COMD Semineri: “Cross-Cultural Reception and Remakes in Turkish Cinema”, Ahmet Gürata, 12:30 23 Mart (EN)

Dr. Ahmet Gürata, Izmir Ekonomi Universitesi

Wednesday 23 March
12:30-13:30

***This is an online event. To obtain Zoom link and password, please contact to the department.

“Cross-Cultural Reception and Remakes in Turkish Cinema”

Intercultural reception of films involves many different variations, from translation to remakes. Ahmet Gürata’s new book Imitation of Life: Cross-Cultural Reception and Remakes in Turkish Cinema offers an in-depth analysis of the conditions that have defined the circulation, reception and reinterpretation of these internationally resonant films. This talk will focus on the first section of the book, whose focus is the interplay between Hollywood and Turkey during the peak years of Yesilçam, an exchange made most evident in the prevalence of cross-cultural remakes. The most significant aspect of these remakes is their negotiation of cultural and moral values, asserting a localised version of modernity as opposed to a universal model of Westernisation.

With this focus on cross-cultural exchange, Imitation of Life proposes an alternative approach to national cinema. It challenges the divisions between national and international as well as major and minor films, and it offers a new model that emphasizes the representation of diversity in Turkish cinema.