Armenia-Turkey Cinema Platform

Armenia-Turkey Cinema Platform 2011 | Armenian-Turkish Yerevan Workshop 2010 | Previous Activities | About Anadolu Kultur

Making Films Together!

In May 2010, ATCP announced a call for entries for the 2nd Making Films Together! Short and Documentary Development Workshop aimed at co-production between Armenia and Turkey. ATCP 2010 program provided development award/grants for the best film-projects to move forward the practical implementation of the program.

ATCP received 11 projects in total (two from Armenia, seven from Turkey and one from Lebanon) among which 6 shorts and documentaries from Armenia and Turkey were selected to participate in the ATCP 2010 workshop, which had been held in the framework of the 7th Golden Apricot International Film Festival on 12-14 July, 2010.

Selected projects are:

Buried, dir./prod. Vuslat Saracoglu, Turkey
Dede Korkut in Armenia, dir. Gagik Harutyunyan, prod. Karen Gevorgyan, Armenia
Family Tree, dir. /prod. Harut Kbeyan, Armenia
The Puppet Theater, dir. Canay Ozden, prod. Altan Bal, Turkey
A Tour in the Streets of Istanbul, dir./prod. Nigol Bezjian, Lebanon/Armenia
Two Nations – Two Prophets, dir./prod. Sayat Dağlıyan, Turkey
Swimming With Cats, dir./prod. Jeff Kalousdian, Armenia

Around 20 cinema experts from the most prestigious cinema funds and workshops were hosted by the forum as trainers and guest speakers. The three -day forum agenda included more than 20 individual meetings with the script and project development trainers, around 10 presentations on the various film funds and workshops, as well as a number of guest lectures. Among the guest speakers of the forum were Veronique Cayla (CNC, France), Ludmila Cvikova (Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands), Jay Jeon (Pusan Promotion Plan of Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea), Michael Wiedemann (Filmstiftung NRW, Germany), Ulf Sigvardson (Goteborg Film Festival Fund, Sweden), Alan Fountain (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs, Luxembourg), Kirill Razlogov (Moscow Co-production forum, Russia), Graziella Bildesheim and Alessandra Pastore (MAIA Workshop, Italy).

The ATCP development workshop hosted Melek Ulagay Taylan from Ajans 21 in Turkey and Jennifer Sabbah from Boa Films in France as trainers, as well as Cigdem Mater Utku from Anadolu Kultur in Turkey. The ATCP agenda included guest lectures by such acclaimed film-directors as Fatih Akin (Germany), Semih Kaplanoglu (Turkey) and Serge Avetikyan (France).

The competition pitch session of the ATCP was held on the 14th July. The project “Family Tree” by Harut Kbeyan from Armenia was awarded a development grant of 3000 USD and “Puppet Theatre” by Canay Ozden from Turkey and the Armenian/Lebanese project “A Tour in the Streets of Istanbul” by Nigol Besjian were granted 2000 USD each for development.

The ATCP 2010 program is made possible by the support of the USA Embassy in Armenia.

“Making Films Together!”

A New Initiative by the Armenia Turkey Cinema Platform

From April 8 to10, in the framework of the Istanbul International Film Festival, a workshop by the Armenia Turkey Cinema Platform (ATCP) entitled “Making Films Together!” was held at the initiative of Anadolu Kültür (Turkey) and the Golden Apricot International Film Festival (Armenia). Before the workshop, a competition for short films (fiction, documentary or animation) was announced in both countries. Filmmakers presented topics on Armenia and Turkey: their common interests, dreams, the past and the present of the two countries.

The Armenian side submitted15 projects, the Turkish side – 40. Ten projects were chosen to participate in the workshop (five from each country). Five projects received grants for development and shooting. Among the Armenian projects, "Galata" by Diana Kardumyan and "Neighbours" by Gor Baghdasaryan were granted full funding. Kardumyan’s project is an artistic film montage of scenes in Istanbul and Baghdasaryan’s project depicts two villages and their inhabitants on both sides of the Armenian-Turkish border. Another Armenian project, "The Master of Doves," by Artur Sukiasyan, about dove keepers from Gyumry and Kars, received partial funding. On the Turkish side, full funding was given to "Don’t Get Lost Children!" by Gülengül Altinaş (scriptwriters: Garabet Orunöz, Yüce Yöney), which presents a fragment from the history of Armenian Kamp Armen children's camp in Istanbul. Another Turkish project, "Salute from Salute from Agop to Şukru" by Cem Öztüfekçi on Armenian and Turkish railway workers along the border received partial financing.

Many participants of the workshop previously participated in initiatives of the Golden Apricot festival, especially in the “Directors Across Border” and “Armenia-Turkey Cinema Platform.” Cem Öztüfekçi participated in Abbas Kiarostami’s master classes in Yerevan in 2008.

All films will be co-productions of Anadolu Kültür and Golden Apricot. The final shootings are scheduled to be completed by January 30, 2011. There is an agreement to screen the films at the Istanbul International film festival and Golden Apricot festival in 2011.

The program “Making Films Together!” will be further developed during the 2nd ATCP Script and Project Development Workshop to be held at the 7th Golden Apricot International Film Festival (11-18 July, 2010) and will be fully devoted to the co-production of Armenian-Turkish short films. Soon, anew call for entries for Armenian-Turkish short films will be announced.

The ATCP 2010 Program is supported by the U.S. Embassy in Armenia.

 Press-release
15 April, 2010, Yerevan