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TWO WEEKS TO FILM A SHORT ABOUT 'CONSCIENCE'
Emrah Guler
Hurriyet
Aug 28, 2011
Turkey
For the second year, the Hrant Dink Foundation is asking amateur and
professional filmmakers to upload short films on 'conscience.' The
Hurriyet Daily News talked to Films about Conscience project
coordinator Denca Kartun about the project's message
The 'Films About Conscience' is organized by the Hrant Dink Foundation
that was founded in 2007 after the assassination of journalist
Hrant Dink.
What is it like to be a lonely woman walking on a roadside, or to be
a physically challenged person on a "normal" street? What is it like
to be a little boy watching his father's hand rise to strike a blow?
What is it like to be a young girl who dares to wear a headscarf
in high school? To be a woman imprisoned in her own home, trying
to survive perpetual violence? To be homosexual or transsexual in a
world that imprisons sex and sexuality in sealed boxes?
These are some of the questions raised by Films about Conscience
(www.filmsaboutconscience.org), a short film project being organized
by the Hrant Dink Foundation for a second year that asks anyone with
a camera to "take a look at the world through our conscience."
The list on the project's website might serve as inspiration for
professionals familiar with a video camera or those with an amateur
spirit who might prefer to use their mobile telephones to join an
effort that seeks to lend a collective voice to the "other."
According to Denca Kartun, the project coordinator at the Hrant
Dink Foundation for the Films about Conscience project, words by the
assassinated Armenian-Turkish journalist inspired the project. "The
voice of conscience has been sentenced to silence. Now, that conscience
is searching for a way out," said Dink, who was killed Jan.
19, 2007.
Dink's words kick-started the film project "because he looked at
the world differently, through his conscience, directing the way
toward conscience," Kartun said. "We believe and are very well aware
that conscience opens all doors, it serves as a guide. That's why we
think we can reach a more just, more free and more equal world that
we dream of through lending a voice to our conscience and listening
to the conscience of the others."
A competition and much more
So why use short films as a tool to lend a voice to conscience?
"Taking into consideration the substantial role and influence of the
camera and the Internet in our daily lives, we thought the best way to
have this voice heard would be through short films," Kartun said. "We
are calling on everyone who knows how to hold a camera, amateur or
professional, to take a look at the world through their conscience."
The project coordinator also talked about the power of film, compared
to other mediums, to relay such a message. "Conscience is a determining
force in our struggle toward humanity. To visualize now has more of
a direct impact, [it is a] more powerful and preferred way than to
write or talk about [something]," Kartun said. "You can talk about
conscience for hours, and write page after page about it. But with a
short film, a little film about conscience, you can reach hundreds,
[even] thousands of people around the world. It's all about the power
of film."
Films about Conscience is a competition, but also much more. Everyone
is invited to upload videos of no more than five minutes to the
project's website. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite
entries and publish comments on the films.
Following the Sept. 15 deadline, two separate results will be announced
Dec. 10. One film will be the people's choice and another 20 will be
selected by a jury.
Entries from both this year and last year can be viewed on the project
website. The popularity of these short films can be seen through the
increasing demand from film festivals. Last year's winners have been
screened at the Istanbul International Film Festival, the Gaziantep
Onat Kutlar Film Festival, the Dersim Human Rights Film Festival and
the Yerevan Golden Apricot Film Festival.
The next stop for screenings will be Ankara in September, and then New
York in November. The selected films will also be compiled for a DVD,
with the producer of the winning film awarded with a scholarship by
the Hrant Dink Foundation.
What should prospective filmmakers take into consideration with two
weeks left to go until the submission deadline? "There are two things
to consider: One, the films must not be more than five minutes long.
And second, the films should be on the theme of conscience. If you
follow these criteria, all films are eligible to be included into
the competition," said Kartun. "We would also like to emphasize
that the competition is open to alll. The only criterion is to have
a conscience."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Emrah Guler
Hurriyet
Aug 28, 2011
Turkey
For the second year, the Hrant Dink Foundation is asking amateur and
professional filmmakers to upload short films on 'conscience.' The
Hurriyet Daily News talked to Films about Conscience project
coordinator Denca Kartun about the project's message
The 'Films About Conscience' is organized by the Hrant Dink Foundation
that was founded in 2007 after the assassination of journalist
Hrant Dink.
What is it like to be a lonely woman walking on a roadside, or to be
a physically challenged person on a "normal" street? What is it like
to be a little boy watching his father's hand rise to strike a blow?
What is it like to be a young girl who dares to wear a headscarf
in high school? To be a woman imprisoned in her own home, trying
to survive perpetual violence? To be homosexual or transsexual in a
world that imprisons sex and sexuality in sealed boxes?
These are some of the questions raised by Films about Conscience
(www.filmsaboutconscience.org), a short film project being organized
by the Hrant Dink Foundation for a second year that asks anyone with
a camera to "take a look at the world through our conscience."
The list on the project's website might serve as inspiration for
professionals familiar with a video camera or those with an amateur
spirit who might prefer to use their mobile telephones to join an
effort that seeks to lend a collective voice to the "other."
According to Denca Kartun, the project coordinator at the Hrant
Dink Foundation for the Films about Conscience project, words by the
assassinated Armenian-Turkish journalist inspired the project. "The
voice of conscience has been sentenced to silence. Now, that conscience
is searching for a way out," said Dink, who was killed Jan.
19, 2007.
Dink's words kick-started the film project "because he looked at
the world differently, through his conscience, directing the way
toward conscience," Kartun said. "We believe and are very well aware
that conscience opens all doors, it serves as a guide. That's why we
think we can reach a more just, more free and more equal world that
we dream of through lending a voice to our conscience and listening
to the conscience of the others."
A competition and much more
So why use short films as a tool to lend a voice to conscience?
"Taking into consideration the substantial role and influence of the
camera and the Internet in our daily lives, we thought the best way to
have this voice heard would be through short films," Kartun said. "We
are calling on everyone who knows how to hold a camera, amateur or
professional, to take a look at the world through their conscience."
The project coordinator also talked about the power of film, compared
to other mediums, to relay such a message. "Conscience is a determining
force in our struggle toward humanity. To visualize now has more of
a direct impact, [it is a] more powerful and preferred way than to
write or talk about [something]," Kartun said. "You can talk about
conscience for hours, and write page after page about it. But with a
short film, a little film about conscience, you can reach hundreds,
[even] thousands of people around the world. It's all about the power
of film."
Films about Conscience is a competition, but also much more. Everyone
is invited to upload videos of no more than five minutes to the
project's website. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite
entries and publish comments on the films.
Following the Sept. 15 deadline, two separate results will be announced
Dec. 10. One film will be the people's choice and another 20 will be
selected by a jury.
Entries from both this year and last year can be viewed on the project
website. The popularity of these short films can be seen through the
increasing demand from film festivals. Last year's winners have been
screened at the Istanbul International Film Festival, the Gaziantep
Onat Kutlar Film Festival, the Dersim Human Rights Film Festival and
the Yerevan Golden Apricot Film Festival.
The next stop for screenings will be Ankara in September, and then New
York in November. The selected films will also be compiled for a DVD,
with the producer of the winning film awarded with a scholarship by
the Hrant Dink Foundation.
What should prospective filmmakers take into consideration with two
weeks left to go until the submission deadline? "There are two things
to consider: One, the films must not be more than five minutes long.
And second, the films should be on the theme of conscience. If you
follow these criteria, all films are eligible to be included into
the competition," said Kartun. "We would also like to emphasize
that the competition is open to alll. The only criterion is to have
a conscience."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress