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"Dialogues in the Dark"
Film at the Ottoman Bank Museum
 Under the theme "Social Memory," the Ottoman Bank Museum movie theater is showing the Turkish documentary Dialogues in the Dark, on Thursday, November 2, at 7:00 p.m. Melek Ulugay Taylan, the director of the film, examines patriarchal social conditions in southeastern Turkey and describes how the tribal traditions of these rural areas continue to oppress and control women even after they have moved to the city. Following the screening, Taylan conducts a discussion entitled "Whose Honor Is It?"
In this film, Melek Taylan and Swedish camera operator Ulla Lemberg document the lives of girls and women who face the threat of being killed by their male relatives because of the unapproved sexual relationships they have had with men. These dark tales depict both women and men as the victims of a harsh patriarchal system whose rules and taboos the film exposes and questions.
The Museum's film program is prepared in collaboration with the Documentary Filmmakers Association (BSB) and offers a film, complemented by a discussion, on a different theme every week. Screenings are held free of charge. Please call (0212) 334 22 70 to make reservations.
Dialogues in the Dark
Director: Melek Ulugay Taylan, Turkey, 2005
Running time: 65 mins.
Discussion: Melek Ulugay Taylan / "Whose Honor Is It?"
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Melek Ulagay Taylan
After graduating from the Department of English Language and Literature at Istanbul University in 1974, Melek Taylan obtained an MA in International Relations from the University of Ankara. Between 1976 and 1982, she was a lecturer in English at Middle East Technical University. From 1982 on, she worked as a freelance journalist for a number of weekly and monthly publications. Melek Taylan is one of the founding members of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and, in 1992, she co-created with Nurdan Arca the independent documentary film company Ajans21.
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Documentary Filmmakers Association (BSB) started out as a civil platform and began its structuring process following the National Conference held in March 1997. Today it continues its activities as an association with professional status, certified by the Ministry of Culture. Starting with Istanbul, Ankara, Eskisehir and Izmir, BSB is in contact with documentary filmmakers throughout Turkey. Convinced that civil culture is crucial in designing better social futures and filling the blanks of collective social memory, the Documentary Filmmakers Association considers these functions complementary to the creative aspect of documentary filmmaking. BSB creates and promotes screening spaces other than television, organizes and participates in film festivals all over Turkey and offers film screenings with discussions, especially in universities. |
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