The fight against censorship begins: 'Oy’una Geldik' film banned before release

For the first time in nearly 40 years, a fictional film has been banned by the ministry before entering "commercial release"; that film is "Oy’una Geldik."

'WORK REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE'

The release of Öz's film, which was scheduled to hit theaters on February 21, was delayed due to the postponement of the issuance of its "work registration certificate." Following this, the director and actors, who wanted to make a statement in front of the Beyoğlu Cinema, were met with police obstruction.

The team later made their statement inside the passage. The film's director, Kazım Öz, reported that they had applied to the ministry 45 days before the scheduled release date of February 21, but were informed that the document was not ready only one day before the release date.

'A LEGAL EXCUSE...'

Speaking to our newspaper about the issue and saying, "We were also played," Öz stated: "Instead of clearly saying 'I am applying censorship,' this time they put a legal excuse in front of us, saying, 'We did not find it in accordance with Article 4 of the Regulation on the Evaluation and Classification of Motion Pictures.' In other words, they claim our film 'Oy’una Geldik' does not meet the conditions of 'public order, general morality, the protection of the mental health of minors and youth, compliance with human dignity, and other principles stipulated in the constitution.' This assessment of our film, which humorously tells the story of what happens after a town's mayoral election, is so ridiculous that the fact that it is actually happening only makes it tragic. Far from containing the improprieties listed in these articles, it tells a story for everyone, including young people, about the value of living with dignity by connecting with the society one is a part of."

Emphasizing that the decision has nothing to do with the law, Öz says: "We state that we will file a lawsuit as soon as possible with a request for a stay of execution to bring our film to our audience as soon as possible. The censorious approaches of those who cling tightly to their political power against political satire are certainly not new, neither for us nor historically for humanity, just as the struggle against this censorship is at least as old as the censorship itself. We want it to be known that we will take every necessary step to defend, protect, and develop the freedom of art, which is a form of expression of freedom of speech, just as we have done before."

'ART IN THE MIDDLE OF DARKNESS'

Veteran actor Orhan Aydın, who plays a role in the film, says:

"We are in the 21st century, and the country is a geography where injustice, unemployment, poverty, lies, plunder, murders of women and children, and gangs roam freely—what those who govern the country define as the new Turkey. In the middle of this darkness, art is a light lit for the future; for the first time in nearly 40 years, after all the coup periods, a feature film has been banned by the state. Prohibitionism and censorship are fascism. On behalf of 85 million citizens, we do not know who the 9-person committee that imposed this ban at the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism is, or what their qualifications are. This decision must be reversed immediately. Art and artists can never be silenced by prohibition and censorship. We are initiating the legal process. We will bring this ban to the agenda all over the world."

'IT HAS NOT BEEN FOUND APPROPRIATE UNANIMOUSLY...'

The ministry's decision included the following statements:

"The film titled Oy’una Geldik, produced by Kazım Öz, was referred by the sub-committee to the Evaluation and Classification Board in accordance with Article 4, Paragraph 4 of the Law No. 5224 on the Evaluation, Classification, and Support of Motion Pictures. The relevant film was evaluated at the Evaluation and Classification Board meeting held on 24.02.2025 in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of the Regulation on the Evaluation and Classification of Motion Pictures, and the commercial circulation and release of the film were unanimously found inappropriate in accordance with Article 7, Paragraph 1 of the Law No. 5224 on the Evaluation, Classification, and Support of Motion Pictures."

İLYAS SALMAN IN THE LEAD ROLE

The film, with a screenplay written by Mustafa Sarıgül, Kazım Öz, and Eyüp Boz, focuses on the funny methods used by Hıdır Diri, who was elected mayor from a right-wing party after left-wing parties could not agree on a joint candidate in the Ovacık district of Tunceli, where the majority of the public is left-leaning. The film, with music by Mustafa Biber, stars İlyas Salman, Evin Örnek, Ömür Arpacı, Kanbolat Görkem Arslan, Volga Sorgu, Kuzey Yücehan Sevgican, Levent İdem, Orhan Aydın, Zeynep Elçin, Rugeş Kırıcı, Kemal Orgun, and Ulaş Kaya. Additionally, former Pertek Mayor Ruhan Alan, Tunceli Mayor Cevdet Konak—who was replaced by a trustee—and Ovacık Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül also played roles in the film.