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MY FILM IS NOT IS NOT DEVOTED TO GENOCIDE, SAYS TURKISH DIRECTOR
15:24 * 21.10.14
Fatih Akin, the Turkish-German director whose movie The Cut stirred
up anger over Genocide in Turkey, has complained about facing threats.
In an interview with Evrensel, Akin said the film is neither political
nor devoted to the Genocide per se. He said he was inspired by book
written by Hassan Cemal, Cemal Pasha's grandson.
"If the grandson of someone who was responsible for the era uses the
word, why shouldn't I use it? The book is on sale in book-stores and
displayed on shop-windows," he noted.
"I didn't search the topic; it found me itself. As a child of a
family from Turkey, it was always of interest to me, especially when
it turned into a taboo. When something is banned, you become curious
and studious. "
Asked whether the topic still remains a taboo in Turkey, Akin said
he sees that a lot has changed since the assassination of Hrant-Dink,
the editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos.
"If, seven years ago when Hrant Dink was killed, you tried to speak
about the Genocide in any cafe, those sitting at the table would
show resistance. You can now speak about it without whisper almost
everywhere," he answered.
Akin blamed the Turkish propaganda for diverting the Turkish society
from the historical truth.
"If one nation was permanently cheated by historians and politicians
[who said] 'nothing of the kind happened; it's a big lie' etc., and
heard nothing else from families, textbooks and newspaper, I cannot
blame them.
"But the politicians calls for leaving history to historians is wrong.
History belongs to us, to people and to all of us ..." he added.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/10/21/fatih-akin-interview/
15:24 * 21.10.14
Fatih Akin, the Turkish-German director whose movie The Cut stirred
up anger over Genocide in Turkey, has complained about facing threats.
In an interview with Evrensel, Akin said the film is neither political
nor devoted to the Genocide per se. He said he was inspired by book
written by Hassan Cemal, Cemal Pasha's grandson.
"If the grandson of someone who was responsible for the era uses the
word, why shouldn't I use it? The book is on sale in book-stores and
displayed on shop-windows," he noted.
"I didn't search the topic; it found me itself. As a child of a
family from Turkey, it was always of interest to me, especially when
it turned into a taboo. When something is banned, you become curious
and studious. "
Asked whether the topic still remains a taboo in Turkey, Akin said
he sees that a lot has changed since the assassination of Hrant-Dink,
the editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos.
"If, seven years ago when Hrant Dink was killed, you tried to speak
about the Genocide in any cafe, those sitting at the table would
show resistance. You can now speak about it without whisper almost
everywhere," he answered.
Akin blamed the Turkish propaganda for diverting the Turkish society
from the historical truth.
"If one nation was permanently cheated by historians and politicians
[who said] 'nothing of the kind happened; it's a big lie' etc., and
heard nothing else from families, textbooks and newspaper, I cannot
blame them.
"But the politicians calls for leaving history to historians is wrong.
History belongs to us, to people and to all of us ..." he added.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/10/21/fatih-akin-interview/