Solidarity campaign launched for 'Kardeş Türküler – 30 Years of History' documentary

A press conference was held at Beyoğlu Aynalı Geçit as part of the solidarity campaign for the “Kardeş Türküler – 30 Years of History” documentary, directed by Çayan Demirel and Ayşe Çetinbaş. During the meeting, attended by the Surela Film and Kardeş Türküler teams, it was stated that due to the challenges faced by independent documentary filmmaking in Turkey, a strong solidarity campaign is required to complete this project.

The team has created an extensive archive by documenting Kardeş Türküler's concerts, tours, and interviews throughout this process. The documentary also holds a mirror to Turkey's multilingual cultural and political history.

Stating that the documentary includes testimonies of many events, from the 1993 Madımak Massacre to the memory of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was murdered in 2007, Çetinbaş said, "This documentary is not just the story of a group, but also the story of Turkey's cultural transformation."

The archival footage in the film reveals the power of both music and solidarity. Demirel, who began filming the documentary in 2012, was unable to continue the project in 2015 due to health issues. Since then, the Surela Film team has strived to complete the film. Although the documentary is nearing completion, it was stated that financial support is needed for the post-production process, particularly for tasks such as sound and color correction. An online fundraising campaign has been launched for this purpose.

Providing information about the campaign, Ayşe Çetinbaş stated that she took over the direction of the documentary due to Çayan Demirel's illness, saying, "We are now finishing the film that Çayan started. We have received support from the Ministry of Culture and film funds in the past. However, we have been making this documentary entirely with our own means for the last 10 years. We need support right now."

The documentary, which tells the 30-year musical journey of Kardeş Türküler, serves as an important cultural record. Kardeş Türküler member Feryal Öney stated that this documentary is of great importance for Turkey's cultural history, saying, "This documentary is a production that seeks the answer to the question, 'What happened?' This project, which started at Boğaziçi University in 1993, reached a very large community over time and became an important cultural heritage."

Kardeş Türküler member Ayhan Akkaya emphasized that the documentary is an important project that tells the story of the multicultural structure of this geography and the richness of its peoples' music and dances. Drawing attention to the difficulties faced by independent art, Akkaya said:

"Kardeş Türküler is a project that beautifully explains the reality of this geography through music and dances. For this reason, we have tried to announce the project and its content through various channels at every opportunity. We published a book on the 15th anniversary of Kardeş Türküler. We are constantly striving to understand ourselves and this geography. This region has a multicultural structure, and we want to tell this story. Of course, this has not been easy; we have faced many bans, but we are moving forward with small steps now."

Ayşe Çetinbaş explained the reason why they could not find support for the Kardeş Türküler documentary by saying, "Unfortunately, it has become very difficult to find sponsors for independent productions, and resources have decreased. It is now almost impossible to receive support from public funds. The Ministry of Culture only supports certain individuals or star names. For this reason, we no longer apply to these places." 

The crowdfunding campaign launched to complete the documentary began on November 21 and will continue until January 24. The campaign's goal is 30 thousand Euros. So far, one-third of the goal has been raised. Speaking about the campaign, Evrim Şerifoğlu stated that thousands of people have supported this project with small donations.

This campaign, launched to complete the Kardeş Türküler documentary, is open to everyone who wants to help preserve cultural heritage.

News Source: 12punto