MANY HATS: Filmmaker Semra Guzel Korver on the closing night of the 10th Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival in Doha. Photo by the author


Turkish filmmaker, blogger and jury

member of Al Jazeera Documentary

Film Festival, Semra Guzel Korver, is on

constant search for insightful human

stories. By Anand Holla

 

Most of the jury members of the 10th Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival, which was held at Ritz Carlton, Doha, last week, had an interesting personal success story that we could borrow some notes from. Turkish producer, director and blogger Semra Guzel Korver’s constant search for insightful human stories is one such example.

Over the years, the Istanbul-based multi-talent has been involved in several news and culture projects, particularly in documentary productions, as a researcher, producer, director, editor and consultant. Her most recent pursuit has been her fairly popular blog Neyyse (which means Anyhow in Turkish), which sparks discussions over a range of issues.

However, Korver’s most known work is her documentary, Half a Century in Germany, which was about Turkish immigrants in Germany and their ideas on immigration, identity, language, multiculturalism, and integration. “I tried to trace their journey through the last 50 years, how it has changed from one generation to the other, and how their situation is today,” Korver says, “I shot it over three months in 12 German cities by speaking to 150 people.”

The compelling documentary followed three German Turks – folk singer Metin Türköz, rap singer Çalar Budaklı, and MA student Ceren Koç – whose varied life stories explored three different perceptions of Germany. Korver’s idea was rooted in the significance of the 50th anniversary of the migrant workers agreement that was signed on October 30, 1961, in Germany. “That’s why we decided to make the film in 2011,” she says.

While this documentary, which was the first of the series, dealt with discussions of the identity, belonging and language of the Turkish immigrants, the follow-up Multikulti Haberler (Multikulti News) dealt with the 50 years of Turkish immigration in Germany and the integration process through the viewpoint of the media.

As a jury member at the Al Jazeera Festival, Korver was on the lookout for standout instances of storytelling. “I was surprised by the sheer range and calibre of documentaries that we had to evaluate at the Festival,” she says, “I saw some amazing documentaries, and what I found heartening was they were as much from the Middle East as they were from across America and Europe.”

“All the films seemed to converge on human realities such as suffering and hardships, and showed us how it doesn’t matter where we live. What matters is we share our stories and understand each other,” she says.

From having been president of the Association of Documentary Filmmakers in Turkey to working as a producer-director at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, Korver has worn many hats. Now, through her blog, which she began writing a year and a half ago, she has reinvigorated her passion for telling stories – not fiction, but real ones.

“On my blog, I discuss every possible subject such as religion, our city, women, health, addiction, or cinema. Sometimes, I choose the issue and sometimes, the issue chooses me. Through conversations, I try to understand people and learn from their experiences and lifestyles. Since I want to share with my followers whatever I learn, I find blogging really satisfying,” Korver says.

It is the process of “searching” that Korver says, she keeps learning from. “I must discover how things are and unravel what lies behind stories. That process of searching keeps me going,” she says. The tone of her blog is accessible and easy to get hooked onto, much like her works in other media, too.

Flying down as part of the jury has been Korver’s first trip to Qatar. “It’s nice to see how fast Qatar is progressing across several fields,” she says, “Be it art, education or economics, it’s moving ahead and fast. I only hope it focuses more on the issues of women’s rights and human rights, too. I am glad to see that Qatar is planning to bring positive changes on those fronts, too.”

What struck Korver the most about Qatar has been its “extremely diverse culture.” She explains, “As Qatar is home to a variety of expats; be it from Asia, Europe and America, I feel this cosmopolitan atmosphere makes people understand and respect each other more. That’s because it’s only when we live together that we realise that all our lives aren’t too different. You have a child, I have a child, I worry for my child, you worry for yours; our emotions and challenges are mostly the same. Our apprehensions and joys are also alike.”