"Lifetime Achievement" Award for the Documentary "The River Flowing West"

The documentary "The River Flowing West: Civilization," prepared by the Bahçeşehir University Center for Civilization Studies (MEDAM) with the support of TRT, was deemed worthy of the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the UK-based Center for Muslim Social Scientists.

 

At the ceremony held at the Dolmabahçe Art Gallery, awards were presented to the author of the work, Bahçeşehir University MEDAM Chair Prof. Dr. Bekir Karlığa, to the documentary's producer Bahçeşehir University and to its broadcaster TRT.

 

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Arınç stated that the documentary "The River Flowing West: Civilization" is the story of a long and unceasing flow.

 

Emphasizing that the documentary presents a globally inclusive understanding of civilization instead of a reductionist approach, Arınç explained that it therefore goes back to primary and main sources with original references, and strives to bring different analyses to new findings with impartial, realistic and objective narratives.

 

Arınç noted that each episode of the documentary, whose script was written by Prof. Dr. Bekir Karlığa, covers a different part of the adventure of civilization and features the views of world-renowned scientists, thinkers and artists.
 

"WATER, THE SOURCE OF LIFE"

 

Stating that while each episode of the documentary stands on its own, when watched in sequence it is connected in continuity with the previous and next episodes, Arınç said:

 

"Transitions between episodes are generally built on the metaphor of water and the river. Water, shown as the source of life and the universe in all mythologies, religions and many philosophical texts, also makes up the largest part of living organisms. It is also a fact that all great civilizations were founded on riverbanks. In this context, the documentary 'The River Flowing West: Civilization' brings to the screen the emergence of civilizations, their interactions and their reflections on the present day as stories that meet academic standards and are consistent with scientific facts.

 

Filmed in 16 different countries, including Türkiye first and foremost, as well as Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Iran, India and Uzbekistan, 'The River Flowing West' not only examines the history of civilizations from a different perspective but also aims to contribute to the formation of a new awareness of civilization by revealing the reasons for the rise and fall of civilizations through their original sources."

 

"THE DOCUMENTARY IS A COMMON UNIVERSAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY"
 

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç stated that the long version of the documentary "The River Flowing West: Civilization," produced by Bahçeşehir University MEDAM, consists of 20 episodes of 45 minutes each, while the more condensed short version consists of 7 episodes of 60 minutes each.

 

Noting that the documentary, adapted into the language of film and television by experts from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, seeks to reveal the subject in its global dimension by drawing on the views of around 200 politicians, statesmen, scholars, thinkers, writers and artists, Arınç said: "In particular, the last two episodes are devoted to the views of the world's leading figures in politics, thought, literature and art. These episodes discuss and evaluate the issues of conflict, harmony and alliance between civilizations, as well as the past, present and future of civilizations. Among the dozens of figures whose views are featured, we can mention Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and former Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman."

 

Arınç emphasized that the documentary is built on the main idea that civilization is a common universal heritage of humanity with distinctive features, formed through the contribution and participation of all people.

 

THE DOCUMENTARY WILL BE SHOWN AGAIN ON TRT
 

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç continued his speech as follows:

 

"Just as there is no pure civilization on earth, there is no single civilization either. Naturally, every civilization takes something from those before it and leaves something to those after it. It is a fact that in today's world, globalizing in parallel with rapid developments in science and technology, we are moving toward a universal concept of civilization rising on the common values of all civilizations. For this reason, the documentary 'The River Flowing West: Civilization' presents a common concept and vision of civilization that suits the development of our age, is compatible with the future expectations of societies, and can be shared by everyone.

 

We are greatly honored and pleased that the Center for Muslim Social Scientists has presented such a documentary with a 'Lifetime Honor Award.' I thank the Center for bestowing this award on the documentary. We know that previous awards were also given to highly respected individuals and institutions. You will of course remember that this magnificent documentary was shown on TRT-1. It attracted great interest when it was broadcast. We had also held a very important and fine program at the launch and premiere of the documentary.

 

I would like to congratulate MEDAM Chair Prof. Dr. Bekir Karlığa, who came up with this idea, the Chair of the Board of Trustees and the President of Bahçeşehir University, who provided this opportunity, the Director General of TRT, who made a great contribution and effort to the documentary almost like a producer, and the documentary's scriptwriter Bekir Karlığa. Bekir Karlığa also heads an organization appointed by the Prime Ministry for the Alliance of Civilizations Project."

 

Arınç stated that the documentary, broadcast as a series on TRT-1, would air on the TRT Haber channel every Wednesday at 23:00 starting next week, with reruns on Sundays, and continued:

 

"You may consider this an opportunity for those who could not watch it. The dubbing for the TRT Arabic channel is nearly complete. You will find reruns of the documentary every Saturday at 12:00 and on Tuesdays at 23:00.

 

In this way, you will reach not only our 75 million people but also a new broadcasting area addressing a population of 350 million via satellite through the TRT Arabic channel. I am sure that everyone will watch with great pleasure this beautiful, award-winning documentary, which, as far as you can see from the photographs here, covers the most important centers of civilization in the world and reveals the formation of great civilizations on a scale in which they complement one another."

 

Wishing that the documentary would be a starting point for similar works, Arınç expressed his belief that the horizon of civilization would be enriched with finer examples and more successful productions.