At the age of 77, he learns screenwriting to put his memories into writing

The oldest member of the Screenwriting Workshop organized by Osmangazi Municipality to enable the emergence of new screenwriters and to offer a new hobby and job opportunity to the residents of Osmangazi, retired lawyer 77-year-old Gürhan Gökbayrak, wants to write down and script the memories from his 53-year career.
The Screenwriting Workshop, held at the Soğanlı Cultural Center by Osmangazi Municipality, has attracted great interest from residents of Osmangazi, young and old alike. The workshop includes citizens from the age of 16 to 77, and the lessons cover concepts, techniques, and processes related to screenwriting in detail. With the training provided by screenwriter Derya Biçer, participants will gain all the theoretical and practical knowledge required to become a successful screenwriter, from script writing techniques to story structure, character creation to scene formats, and from writing TV scripts to film scripts.
“I want to write my 53-year profession memories”
77-year-old Gürhan Gökbayrak, who has attended the Screenwriting Workshop for a total of 6 weeks without missing a single class, serves as an example to all participants with his determination, hard work, and idealism. Gökbayrak, who has left behind 53 years in his professional life that he started on January 19, 1971, aims to write down his memories from his career. Gökbayrak stated that he had made several attempts to achieve this but did not get the desired results. He said, “As a lawyer, I want to write my memories. I have made a few attempts to do this, but the results were not what I wanted. One day while walking around, I saw a billboard announcing the opening of the Screenwriting Workshop by Osmangazi Municipality. I immediately registered. I saw that I was the oldest member of the course. Last week, our teacher gave us an assignment. While writing this assignment, I also mentioned that I am the oldest member. Our lessons are both educational and entertaining. After the training, I will take a short break and then start writing my memories. I believe it will be a long story that fits into 53 years.”
“The Screenwriting Workshop is a great opportunity for us”
The youngest member of the Screenwriting Workshop, 16-year-old high school student Muhammet Ünsal’s dream is to study at a conservatory. Muhammet, who has been interested in theater since elementary school, stated, “I am currently continuing my theater training. I dream of studying at a conservatory. The screenwriting training will significantly contribute to realizing this dream. In addition to the theater texts I have written, I also have cinema and series scripts. Having such training come my way has been a great opportunity for me. I was very happy when I saw that Osmangazi Municipality would open a Screenwriting Workshop. I would like to thank our Mayor Erkan Aydın and everyone who contributed for providing us this opportunity.”
“Screenwriting will become a popular profession”
Screenwriter Derya Biçer expressed that there was demand for the Screenwriting Workshop beyond expectations, saying, “Our youngest member is 16, and our oldest member is 77. I attribute the intense interest in screenwriting to our being in the communication age. Today, as digital platforms have become widespread, we can reach channels all over the world. Screenwriting will become a popular profession because there is no end to human stories. Throughout the ages, people have always expressed themselves through writing. As long as cinema continues, screenwriting will also continue.”