shot in Cappadocia, and magnetize the film makers to itself by its magical nature, history and cultural values.
 
During 1960s and 70s when the TV has not found its place in our lives yet and when the home theater systems has not been discovered yet, cinema was one of the important entertainment of Turkish people. Yeşilçam (The name of the street where the Turkish movie sector is located, it is identified with the Turkish cinema like the Cinecitta in Italy), was working like a factory with the movies shot in couple of days and with the actors running from one film set to another. If we emphasize that since 1914 almost 70% of the long films of Turkish movie sector have been shot between 1960 and 86, you might visualize the speed in the sector.
Same as the big cities, Yeşilçam production movies were also popular in Cappadocia. While I was making a study about the subject, the interviewers told me about tractors of locals were coming in the evening to that period’s cinema, Saray located on Cumhuriyet Square in the center of Ürgüp. Especially the people of Ürgüp have a big love to cinema. One of them is Mustafa Kırboğa, the antique dealer. He is the right hand of the movie makers, documentary and serial producers in the region. Kırboğa, who has the power to generate as much as a film company, wants to have escalation in the number of films producing in the region. The other film lover is Ali Uluçay who is an officer in Ürgüp MEDAŞ (Electricity Board of Ürgüp). When he was 10 years old, he acted in Yılmaz Güney’s ‘Ağıt’ (elegy). His aim is to finish his own film titled “Başköylü Muhtar Amca” (Uncle Autonomous of Başköy).
The variety of films shot in Cappadocia is vertiginous; science-fiction, dram, comedy, thriller moreover western… As the nature of Cappadocia combined with the vast imagination of our film makers, the fairy chimneys have become both a planet in the space and the venue of supernatural creatures! Cappadocia has befitted to the passionate loves as well as to the legendary films about the social issues.

Defined Turkish Films Shot in Cappadocia
Şeyh Ahmet (Sheikh Ahmet) (1968), Bir Türk’e Gönül Verdim (To Fall in Love with a Turk) (1969), Çeko (1970), Ağıt (Elegy) (1971), Acı (Pain) (1971), Küçük Kovboy (The Little Cowboy) (1973), Nereye Arkadaş (Whither My Friend) (1976), Deprem (Earthquake) (1976), Dila Hanım (1977), Derviş Bey (1978), Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam (The Man Who Saves the World) (1982), Kaşık Düşmanı (Covert Enemy) (1984), Oyun Bitti (The Game is Over) (1998), Propaganda (1999), Mumya Firarda (The Mummy Decamp) (2002), Cemalim (2003), Yazı-Tura (Heads or Tails) (2004), Yolda (On the Road) (2005), Dünyayı Kurtaran Adamın Oğlu (The Son of the Man Who Saves the World) (2006), Gomeda (2006), Cenneti Beklerken (Waiting For Heaven) (2006), Aşkın Dansı (The Dance of Love) (2006), Peri Tozu (Dust of Elf) (2007).

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, May 2008 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com