Experts state that Turkish cinema has witnessed a significant evolution in the representation of female actors, and that the roles of actors and the perception of gender have undergone profound changes with the development of cinema.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esennur Sirer said, "Turkish Cinema has recently been standing out thanks to existing auteur (having a unique style and narrative) directors and actors nurtured by this geography."
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esennur Sirer, Head of the Radio, Television and Cinema Department at Üsküdar University's Faculty of Communication, evaluated the development and change of female actors in Turkish cinema over the years.
An important tool for cultural transmission; cinema…
Noting that communication tools have always been positioned at an important point managing the process during cultural change or when a new approach to culture is adopted, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esennur Sirer said, "Cinema, which became a part of life as a visual and auditory storyteller from the beginning of the 20th century, has served as an important tool for cultural transmission. The social structure shaped by cinema, a communication tool, and the individuals forming this structure have also mediated the regulation of the social structure. Cinema has had a functional importance in determining gender roles."
Turkish female actors begin to appear in the Republican Era
Explaining that the changing positions of women and men over the years have also been reflected in cinema, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esennur Sirer said, "In films shot in our country until 1923, female characters were portrayed by non-Muslim actors. Although Turkish female actors began to appear in the Republican Era, a prominent female character is not encountered. The 1940s and 50s are characterized as a period when cinema produced little globally due to the effects of World War II."
Changing social structure reflected on the big screen in 1960s cinema
Noting that the changing social structure due to industrialization in the 1960s was also reflected in cinema films, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esennur Sirer said, "Films were shot featuring the wealthy bourgeois class that formed in cities and represented a minority, as well as the working class who migrated from villages to cities and lived in shantytowns. In these films, women are either the wives of the rich bourgeois or honest factory workers. Male heroes rescue women who have fallen on hard times, receiving all the praise. Thus, within the traditional family structure, women are depicted as mothers and good wives at home, while men are represented as the protectors of the family and working individuals."
In 1970s films, women were prominent only through their sexuality
Reminding that in the 1970s, due to the deteriorating economy and the entry of television into homes, only low-income groups with low education levels went to cinema films, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esennur Sirer said, "In these films, women are prominent only through their sexuality. The 1980s represent a period when film production increased under the influence of video. During this period, films addressing women's issues and featuring different representations of women within the cultural structure were also made. In the cinema of the 1990s, when winds of nostalgia blew, women seeking their rights again fell silent, continuing their existence in the representation of characters like singers and models."
Films where acting, more than words, comes to the fore…
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esennur Sirer stated that in the content of cinema films dominated by masculine narratives, women's existence is represented by their silence, and continued as follows:
"One of the directors who most meaningfully processes this representation is Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Ceylan, who shoots his films in natural settings, has also stylized his characters with as natural an understanding as possible. The star female actors in his films have not stood out within everyday life representations. In films where acting, more than words, comes to the fore, the narrative is strengthened with close-ups and facial expressions. For this reason, it is seen that the female actors in Ceylan's films are actors who can create natural expressions by drawing strength from their facial expressions."
Merve Dizdar's award at Cannes
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esennur Sirer also noted that today, the accessibility of technology has separated technical skill from being a prominent feature in the creation of film narrative, and concluded: "Beyond the personal narrative style, it is the internal meaning of the film that reflects the philosophy of the auteur director. Merve Dizdar, who won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, is also one of our actors who stands out with her natural acting, her expressions, and her way of speaking with her gaze. Turkish Cinema has recently been standing out thanks to existing auteur directors and actors nurtured by this geography."