The International Mythology Film Festival is in its third year: Common story mythology

The festival, which began in Izmir, expanded to Manisa and Istanbul last year. This year, Aydın (Efeler) and the ancient city of Troy in Çanakkale have been added to the festival. The opening of the 3rd International Mythology Film Festival will be held in Izmir on September 22nd, while the closing and awards ceremony will be held on September 30th at the ancient city of Troy in Çanakkale, in collaboration with the Troy Museum. The festival committee, which has adopted the concept of a traveling festival, aims to contribute to the global promotion of the historical and cultural heritage of these cities.

We spoke with the festival director, Gülşah Elikbank.

'RELATED TO TODAY'

-How did the idea of ​​a film festival limited to mythology come about?

I was aware that psychology was crucial when you looked at the background of the stories, but as you delve deeper, you realize you've arrived at mythology. In fact, the source of the stories is mythology itself. Therefore, I believe some things are missing without discussing mythology. However, while it may seem limited to mythology, I can say that our festival, beneath mythology, encompasses all art disciplines and is a distinct festival.

-What kind of difference is this?

We have very important academic advisors. We have metaphorical conversations with them before the films. What does the film convey mythologically? What does it say in its subtext? Because our slogan is "humanity's common story." This is what we mean. Even though we are all different, this entire universe we explore has a single, shared story. While it may be locally dispersed, differentiated, and understandings may have shifted, there is actually a single story. If we remember that, there will be no need for all this conflict and chaos.

-With what purpose did you set out?

Our dream was for a festival that began with a somewhat peaceful purpose, but also one that would socialize people and relive the feeling of those times when stories were told and the fire gathered. The first year, we were only in Izmir. When we realized the interest in Izmir, we expanded to three cities in our second year. We added Manisa and Istanbul. This year, with the third edition in September, we reached five cities. This year, we added the ancient city of Tralles in Aydın and the ancient city of Troy in Çanakkale. This way, I can say that this is a festival that uses ancient cities, that shows that these places are still truly alive and relevant to society. Because when people think of mythology, they think, "Oh, these stories are about finished lives, what's the point?" No, it's not. On the contrary, it has a strong connection to our present day. Some of our traditions and customs stem from our own mythology, from Turkish mythology, but we're not very aware of it. Let these things be discussed and debated, and let people open a new perspective. That's our goal.

Discussion and Opening Space

-Well, as both the writer and the organizer of this festival, I would like to hear the answer to this question from you: What is our perspective on mythology?

Mythology is a common language that unites us all. Anatolia has hosted diverse civilizations for thousands of years, and their mythologies have intertwined over time, creating a tremendous cultural heritage. However, this vast heritage remains largely unknown. Although Anatolian mythology developed in close interaction with Mesopotamian, Greek, and Persian mythologies, Greek, Norse, and Egyptian mythologies dominate the world of gaming and cinema today. We aim to change this perception by highlighting our own stories.

-What kind of selection process do you go through when selecting films?

We're compiling a selection. We're not making films compete. When making this selection, we're choosing films that we can talk about as metaphors for our professors and that we can discuss. It's very difficult to call a purely mythological film. We prioritize films that contain mythological elements and reference mythology. By developing a theme from the film, we try to spark discussion and open up a space around it.

DIGITAL GAME COMPETITION

-Will the audience see a Turkish film this year?

We have two Turkish films this year, and they're very pleasing. One is "HisTroy." A darkly humorous retelling of Troy, written by Rıdvan Gölcük. The second is "The Knowledge of the Whale," directed by Önder Şengül and winning numerous awards. We want more local films. In fact, perhaps one of the main goals of the festival is to encourage more of them.

-There's an interesting competition at the festival this year. A digital game competition...

This year, we're launching our first Digital Game Competition in collaboration with LUGAL Games, aiming to bring together the mythology and mythological elements of Anatolian civilizations with the art of digital games. As part of the competition, game developers will combine Anatolia's ancient legends with modern technologies to revitalize the region's rich cultural heritage in a digital environment.

-Where did this idea come from?

I look at the TV series and movies I love to watch. There's a computer game behind them. Tomb Raider, for example, is a computer game. I love The Witcher, but it's a computer game. We embarked on this journey to both engage young people with the festival and truly capture the current state of our time. We decided to create our own game, develop it with a national or international investor, and then turn it into a film.

'THE BURDEN SHOULD NOT BE ON THE FESTIVAL'

-Do you have any plans to add different ancient cities to the festival in the future?

Next year, we definitely want Göbeklitepe, and perhaps even the region we call Stone Hills, to be part of the festival. We even dream of holding the awards ceremony there. New discoveries are being made. There are so many fascinating places in Türkiye... For example, the ancient city of Tralleis is said to be where the world's first musical note was discovered. This is such fascinating information. We'll be giving a wonderful concert there. We'll have guests from Sweden. We'll have a wonderful conversation and meet people outdoors, under the stars. That's why we're also working on organizing events to further strengthen the connection between ancient sites and the city.

-How is the support situation?

The team's dream is this: When Turkey is mentioned, the International Mythology Film Festival comes to mind. People from abroad will grab their backpacks and travel from city to city for this festival. What will it take? The city's administration and cultural policy must support it. So, let's issue a call to all cities to be a part of this initiative. Simply burdening one festival with this isn't sustainable. For our growth, we absolutely must have the support of the city's administrations.

We received support from the Ministry of Culture for our first two years. We applied for our third year, but since we haven't received a response yet, I can't say whether we received it or not. This support is generally symbolic. It's not enough for a festival to grow. A festival can't grow without support from local governments and the private sector.