Lecturer Kerem Yükseloğlu: “Once Again I Understand Why Golden Orange Is Turkey's Biggest Festival”

Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival was held in Antalya between 5-18 November 2022. Held for the 59th time this year, the festival was organized by ANSET under the auspices of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.

Kerem Yükseloğlu, Lecturer/Director of Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (GSF), Radio, Cinema and Television Department, participated in the festival, which includes national feature films, national documentary films, national short films and international feature films. He became a finalist in the "national short film competition" category with the movie "One Way" (Tek Yön). Yükseloğlu answered our questions about film creation and festival experiences.

1. You have made us all proud by being a Finalist at the 59th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. First of all, we would like to congratulate you again. Can you tell us a little about your “One Direction” film, which competed in the festival's “national short film” category and made it to the finals?

One Way movie is a road story. In May 2018, we adapted a story that I wrote as a stream of thoughts while I was looking at a tiny snail stuck to my car window during a night trip. It is a very special story for me, although every story is special, but some of them have something more special, something deeper at their core. This is one of them. I wrote and put it on hold in a very short time, and even came to the brink of giving up, but as a result of the encounters and new contacts that took place, everything started again and grew into a movie. There is a main character in this story that I have unwittingly added a lot of myself to. Maybe that's why it seems so special to me, I don't know.

2. Can you talk about your experiences during the festival process? How did the screening and question-answer activity go?

It is a great feeling to be together with people who make films and to strengthen solidarity. We stayed in Antalya for a long period of time and met many "filmmakers" there, talked about common problems, had fun and learned a lot from each other. It is really a great chance for a short film to be watched with the audience on the big screen. I can say that it was an excitement that is impossible to describe. I once again understood why Golden Orange is the biggest festival in Turkey. A huge city and the people of the city are so attached to the festival that it is possible to see the effects and traces of the festival in every street and every person with whom dialogue is made.

3. As an academic with a busy schedule, how do you manage to be so active in your professional life? To what do you owe your productivity? What are the factors that positively trigger you in the creation and production processes?

My schedule is actually busy with work that I love and do with passion. I don't think it's right to call it business. Telling a story, writing a story and sharing it with others is something I do instinctively. I can't imagine a life independent of it, away from it. It is one of the things that brought me into existence. Speaking of academia and professional life, I don't see myself as an academic in the full sense of the word, filmmaker might be a title that describes me better. I am telling what I know about my job, my passion and my field, cinema, which is one of the things I do with pleasure and love. In other words, I believe that everyone should share what they know with someone else, whether their job is education or not. Likewise, I enjoy sharing everything I know outside of university with someone. Hiding information seems pretty selfish to me. That's why as long as I'm alive, I will tell stories, I will take care to live in touch with cinema and learn new things about cinema, and I will share what I have learned with others, regardless of place.

We have now entered a period in which the density has increased even more. When we were talking about both university and new projects, everything started to come together. Fortunately, my producer İpek Erden makes things much easier and more peaceful with her presence and endless support in this mess.

4. Finally, what advice would you like to give to the students of Istanbul Gelişim University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Radio, Television and Cinema Department, regarding the film production and competition processes?

Make lots of mistakes, don't be afraid to make mistakes. See production and film making as a need, and do not hesitate to practice every day, even every moment, in order to meet that need. Take lots of notes and reflect on those notes. These are my personal prescriptions, everyone will find and apply the best in their own way and in their own journey, but it is also worth remembering that Filmmaking brings with it a never-ending learning process, so no matter how much practice or how many mistakes are made, whatever No matter how much success comes, each story will raise its own question marks.

Production is a process that goes hand in hand with life. Inspiration struggles with a life at home and in isolation. In order to produce, it is necessary to see new things and stay in life. It should also be noted that it is a very painful process. It is very nice to get through this pain with the support of friends and loved ones. Hug your friends, if you don't have friends, try to get them. Because after a while it gets really hard. Most importantly, love your loved ones more, be sure that love is the greatest inspiration. Feed on love, not pain.