The Relationship Between Power and Cinema in Türkiye in the 1980s: The Influence of the 1980 Coup d’État
Yalçın LüleciA reciprocal relationship exists between political authorities and national cinemas, although this intensity varies according to the form of government. In this sense, the 1980s represents one of the most important periods in terms of Turkish politics and cinema, the first half of which was shaped by the authoritarian policies of the September 12, 1980 Military coup d’état and the second half by the liberal policies of the Motherland Party (ANAP) led by Turgut Özal. This period witnessed a series of political, social, and economic events such as the September 12th Military Coup, the adoption of the 1982 Constitution, the coming to power of ANAP, the Bankers’ Scandal, and the beginning of the PKK terrorist organization’s actions, as well as important developments in the field of cinema, such as the cinema Regulation that was enacted in 1983 and the Cinema Law that was enacted in 1986. The differences between this Regulation and Law compared to previous legislation and the decisions of censorship boards are essential for revealing the relationship between the cinema industry and the state during this period. Following the coup, many cinema artists were arrested, and professional cinema organizations were closed. Turkish cinema suffered financial losses due to the proliferation of video screening devices and Western film companies opening local offices in Türkiye, dominating the sector in terms of distribution and screening. While the Revolutionary Cinema Movement disappeared after the coup d’état, directors in the ‘Ulusal Sinema’ (National Cinema) and ‘Millî Sinema’ (People’s Cinema) movements continued to produce films for the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) for a while. Even during this period when society was compelled to depoliticize, mainstream Turkish cinema continued to produce films containing social criticism, albeit in small numbers. This interdisciplinary study aims to explain the relationship between the state and cinema in the 1980s, employing the historical research method to achieve this goal.
12 Eylül Etkisinde 1980’li Yıllarda Türkiye’de İktidar ve Sinema İlişkileri
Yalçın LüleciSiyasal iktidarlar ile ülke sinemaları arasında, yönetim biçimlerine göre yoğunluğu değişse de, karşılıklı bir ilişki vardır. Bu anlamda, ilk yarısını 12 Eylül 1980 Askeri Darbesi’nin otoriter, ikinci yarısını ise Turgut Özal önderliğindeki ANAP’ın liberal politikalarının şekillendirdiği 1980’li yıllar, Türk siyaseti ve sineması açısından önemli dönemlerden birini ifade etmektedir. Bu dönemde; 12 Eylül Askeri Darbesi, 82 Anayasası’nın kabulü, ANAP’ın iktidara gelişi, Bankerler Skandalı, PKK terör örgütünün eylemlere başlaması gibi bir dizi siyasal, sosyal ve ekonomik olay yaşanırken, sinema alanında da 1983 yılında yürürlüğe giren tüzük ve 1986 yılında yürürlüğe giren Sinema Kanunu gibi önemli gelişmelere sahne olmuştur. Bu tüzük ve kanunun önceki mevzuata göre farklılıkları ve sansür kurullarının kararları, dönemin sinema iktidar ilişkisinin ortaya konulması açısından önemlidir. 12 Eylül sonrasında çok sayıda sinema sanatçısı, tutuklanmış ve sinema meslek örgütleri kapatılmıştır. Bu yıllarda Türk sineması, video gösterim cihazlarının çoğalması, Batılı film şirketlerinin Türkiye’de temsilcilik açarak dağıtım ve gösterim alanlarında sektöre hâkim hale gelmeleri sonucunda büyük kayıplar yaşamıştır. Darbe sonrası Devrimci Sinema Akımı ortadan kalkarken, Ulusal Sinemacı ve Millî Sinemacı yönetmenler, bir süre daha TRT’de film yapmaya devam etmişlerdir. Toplumun depolitize edilmeye çalışıldığı bu dönemde bile ana akım Türk sineması tarafından sayıları az da olsa toplumsal eleştiri içeren filmler üretilmeye devam etmiştir. Disiplinlerarası bir yaklaşımın benimsendiği bu çalışmada, ele alınan dönemdeki siyasal iktidar ve sinema ilişkisini açıklamak amaçlanmış ve bunun için de tarihsel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmıştır.
The 1980 Turkish coup d’état by the military on September 12 was undoubtedly an event that left its mark on the 1980s. This coup followed a series of political, economic, and social problems and formed a major rupture in Turkish democracy. The resulting government banned political parties, imprisoned their leaders, restricted individual rights and freedoms, and closed down civil society organizations. Until the Turgut Özal government was formed in 1983, the military, which had maintained its influence over the government, drafted the 1982 Constitution. This constitution proposed more restrictions on freedoms than the 1960 Constitution and kept the coup leader in power as head of state until 1989. In the first half of the 1980s, the military was influential in the country’s governance and preferred security policies. Society was depoliticized by referring to the polarization before the 1980s. The coup had had an effect on the field of cinema, much like on politics and society. Many filmmakers were arrested or exiled, and professional organizations were shut down.
Turgut Özal, who came to power in 1983, had the opportunity to implement the liberal January 24th Decisions that he had prepared before the coup. These decisions aimed to open the country’s economy to the outside world. First, these decisions were implemented in the Ulusu government the military had appointed and later through the Motherland Party (ANAP), which Özal himself had founded. When ANAP came to power in 1983, Özal found the opportunity to implement these decisions throughout the 1980s. Thanks to these policies, access to all kinds of commercial goods became easier, encouraging people to consume, while income inequality and fictitious exports increased. Although Özal preferred a relatively liberal approach to the economy and social sphere, he adopted the Turkish Islamic Synthesis approach in cultural policies. The military, who saw religion as an instrument against the threat of communism, did not confront civilian politics on this synthesis, as it showed no direct negative attitudes against Atatürk, the founder of Türkiye. Because the state did not directly produce movies in the field of cinema, one cannot talk about movies produced within the scope of this synthesis, which had an impact on culture and education; however, this study can consider some TV series shot by ‘Millî Sinema’ (People’s Cinema) filmmakers on behalf of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) in this context.
Cinema had experienced audience losses as a result of the widespread use of video recording and display devices and television receivers in the 1980s. After 1987 when foreign companies were allowed to operate in Türkiye and large American companies began to dominate the sector, Turkish cinema lost its traditional financial, distribution, and screening opportunities. As a result, the number of films, audiences, and theaters dropped drastically. During this time that saw the coup’s policies depoliticize society and Özal’s policies direct the masses toward consumption, Turkish cinema began to produce more films dealing with individual issues than in previous periods. Women’s films were the most common films to deal with individual issues. Apart from these, arabesque films can be said to have become widespread during this period. After 1985, films were made that dealt with the effects the military coup had on individuals, but they did not directly target the coup itself. During this period, comedy films became the most sensational genre, and these sometimes included social, political, and economic criticisms.
In the 1980s, Türkiye’s cinema was supervised through the Regulation on the Supervision of Films and Film Scenarios (Republic of Türkiye, 1977), which had been prepared on the basis of the Law on the Duties and Powers of the Police (Republic of Türkiye, 1934). In 1983 three years after the coup, the Regulation on the Inspection of Films and Film Scripts was enacted. However, the most important legislative change in the field of cinema in the 1980s was the Law on Cinema, Video, and Music Works, (Republic of Türkiye, 1986), With this law, Turkish cinema gained its first cinema law. which could be seen as a reflection of the relatively liberal policies of the Özal era. This law put an end to police censorship and abolished script censorship, after which the number of films criticizing the 1980 Turkish coup increased. In the same year, the Regulation on the Supervision of Cinema, Video, and Music Works was issued based on this law and shaped the legal legislation regarding film supervision.
This system brought every work of cinema produced in Turkish cinema before film control commissions in accordance with the principles set out in the law and subjected films to being inspected from various angles. While the 1977 and 1983 Regulations had discussed the grounds for banning a movie in greater detail, these grounds were expressed more succinctly in the 1986 Regulation. Accordingly, the regulation states, “Films, videos, and musical works that contain elements of crime and incitement to commit crime in terms of the indivisible integrity of the state with its territory and nation, national sovereignty, republic, national security, public order, public interest, public morality, and public health; that are contrary to foreign policy; and that are not in accordance with our national culture, customs, and traditions are not allowed to be shown or performed.” The film control commissions that had been established pursuant to the legislation made decisions on acceptance, rejection, or conditional acceptance for thousands of films regarding what should be included in a script or shown to the public.
