Seen Unseen: An Anthology of (Auto)Censorship
A group of filmmakers and artists from Turkey collaborated to create videos on “(auto)censorship”, in response to the increasingly repressive climate in Turkey. The result is Seen Unseen: An Anthology of (Auto)censorship, a collective reflection on the limits of freedom of expression. Six videos intertwined with each other, rephrasing the history of censorship from the perspective of those who experienced it.
Writings on prison walls, unsent letters, unfinished documentaries, and a painting that cannot be printed in a book… Using different techniques, tactics, and interfaces such as desktop-documentary, video-essay, photography, letters, chats, reenactment, CCTV and online interviews; Seen Unseen: An Anthology of (Auto)Censorship delves into the vital question of filmmaking: to show or not to show.
A subbranch of the Altyazı Cinema Association, Altyazı Fasikül: Free Cinema has collaborated with filmmakers, video-activists, and artists from Turkey and beyond to create political essay films since 2020. Three video series were created within this framework: a collective archive of pandemic times titled Looking Outside (2020) and a contemplation on surveillance and sousveillance titled From Below (2022). From Below series also includes Deniz Tortum’s and Esen Tan’s short film that archives the largest film archive in Turkey: Center
Within the framework of the third series, Seen Unseen (2024), which was produced with the collaboration of the Institute of Time and Altyazı Cinema Association, the directors compiled the videos into an anthology using co-creative and collaborative montage techniques, creating a collective political statement on (auto)censorship in Turkey. The anthology form and collaborative work allowed us to draw strength from each other, uncover self-censorship practices, and question the cause-effect relationship between censorship and self-censorship.
Seen Unseen: An Anthology of (Auto)Censorship was screened for the first time in June 2024 as part of the 17th Documentarist – Istanbul Documentary Days. Having been screened at Sinematek/Sinema Evi (Istanbul) in September 2024, AVI (Izmir) in November 2024, Çand Amed (Diyarbakır), Sound Idea (Istanbul) and MSGSU Sociological Research Club (Istanbul) in December 2024, Seen Unseen: An Anthology of (Auto)Censorship will have its international premiere at the 54th International Rotterdam Film Festival in February 2025.
Team
Directors Fırat Yücel, Erhan Örs, Hakan Bozyurt, Can Memiş, Sibil Çekmen, Nadir Sönmez, Serra Akcan, belit sağ
Artistic director & compilation editing Fırat Yücel
Project coordinator Yetkin Nural
Sound mix, color grading & graphic design Ahmet M. Öğüt
Subtitle translation Gökşin Uğur Producers Aylin Kuryel, Fırat Sezgin, Fırat Yücel
Production companies: Institute of Time, Altyazı Cinema Association
created within the framework of
Altyazı Fasikül: Free Cinema’s “Seen Unseen” video-series* funded by European Union through Haklara Destek (Support to Rights) Program.
* The production of Fırat Yücel’s Doubts has been carried out within the framework of the Fellowship for Situated Practice Program (2023-2024) of BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht.