The Weft of Hope, the Warp of Pain: Remembrance and Collective Memory in the Film of Sen Türkülerini Söyle
This study explores the role of filmmakers as "witnesses" in contexts where collective memory is suppressed, remembrance is restricted, and victims struggle to make their voices heard. Grounded in the theoretical framework that considers remembrance not only as an individual but also as a social act, this research examines how directors function as alternative sources of memory beyond official narratives. The study posits that when filmmakers are regarded as "witnesses" and films are understood as acts of "testimony," two key questions emerge: what is transmitted from communicative memory to collective memory, and what films remember and remind audiences of. This study addresses these questions through an analysis of Sen Türkülerini Söyle, a seminal film that depicts the 1980 Turkish military coup. A hermeneutic analysis is employed to examine the film in relation to its depiction of the social and political transformations in post4September 12 Turkey, as well as its representations of victims of torture, exiles, those who remained silent, and those who adapted to the new regime. The protagonist’s most defining memory of the coup experience is torture, his solidarity with fellow prisoners, and the informant who betrayed him. The film's central message to the audience is encapsulated in the protagonist's words to his family before going into exile: that he has done nothing to be ashamed of.
Umudun Atkısı, Acının Çözgüsü: Sen Türkülerini Söyle Filminde Hatırlama ve Toplumsal Bellek
Bu çalışma, hatırlamanın yalnızca bireysel değil, aynı zamanda toplumsal bir etkinlik olduğu kuramsal çerçevesinden hareketle, toplumsal belleğin bastırıldığı, hatırlama yasaklarının konulduğu ve mağdurların sesini duyuramadığı du4 rumlarda, yönetmenlerin "tanık" olarak resmi bellekler dışındaki alternatif belleklerden biri olarak rolünü merkeze almaktadır. Yönetmen “tanık”, filmler de “tanıklık” olarak ele alındığında yönetmenlerin iletişimsel belleğinden toplumsal belleğe ne aktarılmaya çalışıldığı ve filmlerin neyi hatırladığı ve hatırlattığı sorusu, 12 Eylül dönemine ilişkin yapılan ilk filmlerden biri olan Sen Türkülerini Söyle üzerinden incelenmiştir. Hermeneutik analiz ile hatırlama kavramı çerçevesinde incelenen film, 12 Eylül sonrası Türkiye’deki değişimleri, işkence görenleri, sürgüne gidenleri, sessiz kalanları ve yeni düzene uyum sağlayanları resmetmektedir. Filmin ana karakterinin 12 Eylül deneyimiyle ilgili hatırladığı ana olgu işkencedir, kendisi gibi işkence gören mahkûm arkadaşlarıyla dayanışmasıdır, kendisini ele veren muhbirdir. Seyirciye hatırlattığı ana mesaj ise sürgüne giderken ailesine söylediği gibi utanılacak bir şey yapmadığıdır.
This study begins from the perspective that social frameworks of memory exist and that remembering is possible to the extent that individual thoughts are embedded within these frameworks and integrated into collective memory. Remembering is not merely an individual act but also a social issue. Social memory is not confined to the recording and transmission of historical events across generations; it is also a dynamic process that shapes how social groups perceive and recall the past. In this process, the transfer of individual memories, particularly those of victims, into collective memory is crucial for the fair remembrance of the past and the pursuit of social justice. When collective memory is suppressed and prohibitions on remembering are imposed, the voices of the victims are often silenced. In this context, "witnesses" play a vital role in contributing to the accurate remembrance of the past. History and memory can be viewed as two distinct yet mutually reinforcing ways of engaging with the past. Within this framework, witnesses become central figures in the interplay between memory and history. The military coup of September 12, 1980, represents a pivotal period in Turkey’s history, characterised by the imposition of an oppressive regime and the systematic elimination of resistance at the legal, political, and social levels. Cinema emerges as a critical tool in this context due to its potential to construct collective memory, bring Turkey’s troubled past to the forefront, and open it up for public discussion beyond the constraints of official ideology. This function of cinema is particularly significant in confronting and reconciling the past. Cinema serves not only to construct collective memory and create spaces of resistance to forgetting but also to reconstruct official memory and, at times, facilitate its erasure. When the directors of films about the September 12 military coup are witnesses of the period, each director represents a distinct memory of that era. In this sense, these films can be interpreted as efforts to transfer the directors’ communicative memories into the realm of collective memory. This study examines Şerif Gören, the director of one of the first films to address the September 12 military coup in Turkey, as a "witness." As a witness to September 12, the aim is to explore what Gören remembers and recounts about this period through Sen Türkülerini Söyle, one of his films that narrates his experiences during that time. As a director who experienced the social trauma of September 12 and conveyed this experience through cinema, this study seeks to analyse what Gören attempted to transfer from his communicative memory to his collective memory and how he recalled the events of September 12. The film is analysed through the lens of hermeneutic analysis and the concept of memory. The film depicts the transformations that occurred in Turkey following 12 September, portraying individuals who were tortured, those released from prison, those who went into exile, and those who succumbed to fear, silence, and adaptation to the new order. At the same time, it highlights those who underwent personal transformation and change. The protagonist of the film primarily remembers the torture he endured and the solidarity he shared with fellow prisoners who suffered similarly. He is also confronted with the figure of the informer, who betrays both others and himself. The central message he conveys to the audience is that he has nothing to be ashamed of, as he tells his family on his way to exile.
