National cinema in Turkey from a cultural perspective

Abstract or Introduction

This study focuses on the national cinema in Turkey within cultural perspective or similar. It delves further into the perpetual efforts of Halit Refiğ to pave the way for acceptance of a culture-based national cinema, his achievements in persuading his countrymen to embrace culture-based cinema and the challenges he faced during his period as a film director, film critic and theoretician pushing forward for his standpoint in support for the matter.

Common to the evolution of other numerous film art industries, the studio system in Turkey has seen a significant transformation, predominantly influenced by filmmakers, film critics, theoreticians and intellectuals. Enthusiastically and painstakingly advocating for a national cinema that embraces the Turkish cultural aesthetics, Halit Refiğ was one of the key players that would ultimately see the Turkish film industry remodel for the good of the future generation. He had to endure the massive and rapidly changing political storm that hit Turkey in the 1960s as well as take into consideration the aspect of cultural diversity apparent from the continuous mixing and merging of different cultures.

During his time as a film director, Refiğ together with his team, known for the fight for a National Cinema Movement, faced awful dissent from their opponents, the Turkish Cinematheque Association (Erdogan). Undoubtedly, that was a tough period for Halit Refiğ.