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Movie industry unfazed in Turkey

by Nevin Donat - Serkan Arman - Milliyet



ISTANBUL - Many industries acting as anchors of the Turkish economy are experiencing decline in one way or another, but the Turkish movie industry appears to be untouched by the global economic crisis. The industry expects to complete the year with 10 percent growth and YTL 280 million in revenues



With more than 50 releases so far, it could be the golden year for Turkey’s movie industry even though the global economic crisis has sunk its claws deep into nearly every industry in the country.



While many leading industries within the Turkish economy, such as the textile, automotive and chemical industries, are showing signs of contraction, the movie industry is heading in a different direction. The industry has managed to sustain growth during the crisis and foresees more than 10 percent growth by the end of the year.



Last year the industry had revenue of YTL 250 million, 30 percent of which was from Turkish movies. This year the industry’s revenue reached YTL 225 million within the first 10 months of the year. Considering blockbusters such as "A.R.O.G." have just opened at theaters, the year’s figure is expected to reach YTL 280 million, representing 10 percent growth. Turkish movies such as "Recep İvedik," "Mustafa," "Issız Adam," "A.R.O.G," "Osmanlı Cumhuriyeti" and "Muro" have received close to 50 percent of overall revenue this year in Turkey’s movie industry. While the revenue for Turkish movies in the first 10 months of the year reached YTL 110 million, the figure is expected to increase to YTL 140 million by the year’s end. In 2007, more than 31.1 million movie tickets were sold, but only 11.77 million moviegoers preferred domestic films. This year, however, the number of moviegoers is predicted to surpass 35 million and break the 2006 record of 34.86 million.



Turkish movies do not require a large investment; usually a budget of $1 million is enough. One exception is "A.R.O.G," which was shot by well-known Turkish comedian Cem Yılmaz with a budget of $9 million. The total investment made in the first five Turkish movies of the year did not surpass $15 million, while the revenue obtained from those movies totaled YTL 80 million. As these movies are still in theaters, some may even double or triple their earnings by the end of the year, showing that investments in movies provide large returns. Based on data calculated by the Antrakt Sinema Gazetesi, a weekly newspaper for the movie industry, between Jan. 4 and Nov. 28, more than 28.16 million people went to the movies and more than 14.55 million of them preferred Turkish movies. Some 1.2 million people saw "Osmanlı Cumhuriyeti," while the number of people who have seen the recently released "A.R.O.G." and "Muro" has already reached 2 million.



Troubles in the industry

Currently there are 420 movie theaters in Turkey, however, 11 cities of the country are still missing out on the action. There still are no movie theaters in Kırıkkale, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, Ağrı, Iğdır, Ardahan, Muş, Mardin, Kilis, Şırnak or Siirt. "For the past 10 years, movie making in Turkey has been walking the path toward becoming an industry. The production of TV series is also a reason for this. The producers, who earn money by shooting TV series, use that money to produce movies," said Özge Özberk, an actress who stars in "A.R.O.G."



"Visual techniques used in ’A.R.O.G.’ are a first for the Turkish movie industry," she said. Utilizing new systems requires bigger investment, but the crisis has hit movie investors. "There are many projects that have been stalled. Salaries in the TV series business have been reduced. As of January the fate of TV series and in movies will be revealed," said Özberk.



"The number of viewers of the latest Turkish movies does not paint the true picture of the industry. We are expecting the crisis to hit next year," said Galip Gültekin, chairman of the Film Producers’ Professional Association, or FİYAB. There is a lot of crisis-related panic in the industry, he said. Movies planned for next year are still waiting to hear from the Culture Ministry about the financial support the ministry will provide to the industry.



The ministry has been providing nearly $10 million to the industry for the past three to four years. " It would be impossible to shoot a movie with a YTL 200,000 budget, but that is enough to launch one. Then the industry relies on other means for support and resources. If the crisis has a greater negative affect on Turkey, then it will be much tougher to find additional resources."