Department of Cinema and Television Bozburun Workshop Program

"Lives Lived on Uncertain Borders"

Project Description:

The Bahçeşehir University Department of Cinema and Television invites Cinema and Television students to a short film workshop focusing on the concept of the "border," which plays an important role in the daily lives of the Turkish and Greek peoples.

In this workshop, starting from the proximity of the Bozburun peninsula in southwestern Türkiye and the island of Symi, we aim to explore the concepts of personal, social, geographical and national borders and to express our original ideas and visions through short film essays. The two countries sharing this geography, while having striking socio-cultural similarities, have also at times been the scene of serious disputes and contradictions.

Within the scope of this project, 20 undergraduate and/or graduate students from the Bahçeşehir University Departments of Cinema and Television, Visual Communication Design, and Photography and Video are planned to come together from 2 to 10 September to shoot short films. During this period, the geography representing the permeable border between the two countries will be observed and filmed.

Students are expected to come to the workshop in Bozburun having done the necessary research on the subject and vision of the films they dream of shooting. In Bozburun, groups of 2 (maximum 4) people will be formed according to students' interests and goals. The films to be shot may express a state of mind, or may deal with observations about borders that envelop one another and the uncertainty of borders, cultural similarities, or the bureaucratic procedures that turn travel into an ordeal because of borders. On the other hand, a short film may also address life in this geography entirely in a poetic language.

We hope that some of the topics we suggest below will provide you with a roadmap. Of course, we would also like to state that we are open to your original ideas on the concept of the "border."

• A unique geographical neighborhood (the similarities between a Greek island and a Turkish peninsula)
• Life in a geography where time stands still;
• Being an islander;
• The lives of fishermen's children;
• The dominant presence of the sea that blurs the concept of the "border";
• The story of a semi-legendary fisherman who carries needed supplies between Bozburun and Symi and whom the customs officers ignore;
• City dwellers who take refuge in nature to lead a quiet life;
• The explicit and implicit role of the siesta on the island of Symi;

Project Schedule:
2 September Arrival / Introductions
3 September Introduction: Presentation of the Project
4 September Brainstorming: The characteristics of being neighbors
4 September Evaluation of ideas/visions
5 September Exploration Trip
6 September Discussion/development of scripts
7 September Development of stories or "Photo Boards"
8 September Shooting
9 September Shooting
10 September Rough Cut

Students interested in this project, supported by the Greek Consulate through free visas, can apply to the address below:

Özge Özdüzen ozge.ozdu@gmail.com