Emin Alper, already considered one of the most prominent Turkish directors of the moment, was one of the guests at the third edition of the Evia Film Project, the cultural and sustainable event held in the north of the island of Evia between 2 and 6 July. During his stay, the winner of the Fisher Audience Award at the 63rd Thessaloniki Film Festival attended the screening of Burning Days, talked to the audience, and also gave a masterclass in Agia Anna, together with the renowned Greek producer Yorgos Tsourgiannis (Dogtooth, 2009), moderated by Yiannis Palavos.
The artistic director of the festival, Orestis Andreadakis, introduced the filmmaker and explained why such a particular venue had been chosen for the event, the Kanatakia Tavern, because the classrooms have no walls. During the talk, which was attended by teachers, students of ANT1 Media School, an initiative of Fanis Mouratidis, and critics, the significance of making films in uncertain times and geographical contexts, and developing alternative methodologies to overcome limitations, was discussed.
Emin Alper and Yorgos Tsourgiannis present Burning Days in Limni.
About screenwriting, throughout the conversation, Alper said that the only way to distance yourself from your script is to hear consistent criticism from people you trust, and Tsourgiannis is one of those people, and their feedback leads him to adapt his writing. Among the anecdotes he told, he joked about his experience with the AI, which he asked to write a script in his own style: Despite my best efforts, unfortunately, AI gave a happy ending to the story. The Turkish director admitted to being very patient in the writing process, he writes his first draft quickly, in two or three weeks, and then starts making corrections. He takes a couple of months off and comes back to the script with a different perspective: The script continues to change throughout the editing process, as well. I feel the only thing really stopping the changes in a film is an invitation from a festival, he commented with humor, as after four or five months of changes, he considers that he has exhausted all the possible alternatives in the script.
Regarding the pressure from the Turkish Ministry of Culture during the filming of Burning Days, Emin Alper explained to the audience that he had to return the money he had been given, as they were not satisfied with the changes to the first draft: I was blamed for the homoerotic content of my film because, in Turkey, homophobia is now the official political practice, although fortunately, the reaction from the audience was very positive. As for the situation in his country, Alper admitted to feeling more like an investor or bureaucrat than an artist, due to the obstacles and delays, reaching the emotional limit on multiple occasions, even considering leaving Turkey, despite being one of those people who cannot live outside, as he acknowledged.
Emin Alper at the masterclass in Agia Anna.
It is therefore natural that in his work he should seek friends, not partners, because of the necessary solidarity in an industry that can disappoint you and where your films can disappear among thousands of others. The courage needed in this profession is not within the reach of everyone, according to Alper, who advised young filmmakers not to allow failure to permanently embitter them. Among his recommendations, he also urged them to be realistic with their scripts, especially at the beginning, he always has two or three as alternatives and feels that his stake as a filmmaker and a member of this society is to protect justice: With my cinema, I want to be part of this modest struggle against the oppressors, he emphasized. On the other hand, he confessed to having ignored his dreams for years, as he had a normal job, but discovered that the only way to be happy was to make a film, which had been his dream since childhood, to create stories and films.
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