INTERVIEW / A first film in the footsteps of Sabahattin Ali / Kültigin Kağan Akbulut

2011.06.27
hayalperdesi.net

Turkish cinema has gained another literary adaptation. Photographer Selim Güneş has turned Sabahattin Ali’s story Ayran, which he read as a child and was deeply moved by, into a feature film. White as Snow, which tells the story of a child carrying the burden of life on his shoulders in the snow-covered village of Maden in the Şavşat district of Artvin, opened in cinemas this week.

Director Selim Güneş, known to İFSAK members especially for his Istanbul photographs, talked about the experience he brings from photography, how he preserved the spirit of Sabahattin Ali’s books, the process of developing a feature screenplay from a six-page story, and what he went through in his first attempt at directing.

When did the idea of making a film from Sabahattin Ali’s story come about? Did it occur to you as soon as you read the story? Or were you looking for a story for a film?

To tell the truth, I had read the story years ago, and at the time I wasn’t looking for a story to film. But it moved me deeply when I read it; I remember that very well. The narration in Sabahattin Ali’s stories, the sense of reality in the world he creates visually, is very striking. When I read Sabahattin Ali again, I see the same thing. When I decided to make a film and asked myself where to start, Ayran came to mind. It may also have to do with my own personal world. I still get goosebumps reading that story; those six pages feel as if they will never end. Starting from Ayran, when I had reached a certain point in the screenplay, I shared the fifth version with Nesli Çölgeçen. She said that as it stood it would make a good short film, but that I needed to develop it for a feature, and that if anyone could make a film of it, it was me. That was what motivated me. When someone who knew my photography and whose cinema I value said that, I made my decision.

This film is also your first screenplay. Had you tried writing screenplays before? Or did you write a screenplay for the first time with this film?

I had never even tried before. My writing this screenplay has to do with how deeply I had embraced the story. But of course, while writing it, I researched a great deal into how a screenplay is written. My aim is not to be a screenwriter. Some directors insist on writing the screenplay and shooting the film themselves. I could shoot someone else’s screenplay too, if I embraced it. But because Ayran was my first film, and because of the circumstances at the time, once I started writing the screenplay I kept going. I also consulted screenwriters. But in the end I had no screenwriting experience; I had my first experience with White as Snow. Traces of my own childhood also found their way into the screenplay, and therefore into the film.

There are major revisions to the story. In the plot, in the characters… What is the reason for that?

As far as I understand, there was both the concern of making it suitable for a feature and the concern of preserving Sabahattin Ali’s spirit. There are two factors, as you say… When turning it into a feature, you feel the need to add to the story. I am a reader of Sabahattin Ali, but there is no way we could get his approval while making the additions. Indeed, when we went to obtain the rights, Filiz Ali read the screenplay and gave her approval. I know that Filiz Ali has refused permission to those who wanted to turn her father’s novel into a TV series. I think that, as the person closest to his world, she saw that we had remained faithful to the essence of the story. What I kept in mind while developing the screenplay was also what lies at the heart of the story: the responsibility on a child’s shoulders, the effort he makes to carry it, and his passionate devotion to his mother. In the film these were developed and preserved.

You have a long background in photography. What differences and similarities did you find between the photographic image and the cinematic image?

Being a photographer could have been both an advantage and a disadvantage for me. Both are art forms based on the image. The point where they diverge is critical: one is the still image, the other the moving image. What makes cinema cinema is that it is based on the moving image. Throughout my three years of work, I followed this method when setting up my camera: One, what does this scene tell, how much of the scene does the shot I’m filming concern, and what kind of scene will it make when combined with the other shots? Two, what acting have I worked on for this shot, and what props do I want to see? Having thought about these: where should the camera stand? With which lens, at what distance? What should the perspective be, and which lens suits it? Once you have settled that, you decide on the framing. That is where coming from photography helps.

While writing the screenplay I also made drawings. The locations, the objects between the locations, the positions of the actors… This proved very useful on set. What is in your head may not match what is on set, and on set you have to decide on the spot. Then you have to trust your instincts. At that point your experience in photography can come through in a positive way.

The film also received very good reviews for its setting. Why did you choose Artvin? Was it because you spent your childhood there?

Here you have to think about how everything can be at its best. You shouldn’t decide because you spent your childhood somewhere. Besides, I am from Borçka, which is very different from Şavşat geographically and in its way of life. When I set out to find the right locations, I looked in Zonguldak, Kastamonu and Artvin. When I saw the village of Maden in Artvin, I felt it would be the right choice for the film. Not because it was where I spent my childhood. When you watch the film you will understand why I chose the village of Maden. It is a place that matches the feeling of this film.

The lead is played by an amateur child actor. How did you find Hakan Korkmaz? What was it like working with him?

I started looking for all the actors while I was here. I also asked my cousin in Artvin to look for children of this age and this type. My cousin sent photographs of four children. I liked Hakan Korkmaz’s photograph, but I didn’t immediately think he was the one. When I went to the location in Artvin and saw Hakan, I said, that’s it, this must be the actor I’m looking for. We didn’t do any screen tests. But I thought his bearing, his gaze and his physique suited the role. Then I thought that, without a screen test, I could get the result I wanted from him by explaining what I wanted. As it turned out, I was lucky. But during editing I realised how much of a risk I had taken. A child actor, my first film, and an amateur. We also worked in physically tough conditions. He went up and down through the snow carrying a jug that we had filled, even though we would never see inside it. Because he was a local child, he could cope with it physically.

There is also a political dimension in the background of the film. Much as Sabahattin Ali, while portraying the little man, lets you feel the big politics behind him. How did the idea of adding a political background come about?

We know Ali’s stories and his stance. Even when he portrays ordinary people, you sense his opposition to the system underneath. That is why I wanted to put a triggering political factor into the film. I can’t say I did it with Sabahattin Ali in mind, but I put it in under his influence.

Sabahattin Ali carries weight in literature written in Turkish and in Turkish politics. Did that weight give you any reservations?

To tell the truth, I didn’t think about whether the story coming from Sabahattin Ali would be an advantage or a disadvantage for me. What moved me was the strength of the story. I would have filmed it even if someone else had written it, but of course a story like this could only come from Ali. Film writer Ege Görgün made an observation, and I was happy to have given cause for it. This is what the article said: Ali was killed while fleeing to Bulgaria, and we won second prize in Sofia. Ending a person’s life may not keep their thoughts and feelings within borders. The film winning an award in Sofia carries that kind of meaning.

So, has Filiz Ali seen the film? What did she think of it?

We took the DVD when we first met. We hadn’t met her before the film was finished; we had sent the screenplay through the copyright agency. When the film was finished we gave her the DVD. She only said that it had turned out very beautifully. She called this morning; when she comes to Istanbul on Tuesday we will watch it together in a cinema.

Have you embraced directing? Do you have a new film project?

Before White as Snow was released, we started work on a project about Istanbul. Right now two young friends are working on the screenplay. I described the world in my head and the things I can’t do without, and they are writing an original screenplay based on that.

You also portray Istanbul beautifully in your photographs. Will it be a film similar to your photographic work?

Since ’97 I have built up a body of experience with Istanbul through photography. I know what is in which corner of Istanbul, and where which feeling lies. I want a work in which I can make Istanbul not a backdrop but one of the characters. Istanbul is a city that will never be exhausted, either photographically or cinematically.

*****

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