Representation of the Eastern Black Sea region in Turkish cinema

This study discusses the way Turkish cinema represented in Black Sea region of Turkey. The transformation from Yesilcam films towards the modern day era of Turkish cinema was analysed in this context. Yesicam films featured local people of Black Sea in certain forms and patterns according to its narrow way of expression. In the first Chapter of this study, it was claimed that Turkish cinema was ruled by a Istanbul centric approach, hence the reason of portraying Black Sea region from a view of an outsider. However, Since 1990s, development of art films, unlike popular cinema, made it possible to start a change against this outsider perspective. A new way and understanding of film making and its intellect which started to appear and shape after the middle of 1990s, also titled as New Turkish Cinema, had a utterly different emphasis on telling the story, comparison to Yesilcam as its predecessor. This distinction became more clear in Art focused films rather than popular culture driven productions. New Turkish cinema was analysed comprehensively and profoundly in terms of its form and content in the second chapter. Subjects such as countrysides, alienation and nature which new Turkish cinema are concerned mostly about and the way they were featured contributed towards the nurture of Black Sea films. Therefore, from 2000s on, a tremendous amount of increase in the number of film productions held in Black Sea region can easily be observed. The region in such films not only geographically but also with its people and culture were represented in a realistic manner, as it was explained in Chapter three. Emotions and story telling which dominated new Turkish cinema is also presence in such films. Besides, geography and topology of Black Sea region was used in metaphorical fashion frequently. This study established a detailed list of Black Sea region films as well as analysed this presentation and transformation which made popular appearances throughout 2000s. Sampling from Bulutları Beklerken (2004), Sonbahar (2008) and Kalandar Soğuğu (2016) were analysed to reflect new turkish cinema and Black Sea regional films.