On April 27, a “Masterclass” event themed “The Pot of Soul and the Corrosion of Time” was held as part of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival. Nuri Bilge Ceylan, one of the leading names in the world-renowned Turkish cinema, shared his insights and stories in artistic creation by explaining his unique visual and auditory language, examining the deep human and historical background in the film.
Nuri Bilge Ceylan is the first name that comes to mind for Chinese viewers when it comes to Turkish films. Ceylan's feature films such as “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”, “Uzak” and “Winter Sleep”, awards in various branches such as the best film (Golden Palm) in Cannes, the best director and the special jury award, and the FIPRESCI award was awarded with international awards.
The films of director Ceylan, who has a unique cinematic language, are full of poetic dialogues.
Ceylan spoke the language of cinema with Chinese cinema commentator Dai Jinhua at the “Masterclass” event.
Mentioning that despite the rapid development of digitalization technology, people still prefer to go to the cinemas and watch movies, Ceylan said:
“People can connect more deeply with movies in movie theaters. In solitude they can more perfectly explore the deep meaning of the film. Here, the connection with the outside world can be cut off, so that the movie can meet the audience in a better way and the audience can understand the movie more deeply. ”
Referring to the filmmaking process of a director, Ceylan used the following statements:
“Some highly autobiographical works necessarily include the director's thoughts on himself and, from that perspective, a way to let people know more about his spiritual world. My main goal is this: to make everyone know more about the real world.”
Describing the feelings after watching the films of Jia Zhangke, one of her favorite Chinese directors, Ceylan said, “There is a similarity between realist films shot in every corner of the world, whether in Turkey or in China. Even though cultures and races change, we feel close in movies like this.” he said.
Emphasizing that he always thinks about and examines human nature while making films, Ceylan said, "I feel myself as a student, not a master in the world of cinema, and the process of creating a film is a process of continuous learning and self-discovery."