Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication opened the 2025–2026 Academic Year with an inaugural lecture by one of the most accomplished directors in Turkish cinema, Dr. Derviş Zaim. Addressing students, Zaim offered valuable advice on storytelling, the writing process, and the importance of cultivating a personal style. Emphasizing that filmmaking requires patience, experience, and originality, he noted: “First, write freely and roughly; then filter what you have learned through your own lens. The real art lies in combining the flavor of the street with the knowledge of the library.”
The event, held at the Fuat Sezgin Conference Hall on the South Campus, also featured a handover ceremony in which Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör officially passed on the deanship of the Faculty of Communication to Prof. Gül Esra Atalay.
The program was attended by Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Gül Esra Atalay, Head of the Journalism Department Prof. Süleyman İrvan, Director Dr. Derviş Zaim, faculty members, and students.
Dean handover ceremony
At the opening of the new academic year, a handover ceremony was also held.
Prof. Nazife Güngör: “I passed on this duty with great pride”
Reflecting on her tenure, Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör remarked: “I have been at Üsküdar University since 2013, from the very founding of the Faculty of Communication. When I first began, we had just 20 students. Today, we continue with more than 2,000. We nurtured the faculty from infancy to where it stands today, among the leading communication faculties in Türkiye. One of the most rewarding aspects is that the faculty now cultivates its own leaders, academics, and deans. I have passed on this duty with great pride.”
Prof. Gül Esra Atalay: “I promise to fulfill this responsibility in the best way possible”
Taking over the position, Prof. Gül Esra Atalay expressed her gratitude: “Our professors have established such a finely tuned system that everything operates with precision and foresight. Naturally, becoming dean after such distinguished predecessors carries extra responsibility. However, I promise to fulfill this duty to the very best of my ability. Thank you all for your trust and support.”
Derviş Zaim’s Inaugural Lecture: The Art of Storytelling
After the ceremony, Dr. Derviş Zaim gave the faculty’s opening lecture, focusing on the philosophy and practice of storytelling.
Dr. Derviş Zaim: “You must be ready to live with a film for years”
Discussing the realities of filmmaking, Zaim explained: “When something troubles me deeply or compels me to speak, I want to make a film about it. However, filmmaking is never short-term, it takes years. You have to accept, even dare, to live with that film for several years. This is not easy. It requires experience, sometimes even painful lessons. Writing, in this sense, is about allowing yourself to be hurt. If you do not truly love your story and believe it is worth the struggle, you will not devote yourself to it. And without that devotion, the outcome will fall short. That is why you should begin by writing about what comes from within yourself.”
“If you fight with someone else’s weapons, you are doomed to their battles”
Highlighting the craft of writing, Zaim continued his remarks: “Writing is about placing obstacles in the hero’s path and making them believable, raising the stakes, lowering them, allowing pauses, and then introducing even greater crises and complications. This is an art. However, if you go into battle using someone else’s weapons, you will be bound to their wars. You must think and write with your own words.”
“Combine the flavor of the street with the knowledge of the library”
Sharing insights into the stages of writing, Zaim emphasized the importance of personal style: “First, write freely, let your words flow without constraint. Then, in the second stage, revise by filtering everything through your own lens. However, even that is not the end, the third stage is to let go and start again. There is no universal formula for writing that suits everyone. The best method is the one that resonates with you and becomes part of you. The ideal is to combine the raw vitality of the street with the wisdom of the library.”
The session concluded with a Q&A, where Zaim answered students’ questions on screenwriting and the film industry. The event ended with a presentation of gifts and a group photo.