Cinema beyond politics: Turkish filmmaker reveals why India holds a special place in their hearts

Erkan's 2025 film Fragments from the East was screened in the latest edition of KIFF, which ran through November 6-13.

On the sidelines of a press conference, Erkan talked about cinema transcending borders even though the current bilateral relationship between India and Turkey has remained hostile on a range of issues.

"We know about the political tension but are not aware of how people in India view it. For Turkish people, India is a very special country. For example, in the 1970s, there was an India-Turkey bus service. Everybody in Turkey knows India with the people where they are.

"It didn't change at all though politics, which is not always certain, changes and it's the other part of life. But I prefer to look at the more exciting part of life. Politicians may have problems among themselves but we are a part of the cinema world," says the filmmaker speaking to IBNS.

The film is produced by Mahpare Tanın. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Fragments From The East is a haunting Turkish–Spanish historical drama set against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Trabzon in 1916.

The film follows the harrowing journey of Zeynep, her friend Safiye, and Zeynep’s four-year-old son Haşim as they flee westward through snow-covered landscapes to escape the advancing war.

The film’s emotional axis is defined by tragedy: Haşim succumbs to the brutal conditions of the exodus.

Refusing to bury her child anonymously in a desolate forest, Zeynep insists on finding a proper village cemetery. This decision alters the course of their escape and transforms the narrative into a pilgrimage of grief, dignity, and maternal resolve.

Fragments from the East press conference at West Bengal film centre Nandan during 31st KIFF. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Speaking of his way of making the film, Erkan said, "I had aimed to exclude drama from the film but not totally reject it. This is how I think about cinema. Of course, cinema is placed as a story but I do not prioritise explaining a story."

"I believe the art of cinema will increase if we exclude the cinema from stories," he added.

(Photos by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)