by mh musings
Inter Medya, one of the premier content distribution companies in Turkey, presented a virtual event earlier today, titled “New Generation Turkish Series”. In business since 2001, Inter Medya represents all formats of shows from mini-series, dizis to feature films. They distribute well-known dizis such as Cukur, Sefirin Kizi, Ramo, Bir Zamanlar Cukurova, and more.
Moderated by the company’s President and COO, Ahmet Ziyalar, the short half an hour session presented three shows created for the digital platform bluTV, which usher in a new form of Turkish storytelling, both in format and content. All three mini-series’ portray avantgarde storytelling, with gritty cinematography that focuses on tales from modern day lives.
The shows presented, all of which all available on bluTV, are:
Naked (Ciplak), is directed by Can Evrenol, a renowned filmmaker known for pushing the cinematic envelope of Turkish film industry. With graphic sexual scenes and a desperate undertone in the theme, Naked tells the story of Eylul, who lives with her grandmother and earns her living by escorting. All she wants is to save enough money, move to Wales and start a new life there. One night, she is invited to a bachelor party of a group of friends who find her on Instagram. Eylul falls in love with the groom Cem, who is counting the days to marry his classy girlfriend. Cem is also attracted to Eylul. After that night, Cem and Eylül’s lives begin to collide with one another.
Interrupted (Yarim Kalan Asklar), starring Burak Deniz and Dilan Cicek Deniz, tells the story of a young and Idealist journalist Ozan, who loses his life in an unfortunate traffic accident. But not everything is finished for him just yet. He gets a second chance in life. He’ll come back to life and find answers to the question marks he left behind his mysterious death. But he will not be in his own body. When Ozan uses his chance to come back to life, he’ll find himself in Kadir’s body. Meanwhile Ozan’s girlfriend Elif, who is also a journalist, will already be after the people who took Ozan’s life. The two lovers who have crossed paths again will have a stranger’s body between them. Kadir. In Kadir’s body, Ozan, tries to unveil the mystery of his death together with Elif. Not only does he suffer facing the woman he loves in a different body, but also encounters with Kadir’s past. Not just adapting to a new body, adapting to a whole new life will not come easy for Ozan.
Respect (Saygi), produced by Inter Medya and starring Nejat Isler, Miray Daner and Boran Kuzum, the show portrays the protagonist of the story, Ercument Cozer, who rebels against disrespect and rudeness that we tend to avoid, ignore and eventually forget. Ercument Cozer is a sociopath obsessed with theidea of respect. However, this time, he is not alone on his obsessive journey. The young lovers Helen and Savas, who have just stepped foot into the real world, find themselves in the middle of difficult situations after being mistreated by a group of people and end up being responsible for a chain of murders that take place in Istanbul. The concept of disrespect instantly turns into a social and mediatic struggle between the two generations. As for the mediatic follow up, Turkey’s most famous morning show host, Hasret, will undertake it, however, nobody knows that she is also about to take part in this journey on another level. By getting to the core of this obsession, we will be witnessing the reflection it has on society.
Through pre-recorded short interviews with Dilan, Burak, Miray, Boran and Ali Taner Baltaci, the director of Respect, Mr. Ziyalar discussed how the digital platform has promoted a more contained form for filmmaking that forces a better planned production, and a faster pace of storytelling. Actors feel better prepared for their roles, and the teams are able to explore many thought-provoking themes that may be restrictive for regular television. The stories are far more edgy and often focus on the underbelly of modern day society, but at the same time give a voice to the oppressed in innovative ways.
One hopes that other streaming services or new territories will be interested in bringing these tales into their lineups.
All content information and video links are collected from https://intermedya.tv/ and the content belongs to producers. No copyright infringement intended.
I agree with Ginger. I suppose that many in the Turkish film industry are tired of the restrictions and censorship put on them by the government. Now they are exploding with new found freedom. Frankly, I think it’s a shame. One of the best things about the Turkish dramas is that they allow characters to build a relationship. I agree that there could be a little more passion displayed on screen, but it doesn’t have to be the gratuitous sex that is so prevalent in American productions. You can be sure I won’t be watching the films you featured here. I prefer programs like Kuzey Guney or Karadayi. Even Gumus was a bit spicy without getting graphic. Porn is available if someone wants to watch it. It’s a shame the Turkish actors feel they have to resort to displaying it on screen.
Disappointing that ‘modern’ has become synonymous with crudeness and sex.
If want that sort of thing, I’ll turn on my American TV.