Students, alumni, artists and politicians react to the demolition of the MSGSÜ Cinema-TV Center

A press statement was made in front of the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ) Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu Cinema-TV Center building in Balmumcu against the demolition.

Attendees at the announcement included DEM Party Deputy Özgül Saki, CHP Party Council Member Baran Seyhan, CHP Provincial Culture and Arts Council Members Nil Yurda Yurtseven and Çiçek Yurtseven, director Ezel Akay, film critic Olkan Özyurt, Defne Beri from the Actors' Union, actors Halil Ergün, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Cengiz Bozkurt, and Güven Kıraç, Sine-Sen General President Galip Görür, and Yeliz Vurgun from Sine-Sen. The significance of the center for Turkish cinema history was emphasized.

"WE KNOW THE TRUTH, WE WANT OUR BUILDING BACK"

MSGSÜ student Esin Naz İşten spoke first in the press release. İşten criticized the university rector's public statements regarding the building's demolition, saying:

We know that you presented the building's expansion joints as 'rotten' and the boiler room as 'archives.' We know that a significant portion of the building was reinforced, yet you unlawfully decided to demolish it . We know that you haven't taken a single step toward maintenance or repairs, and now you're trying to cover up your negligence by claiming it's 'worn out.' We know that you didn't submit a 'risk building' report to the municipality, and that the company undertaking the demolition was unlicensed. We know that the Cultural Heritage Preservation Board has decided to halt the demolition.

İşten said, "We are saying it once more: You will not be able to silence us with destruction, report manipulation, or false statements. We are not giving up on Balmumcu. We are stubborn, we are holding you accountable."

"THE RIGHT TO HOUSING IS ALSO BEING USURPED"

DEM Party Istanbul Deputy Özgül Saki criticized the proposed evacuation of the center and its conversion into a dormitory, saying, "Students' housing rights are being usurped, and the space where cinematic art is produced is being destroyed. The memory and production practices here are our values. This decision must be reversed, and the building must be reopened for active use."

CHP'S SEYHAN: THE ENTIRE VISUAL ARCHIVE IS BEING AT RISK

CHP Party Assembly Member and director Baran Seyhan stated that the center is not just a building, but the heart of Turkish cinema, saying:

Today, this center, where television series and films are produced, is being destroyed through various schemes. Furthermore, the archive has been moved. While it's been reported to be moved to a temporary location, the future is uncertain. No understanding has the right to jeopardize this country's visual memory. We demand transparency; how this archive will be preserved must be shared with the public.

HALİL ERGÜN: THERE IS AN ATTACK ON THE SPACE OF ART, THIS IS A LIQUIDATION, AN ATTACK

Master actor Halil Ergün emphasized the center's symbolic significance, saying, "There's a historical trace here. This is an attack, this is a purge. We must protect this space, which has a symbolic function in film education. We will stand with the students."

OLKAN ÖZYURT: A MEMORY IS BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM US

Cinema critic Olkan Özyurt expressed his concerns about the future of the film archive, saying, "They're trying to take away an archive, a memory from us. It's our duty to pass these films on to the future. Where will our children find these films tomorrow? The university didn't manage the process transparently."

"CAPITALISM CUTS DOWN THE TREE WHERE IT CANNOT SELL ITS SHADOW"

Sine-Sen Chairman Galip Görür said, "They're trying to destroy the memory of our cinema here. Because those who can't produce in the cultural sphere are trying to destroy what already exists. This is a matter of mentality. Capitalism cuts down trees whose shade it can't sell. We oppose this mentality."

"PROF. SAMİ ŞEKEROĞLU'S WILL"

Cinema worker Süleyman Şenvardar recalled a speech given by the center's founder, Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu, in 2019, saying, "Our Professor Şeker said, 'My institution is sick, I need help with treatment.' His will was to keep this institution alive. We will continue to protect this legacy."

"WE WILL NOT LET OUR HALF-CENTURY-OLD HERITAGE BE DESTROYED"

Reading the press release, Sümeyye Köse stated that the center is the memory of Turkish cinema and said:

The Cinema-TV Center, founded under the leadership of Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu, is not just a building; it's the only complete structure designed for cinema in our country, with film education, a film archive, and laboratories. While the legal process continues, the rectorate has issued a tender for demolition for scrap, and a company has begun demolition without a license. This is destroying half a century of scientific and artistic heritage. We demand that this institution be preserved, restored, and passed on to future generations, and that the film archive be preserved in its place.

Köse called on the public to show solidarity, saying, "This destruction must be reversed immediately, otherwise it will go down in history as a document of shame."