The representation of inter-class encounters in the art-house cinema of Turkey

The theme of inter-class encounters became a significant part of art-house movies in Turkey during the 2010s. The New Cinema of Turkey refers to movies that emerged during the mid-1990s within neoliberal transfor-mations that resulted in two distinct commercial and art-house film mar-kets. The art-house movies of New Cinema involve the theme of inter-class encounters in various respects. Considered from a historical perspective, the complexity and significance of inter-class encounters increased since mid-1990s, especially after the 2010s. The changes are interpreted based on Gilles Deleuze's conceptualization of "modern political cinema," suggesting it can be considered the development of an ethical attitude. An "ethics of en-counters" contextualizes them in their social history, opening potentials for self-problematization and transformation by taking the ethical responsibility of one's position within the social context. It is argued that the art-house movies of New Cinema involved this ethical perspective gradually concern-ing the representation of inter-class encounters. This process can be inter-preted based on Turkey's economic, political, social, and cultural transfor-mations. As the effects of neoliberal transformations increased the precarity and wealth inequality and the political power regime became authoritarian systematically, an ethical attitude towards the representation of inter-class encounters also became a significant part of the art-house movies in the New Cinema of Turkey.