“Fetih 1453” Conquers Turkish Cinema

(Original story in Greek by Inga Athanasiadou)

Advertised as the most expensive production in the history of the Turkish film industry, with a total cost of $17,000,000 and three years of shootings, “Fetih 1453” premiered last Friday in Turkish cinemas.

The film has been criticized by many, not only Greeks, for its nationalistic point of view and the pompous way in which the Fall of Constantinople is being depicted.

One of the critical voices of the Hollywood-like production is Ankara-based freelance reporter Burak Bekdil, one of the most prominent associates of Hurriyet daily newspaper.

According to Bekdil’s article published some hours before the official premiere of the film, the Turkish people of the 21st century should not boast of the fact that modern Istanbul used to belong to another nation and was taken by force.

The Turkish reporter also pointed out that he sees it as a rather difficult task for the British producers to create a film on the conquest of London or a German production on the conquest of Berlin.

The film that was screened throughout on Thursday, February 16, was a big success story in the country, since tickets had been sold out some three weeks ago.

A few days before the premiere screening, Christian associations from Germany had expressed their opposition to the national-centered film. ”Instead of celebrating the conquest of Constantinople, the Turks should be ashamed of what they did to the Christian populations on their grounds” read an announcement of a Christian association from Cologne, which called people to boycott the propagandistic film.