Turkey 2016 - 2021: three women and five films with record box office
by Virginia Fanin
Today’s world is full of classifications able to satisfy practically any sort of curiosity: starting out from the list of the 100 most widely viewed films in Turkey from 2016 to 2021 kindly provided by Antrakt, from the 56 Turkish titles that appear there, MEDIA Salles has singled out the productions directed by women that have been most successful at the box office:
Three women directed these films: Gupse Özay, Meltem Bozoflu and Tuğçe Soysop, who has signed three of the titles presented in the classification.
Let’s get to know them better!
Gupse Özay, born in 1984 in Izmir, started to cultivate her dream by enrolling in the Radio, Television and Cinema course at Ege University. In those same years she and her friends made a documentary “Yaman Yaşamişim”. Now she is a successful actress, screenwriter and director, as well playing an important role in the world of social media.
Her most widely viewed film is “Deliha 2”, (2018) the endearing story of a woman who wants to make a name for herself in the world of cooking. Gupse is both director and lead actress.
The film was so successful that it was screened not only at home but also in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Gupse was also awarded the prize for Best Movie Actress at the Turkey Golden Palm Awards in 2019.
“Deliha 2”, now available on Netflix, is the sequel to “Deliha” (2014) in which the lead role was again played by Gupse Özay who, as an actress and screenwriter, is also present in “Görümce” (2016) and “Eltilerin Savaşı” (2020).
Meltem Bozoflu was born on 8 April 1980 in the province of Istanbul, attended the Arel College in Istanbul and later graduated in Cinema and TV at the Anadolu University in Eskişehir.
She was anchorwoman for the Güldür Güldür Show, one of the most acclaimed Turkish TV programmes, and in 2017 she directed "Dedemin Fişi” (“Pulling the Plug”).
This film tells the story of a family more attached to money than to its patriarch, now in a condition of brain death. Whilst deciding whether or not to pull out the plug, his relations start a variety of plots and intrigues to secure his inheritance.
The film was screened in German and Danish cinemas and distributed on Internet in Sweden and the United States.
This title, too, is available on Netflix.
Tuğçe Soysop, born in 1984 in the province of Izmir, has always juggled music and cinema; as well as being a film director, she is also a well-known singer.
The three films directed by her that appear in the classification all address a very young audience.
“Can Dostlar” (“Kids on the Block”), released in 2018, is based on a group of kids who intend taking over a park to fight the exaggerated use of technology and was amongst the nominations for Best Movie at the Turkey Youth Awards in 2020.
“Bizim Köyün Şarkısı” (2018) teaches that you must fight to achieve your objectives, thanks to the story of Çinar, a boy who, supported by his new friends in the village he has moved to, will finally manage to take part in the music contest he has dreamed of.
In 2018 it was released in cinemas in Turkey, Austria and Germany.
“Hayaller Ülkesi: Gamonya” dates back to 2020 and is a moving story in which Umut, a child who has forgotten how to dream, discovers a fantastic world called Gamonya. This is a place that produces dreams, but only for children who are desperate.
Theatrical distribution did not extend beyond national borders, but the film can be found on Netflix.