Kourosh Ziabari & Ahmadreza Tavassoli

[INTERVIEW:] Spirituality, that which clearly elucidaties the adherence of moral codes and observance of human ethics, could be presumably a sublime concept which has almost lost its meaning in the chaotic and turbulent world of the 21st century.

The superficial, pervasive joys of material love and the shallow entertainments of modern the citizen who does not tolerate the sermons and preaches anymore, scrambling to be extricated from the shackles and impediments of tradition has seemingly destructed the fundamentals of humanity and belief.

Semih Kaplanoglu is a devout Turkish playwright and cinema director whose contributions to the spiritual cinema has long impressed the global audiences and brought him a set of international honors.

This committed Turkish artist must be presented as an exemplary template of promising dexterity in the service of humanity and the fate of transcendent craftsmanship.

His most prominent production, Yumurta (Egg) is an award-winning drama feature film produced in 2007 as chronologically the third installment of Yusuf trilogy of the (Egg, Milk and Honey) which will be shown in reversed order.

Hitherto, he has won several international awards for his movie "Egg" including the best director award of World Film Festival at Bangkok and Valdivia International Film Festival, both in 2007.

In 2008, he managed to captivate the jury of Fajr International Film Festival of Iran and won the Crystal Simorgh for the best director title.

The f ollowing is the complete text of my interview with Semih Kaplanoglu, discussing the challenges of contemporary cinema in the perspective of an award-winning Turkish Muslim director and filmmaker.

Would you please tell us about your trilogy, Egg, Milk and Honey? Away from the pivotal plot which has to be secreted until the special date of release, what was your main goal and objective of going through such a dramatic storyline? What about its qualification in Fajr Festival?

I once wrote a short story entitled ‘A Bright Day’ about a young poet. The protagonist was an 18, 19-year-old poet who was with the help of his friends trying to stand against the change, better to say, the modernization in the countryside.

I had written a script based on it. And then I thought what he might do if he were 40-year-old and wondered what would he look like when he was 6 or 7?

That’s how the scripts of Egg-Milk-Honey came about. In the background the trilogy features the super fast change that our rural areas went through over the past two decades. It is so comprehensive that it is reflected on the mother-son and father-child relationship which is rendered unpenetratable. It pushes ad tarnishes whatever is traditional and sacred. Yusuf is standing right in the middle of this transformation. His poetic soul is stuck in between the traditional and modern life. So we can call the trilogy Yusuf’s task with modern life. I believe that modernism is a dilemma we have been facing since we were descended to earth from the heaven. Art has this conflict in its heart, I believe.

Acceptance of Milk into Fajr film festival has significance both for me and the Yusuf trilogy as it will meet the Iranian film goers. Awards, I think, should promote the distribution of the awarded films in the respective country. I wish my films meet a larger audience in Iran where there is a rich and vibrant culture of cinema.

Do you think of the spiritual and moral baseline of your trilogy as a major contributing factor to its international reputation and popularity?

I think critics and audience should talk on this matter. I believe that the works leading not to spirituality and metaphysics will not take us beyond what is seen and won’t remove the curtains of our heart thus make our lives dull and void of meaning.

What's your view on the interlaced correlation of modern cinema with violence, aggression and depravity? Are these scenes which we expose to a wide range of large-scale audiences including women, children and the youth enough healthy and proper for them?

It is where the human centered civilization takes and leaves us. What we see is falling away from the spirituality and ego being more favored. The art, however, is becoming more egocentric in all its forms. Another drawback is the idea of craftsmanship is extinguishing within the art. Tradition and certain code of conduct vanish too as a result. We are leading lives in such a carnal civilization that it proves to be impossible to feel and perceive what is in front of our bare eyes. On the other hand, imagery is so filthy that it's no longer able to show. There is a huge mechanism designed to hide the truth or at least tune it down. Truth is perceived as a new contrived world because it is kept away from us. We got accustomed to death and violence. Nothing moves us anymore. There is a tiny single button to switch from child casualties and a silly competition. If truth doesn’t touch your conscience and refused by you then what can a film do? Cinema and other forms of art are helpless in the face of our pathetic and miserable situation. If the images of dead Palestinian, Iraqi, Lebanese and Afghan kids or refugees or African poor don’t have an impact on us and we go on our lives undisturbed, then which artist or filmmaker can touch our hearts? We should be more alert and conscious in this world. We should keep remembering these two; Unity of the Creator and his consent. I am trying to make my films based or these principles.

Turkey, actually, is located on a passageway of intercultural exchanges from the West to East; however, it seems the country's cultural pattern and blueprints have not been yet much permutated or better to say, westernized. Your oriental style of cultural prototypes, specially in cinema, are still preserved. What do you think about that?

I haven’t watched these series, that’s why it’s difficult for me to give an accurate answer. However we can talk about Western and Eastern world thereby. I would like to mention the concept of time which differentiates our civilization from others and proves to be essential for cinema. Time is something that gives us the opportunity to meet the Almighty God five times a day, thus testifies for us. Isn’t it also true that time is either a part of the divinity and infinity? Our time is not limited with this world. Our time is coming from the Lord and will return to Him. How much our perception and imagination is reflected on the silver screen? How much accurate or truthful it could be even if the film language established on a western perception of time tries to tell our stories? One of the identifying features of our films is the time concept they create which also makes the abovementioned divine opportunities felt. We need to contemplate on it, I believe.

What's in your view, the ultimate goal of art in general, and what is precisely sought in our approaches toward art? Do we search for an ephemeral and mere enjoyment by watching a 1 hour movie, or is there something beyond that?

When the time of artwork diverges from our own time it also causes one to get detached from the time he lives in. One wastes his life with showbiz, an industry of gossip and distraction yet he doesn’t want to die. He is bloody scared of death. He doesn’t want to say or hear anything of his death. On the other hand he wishes to see the death of others. It means the lapse of time and the perception of time will disappears. “I watched a film and didn’t realize how the time passed” people say. On the contrary you should notice how the time has passed. The Aristotelian understanding of art aims at purgation of emotions. Film bridges the gap between ego and the soul. Self identifies with it. It is useless art, useless knowledge otherwise. I know the masses relate to what is associated with ego because such films don’t challenge the audience and don’t expect them to contribute. But we don’t have to succumb to that rule. We are also responsible to find a way to reach out to the masses. There are two sides to a coin.

What's your anticipation about the prospect of cinema in Turkey and other countries of our region? Can we observe, or at least, forecast a remarkable advancement for them? Do you have any comments about the international approach toward the oriental cinema?

Westerners always had an Orientalistic approach to our films. Films from the counties like ours are considered as a trend sometimes, hypocritically or sincerely. Some programs are held in the festivals. It appears and disappears fast. They pay attention to the directors who identify or try to identify the truth. I am not concerned about how they perceive, define or classify me. I am rather concerned about us, the people of the East. How do we see each other? How can we remove the barriers between us? I am concerned about the revival of our civilization. If the peoples of our geography were not pushed away from each other and segregated as such, then our cultural life would’ve been totally different. I hope that a significant development and success will be achieved if the peoples of the Middle East manage to cooperate with each other. The international success of Iranian cinema and eye-catching young Turkish filmmakers are significant in terms of showing our rich cultural potential. But in the long run our films must reach out to the peoples of Eastern lands. We should find a way out. It may be in the form of an Eastern Cultural Film Center or a film fund where all countries contribute. It is direly needed. Otherwise the cultural corruption will rust our hearts and pushes us even further away from each other I am afraid.