Young filmmakers shot their own films in Esenler.

Young people studying at the Esenler Cinema Academy took to the film set with their own written scripts. Burcu Çandır, one of the academy students who wrote and directed the first film shot, titled ‘Confrontation,’ said, “I want my film to meet other people as well.”

This year, the Esenler Cinema Academy, organized for the sixth time by the Esenler Municipality, not only provided theoretical training but also offered students the opportunity to shoot their own films. For three months, students received education in screenwriting, directing, editing, film history, and criticism, and brought their written scripts to the film set. The first film to be shot from the written scripts was Burcu Çandır’s ‘Confrontation.’ The filming took place in Esenler with the participation of young people studying at the academy. The film tells the story of two women confronting their own lives, with Burcu Çandır sitting in the director’s chair.

“Students have experienced the education they received in the field”

Suat Köçer, the advisor and instructor of the Esenler Cinema Academy, and a film critic, said, “After a three-month training, students began to write their own stories. They started forming teams among themselves to shoot these stories. We then selected two stories to shoot from the ones written by our friends and focused our work on these two stories. We also appointed Mustafa Gündüz as a mentor for the team formed by the student friends. Under Mustafa’s mentorship, they went through the preparation process for the shoot and completed the pre-shoot process. We were able to shoot the project of our friend Burcu Çandır first. The shooting lasted one day. The students experienced the education they received in the field and also had the opportunity to realize the story they dreamed of,” he said.

“I find it valuable for women’s presence in the industry”

Köçer noted that the shooting went very well, stating, “One of the goals of this academy was to provide experience to our students. In this context, it was a very valuable work. We will also shoot the earthquake-themed film ‘You Are Safe’ by our academy student Fatma Akverdi Abul at the end of the month. It is also meaningful for us that both directors of our films are women. I find this valuable for the presence of women in this sector. I hope these two projects, led and supported by the Esenler Municipality, do not remain just as student projects but become a significant step for their professional future.”

“We want the films to compete in festivals”

Rabia Bulut, one of the coordinators of the Esenler Cinema Academy, stated, “The film is a women’s story. It tells the story of two women confronting themselves and their lives. We want ‘Confrontation’ to compete in festivals, and we are planning for that. The biggest contribution of this film and the other film to be shot is showing our students practical experience alongside their theoretical knowledge. At the same time, we aim to produce short films and contribute to cinema production. We are also conducting an important work in terms of introducing new names to the industry.”

“I have great confidence in the story”

Burcu Çandır, who wrote and directed the film, noted that the preparation process went as she wanted, saying, “We had enough time to prepare well for the shoot. With that, we completed the day without any mishaps during the shooting. We were able to realize the things we wanted. The fact that the actors were trained and that some of the crew were academy students allowed us to progress as we desired. Everyone worked hard to do their best. I knew what I wanted. The actors immediately understood what I wanted and were able to reflect that on camera. The film fundamentally deals with a confrontation. It conveys the character’s regret but also her denial of this situation and her beginning to confront herself at a certain point. The shooting process of the film is finished, and only the editing is left. Ultimately, when everything is completed, I want to enter a festival process. You never know what might happen, but I believe very much in the story of the film, and I want ‘Confrontation’ to meet other people as well.”