The Representation of Masculinity in the New Turkish Cinema: An Analysis of Zeki Demirkubuz Films

This study aims at analyzing the representation of masculinity in the New Turkish cinema. This era in cinema, has not only brought a new perspective to the cinema sector and understanding in Turkey but also holds a different position compared past Turkish cinema examples in terms of its representation of masculinity and femininity. The focus point of this study is the films of Zeki Demirkubuz, who has contributed greatly to the cinema sector in Turkey with his succes and distinctive perspective. He provides interesting depictions for analysis with his characters that are defeated men in crisis with their masculinity. With the growing interest in masculinity and its establishment as a field, studies that focus on masculinity have increased. Hegemonic masculinity and masculinity crisis have become key concepts in the field of men’s studies providing insight regarding the internal world of the modern day men and resulting in new information related to masculinity. A qualitative research method was adopted for this study in order to reach a more detailed analysis. Textual analysis was used to analyze of male characters in different positions and to examine their relationship with their own masculinity. The results from the analysis showcase a completely different image which is far from the male characters in traditional Turkish cinema which were represented to be highly strong, brave and determined with their masculine associated qualities. The characters from the films reflect that societies expectations from their gender makes masculinity a heavy burden to carry. Keywords: New Turkish Cinema, Masculinity, Hegemonic Masculinity, Textual Analysis.