Derviş Zaim talked about his last movie at our university
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Writer and Director Mr. Derviş Zaim talked about his recently released movie named “Flaşbellek” (Flash memory) first at Istanbul Ticaret University. Students showed great interest to the event held online within the scope of Culture and Art Meetings.
The event was moderated by Prof. Dr. Ala Sivas Gülçur, who is a faculty member at the Department of Visual Communication of the Faculty of Communication. At the event, Mr. Zaim said that he shot the movie “Flaşbellek” to witness the era in the context of the Syrian war which has been taking place next to Turkey for the last 10 years.
“I TRIED TO REFLECT THE FACT”
When asked whether his new movie fits the Italian neorealism movement, the director Mr. Zaim said he could not say that it fully fits the neorealism patterns. Mr. Zaim emphasized that he tried to reflect the facts as close to what they really are. Mr. Zaim said, “There is an ongoing fierce war and I tried to reflect it.”
Mr. Zaim stated that he knows what it is like to immigrate and the mindset of an immigrant because he had experienced it firsthand and that he and his family were greatly affected by it. Mr. Zaim said that he could empathize with immigrants for this very reason and stated that he knows very well what those people left behind while coming here. Noting that he told these because they needed to be told, Derviş Zaim said that he portrayed two well-off people in his movie. Mr. Zaim said, “No one immigrates by saying ‘Let’s get out of here, there is heaven ahead, and let’s plunder it’. We showed in the movie that these people escaped as a result of a great pressure”.
PORTRAYING MIGRANTS AS HUMAN BEINGS
Mr. Zaim underlined that they are trying to convey to the audience that the immigrant is a human being like everyone else and that they have their unique sociological, psychological and physiological characteristics. Mr. Zaim has said that the protagonist of the movie, Ahmet, faced with very tragic events and witnesses events that he would not want to have witnessed, and begins to feel distressed. After questioning these events, he starts questioning himself and asks “What am I trying to do?”. His decision to uncover the truths such as a hero so to speak puts his loved ones’ lives in danger. At this point, a dilemma emerges as it is the case in Greek tragedies. Basically, on the one hand, if he keeps silent, his conscience will disturb him and on the other hand, if he speaks out, he will be killed.
Derviş Zaim said that Ahmet thinks that if he announces what he has seen to the world, he can help stop the bloodshed. Mr. Zaim said Ahmet was torn between his conscience and his life and that in this respect the movie features a story of maturation.
