“The inspiration for making this film comes from the poor condition of young girls in rural Turkey where they are forced to work in fields and marry at an early age” said Tufan Simsekcan, Director of Turkish film Ceylin. The film had its World Premiere at the 54th International Film Festival of India where it is being screened under the Cinema of the World category.
While interacting with the media at a Press Conference organized by PIB, Simsekcan expressed, “The life span of women in rural Turkey is reducing because of practices such as child labour and child marriage. I want to address these issue on a global platform since it resonates with other parts of the world as well’.
Responding to a question on the challenges encountered while making the film, Simsekcan said that it was an interesting process for him to use the actors and characters in the film as part of the imagery to bring out the true essence of the film. “I am in awe of Hungarian directors and their approach towards working with children. This has had a huge inspiration on the making of this film” he added.
Elaborating further, Simsekcan said that Turkish folk music forms an essential component of the film and gives the viewer a glimpse of the Turkish culture.
Producer, Mehmet Sarıca added that the film addresses the severe exploitation of girls in many rural parts in Turkey and deals head on with the concept of gender equality. “During the process of filmmaking we got an opportunity to work on a number of programs with NGOs to spread awareness regarding gender equality. Through this film, we are trying to reach a global platform.”
The film Ceylin is based on a fourteen-year-old protagonist with the same name who is a seasonal agricultural worker living in a tent city. Her only dream is to go to school, which she however knows is impossible. A documentary filmmaker named Bilge comes to the tent city and this follows a transformative incident that affects Ceylin and the entire community.
