Representation of women in German & Turkish films in the context of migration and integration

Migration is a global phenomenon, and more and more people are migrating. Germany has recently risen to the top ranks among all countries in terms of its population with a migration background, and people of Turkish origin make up the majority of this population. Socio-cultural researchers and the media have often discussed the issues of integration and cultural diversity in the migration process, which began with the German-Turkish Labour Agreement (1961). Different perspectives and practices developed on this issue in Germany, and the National Integration Plan was initiated in 2007. German and Turkish films have portrayed the phenomenon of migration from different angles, especially in terms of gender. Thus, academic studies have focused on German migrant films and have criticised the representational tendencies of the generalised patriarchal culture. Certain film studies have also critically discussed the Occidentalist and reductionist representation trends of modern Western culture in Turkish emigration cinema. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of migration, it is necessary to question comprehensively whether changes have occurred in the representations of women with a migration background and to analyse films concerning Turkish-German labour migration. I studied, therefore, Nur eine Frau/A Regular Woman (2019) and 8 Saniye/8 Seconds (2015) discourse analytically and conducted focus group interviews with women with a migration background in Germany. The findings show some transformations and reproductions in representing women with a migration background. In conclusion, I argue for the possibility of a more transnational, inclusive, culturally diverse, and multidimensional approach to representation in filmmaking through the collaboration of people with migration backgrounds and different countries.