She is one of the few Turkish women who have ventured outside her country to pursue a film career. Ceyda Asli is one of very few female directors of Turkey and is the only Turkish director working on films concerning women, spiritualism and realization. Her work focuses on the identity, equality and liberty of the Muslim women and women worldwide. After Graduating from Istanbul University Department of English Literature, she wrote for publications such as Daily News and Middle East Journal on the trials and tribulations of Middle Eastern women. She was also the Editor-in-Chief of CIDC Insight Journal. It gave her an opportunity to create advertising campaigns and to shoot TV commercials. This jettisoned her into film making. She has been filming her own scripts for the past five. She is also known as the youngest female director of the Turkish Cinema. Asli was also selected one of the 5 most successful entrepreneur women of Turkey in 2009 by Turkish Garanti Bank, KAGÄ°DER (Women Entrepreneur Association) and KOBÄ° (Small and Medium Administrations Union). Bikya Masr: Tell us how you got into the film industry? Ceyda Asli: My father was a producer and director in TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) I grew up on movie sets and on TV broadcasts. I believe that my business is something comes from the family. So I can say I learned creativity from my father. I was always good at writing at school. I remember once we had an American teacher. She was teaching writing compositions.. One day as she was walking into the class, I realized I forgot to do my homework, which would be a composition on one of our unforgettable memories. I had to write something in two minutes otherwise I would be in trouble because of forgetting to do my homework. I made up a story. Next week the same teacher came to the class holding my paper in her hand. I thought that I really had a problem because I was in rush to write it; it was not well organized on the paper and it did not fit her criteria in terms of the paper and my handwriting etc. She wanted me to walk to the blackboard and she began to yell at me saying that we had to write our homework on our own. She said I cannot be the one who wrote that story because it was very professional. I was only 11 years old. Then I studied English Literature and worked first for some foreign publications as a writer then I wrote and shot commercials and later I shot my own scripts. BM: Why did you decide to move to the US? Asli: My movies are considered as controversial for my region. I focus on liberal Muslim Women who fight against fundamentalists. Or because I use deep metaphors in my stories, She is a woman who studies quantum physics. I underline the struggle of women in my region reflecting the universal wealth in their mind while society burden different missions upon them My last documentary ‘The Transition' was shot in India and I debate that all belief systems is based on the same core which is Sufism. My main objective in the movie is to to give messages regarding human rights, discrimination and nuclear arming. I use spiritual elements in the way narrating my stories. My works are unusual for my people and I had difficulties in distribution and screening them despite I was supported by the media, liberal Women Organizations and awarded overseas and being considered as one of the top five successful women in my country. Another reason is that I am a strong believer in Ataturk's achievements and policies but things are different now. I love my country but they do not call you a patriot. They call you racist because of pronouncing that you are a Turk. The reporters ask questions how can I be a follower of Ataturk whose policies are now old fashioned. This is very sad! In the states' there are many people with different origins' but they are all under one flag. This was Ataturk's dream we are all Turks under the same flag. And unfortunately we do not have enough international artists who would serve the promotion of my country. Today, Americans do not know where Turkey is and we still have to fight against the Armenian genocide claims. And we cannot explain them that 176 Jewish academicians were rescued in the Second World War by Muslim Turkish diplomats and brought to Ankara. Albert Einstein was one of them BM: If someone asked what your style are, what would you tell them? Asli: I think the best thing for an artist is to be faithful to his roots. I am a Muslim Turkish Woman and I work on Women issues and also in consideration of the strong prejudices against Islam in the States, I consider my works as a mission to explain the beauty of my faith as a contemporary woman. I am also a spiritual writer and director. Whatever our religious beliefs or non-beliefs' spiritual recovery is felt as a profound inner change' a dissolving of the attitudes and opinions that kept us chained to compulsion. Spiritual awakening heals us of self-willed blindness to the truth about ourselves and our condition. We are no longer wandering alone and lost. We are found! BM: As a Muslim and Turkish, have you run into any problems trying to get work? Asli: When it comes to belief issues, it is always hard due to it is being sensitive in some points. I always underline my faith because I am proud of being a Muslim along with believing and respecting all other belief systems. I need all kinds of support including financial to be able to do my job here. Sometimes you go through hard times here as well. Because they have wrong information about Islam and because they do not know even where your country is on the map. Christians wanted to support me once, I was so happy with that. Because I study and read the Bible as well as I study all other scriptures. In addition, since my main goal is to tell the World that discrimination on the basis of religion is nonsense because they are all the same thing. These Christians interviewed with me first and I told them about the brotherhood of religions and tried to inform them on Islam… However. When it was printed, I realized that they had changed my words and wrote that I had converted to Christianity which made me really upset. On the other hand, we apply for grants and cooperation to some Women Organizations. They do not even reply sometimes due to the Jewish community among them. It does not make sense either since one of my important scripts ‘ A Patch of Freedom' talks on the friendship between Muslims and Jews. My mission as an artist is to give messages on peace and change the World for better days in the future. BM: Speaking of work, what are you working on these days? Asli: I am in search of sponsors and funds to be able to shoot my script I mentioned above A Patch of Freedom which narrates the rescue of 176 Jew academicians from Germany by the Muslim Turkish diplomats in the Second World War. They brought them to Ankara on a train hired by the Turkish government of the era. The other project in process is a musical for Broadway. I already staged a play on Broadway New York in last October. It was an historic event. It was for the very first time a Turkish writer's play was on Broadway in English language. BM: For those who don't know you, what separates you from other filmmakers? I am one of the very few woman directors in my region but I am the only one working on Muslim and Turkish Women issues. This makes me unique in my field. BM: Thanks Asli: Anytime The following are her awarded works as a script writer and director: I LOVE MY INDEPENDENCE AND YOU: Denver Film Festival, USA. WATERMARK: Festival Les Toiles De Mer 2005, France A PATCH OF FREEDOM: 42nd Antalya Film Festival, Turkey WHILST ON MY WAY: The film is about a young woman working on a project on quantum physics and underlines the conflict between what the society pushes her to be and what she wants to be. Society makes her stay within a limited circle while she has a universal vision of life. Despite being filmed in 2006, the post production of the film has just finished since the production company confiscated the original copy. The film has a deep metaphor and is dedicated to Asena, the woman writer who wrote books on the equality and freedom of the Turkish women. The director could just complete her post production with another copy. THE LOCK: The director completed the film in 2008. The film is about Afife Jale, the first Muslim woman actress on stage who fought against the radicals until the end of her life since the Muslim women were banned to be on stage in the era. Jale is a liberal woman who is in trouble with the fundamentalists. The film has been awarded the ‘Best Women Work of the Year’ by the Turkey Women’s Library and Information Center Foundation. BM
