In Memoriam | Muazzez İlmiye Çığ (1914– 2024)

Mavi Boncuk | Muazzez İlmiye Çığ (20 June 1914 – 17 November 2024) was a Turkish archaeologist, sumerologist, assyriologist, writer and supercentenarian who specialised in the study of Sumerian civilization.

MUAZZEZ İLMİYE ÇIĞ: Çığ, whose parents were Crimean Turks who immigrated to Turkey, was born in Bursa in 1914, a few weeks before the start of World War I. She began her education in the Hittitology department at Ankara University in 1936 and graduated in 1940. She specialized in the Sumerian, Assyrian and Hittite civilizations.

A world-famous archaeologist, linguist, historian and teacher, Çığ broke new ground with her research on the Sumerian civilization. She made significant contributions, especially in the deciphering and publication of the Sumerian tablets.

Çığ created an archive of cuneiform documents consisting of 74 thousand tablets and had 3 thousand tablets copied and published in catalog form. In the intervening years, thanks to her efforts in deciphering and publishing the tablets, the Museum became a center for learning Middle Eastern languages, attended by ancient history researchers from all over the world.

Profile | Jaklin Çelik

Mavi Boncuk | Jaklin Çelik

Born in Diyarbakır in 1968. She settled in Kumkapı, Istanbul with her family at a young age. She studied at the Surp Mesropyan Armenian Primary School in Gedikpaşa and the middle section of Çemberlitaş Girls High School. Later, she entered business life.

Her stories and interviews were published in magazines Öküz, Fesat, Varlık, Haliç Edebiyat, and her interviews were published in Cumhuriyet Magazine, Sky Life, Liderler and Finans Dünyası. 

She worked as the press and publication page editor for the Armenian-Turkish newspaper Agos [1] in Istanbul for one year. She published her articles in her column called “Keman Çalan Balıklar” (Fish Playing Violin). In 1999, she was selected as “remarkable” by entering the top four in the Yaşar Nabi Nayır Story Competition organized by Varlık Publications. 

In 2000, her first book, Kum Saatinde Kumkapı [2], was published by Aras Publications, which was later translated into English. The second book, The Way of the Snake, was published by Aras Publishing in 2003.

[1]  Agos was founded in 1996 by Hrant Dink and a group of his friends, in order to report the problems of the Armenians of Turkey to the public. It is the first newspaper in the Republican period to be published in Turkish and Armenian. Agos's editorial policy focuses on issues such as democratization, minority rights, coming to terms with the past, the protection and development of pluralism in Turkey. As a newspaper that has emerged from within the Armenian community of Turkey, Agos aims to further open its pages to the issues of Turkey and the world. As independent journalism and freedom of expression face increasing restriction in Turkey, Agos also acts as an independent platform for debate.

[2] Kum Saatinde Kumkapı | Kumkapı in the Hourglass

Jaklin Çelik takes us on an emotional and lively journey into the people, houses, streets and past of Kumkapı, the historical district of Istanbul.

The tiles that had been asleep for years resisted the blows, they became even tighter together. Happiness became sadness, experiences became unlived, days became weeks, months became years, never letting go of each other. It wasn’t long before they lowered the terrace down. The bay-windowed floor no longer had a ceiling. The four walls were completely exposed. Are only people ashamed of their nakedness that shouldn’t be ashamed of, aren’t houses ashamed? Don’t objects have any value in us?

In Kumkapı, Jaklin Çelik takes us on an emotional and vivid journey into the people, houses, streets and past of Kumkapı, the historical district of Istanbul. These stories, which tell of the struggle for life, the texture of the city, different identities and intersecting lives, are the first products and first excitements of Çelik’s literary adventure…

ISBN 9789750531903
First Published- October 202

108 pages 

House for Rent

The young woman stopped in front of the wooden house with bay windows. She looked up and down the four-story building. The child she was holding was so tiny in front of the two-winged wooden door. The woman thought, “This is probably it.” She pulled the rope next to the door twice and then let it go; the bell struck three or four times. The child stared at the rope, but despite all her efforts, she could not see the bell that made the sound. The young woman quickly put her clothes back on. She checked to see if the handkerchief in the child’s pocket was still there. “If your nose runs, wipe it, girl, okay?” The child nodded as if to say, “Okay.” She put her hand in her pocket and held on tightly to her handkerchief. In no time, the wide, huge wooden door opened with a “shlink” and then a “shlank” sound. The rope hanging from the hole in the ceiling was connected to the latch of the lock on the opening wing of the door. Thus, when the rope was pulled from above, the iron latch would be released from the rail on the fixed wing of the door and opened wide. The child felt the cool air hitting his face when the door opened, the view he saw was mesmerizing. His mother stepped into the high-ceilinged marble stony place and slowly pushed the wooden door back into place. This time the door closed with a “slap” sound. Two wooden staircases on the right and left led up to the first floor. The two stone steps in front of them led down to a two-square-meter landing with two wooden doors, two small compartments on the right and left. These compartments, which were previously used as bathrooms, were made using the stairwell and were now used as woodsheds. The footsteps of someone slowly descending the stairs were heard. “The landlord, I guess,” the woman thought. When they descended to the second large stony place with a single step, the child slowly wriggled out of his mother’s hands and headed toward the garden door on the far left. The sunlight was hitting his face along with the smell of humidity inside. Immediately to the left, a colorful plate caught his eye on the spider-infested stone shelf on the wall. When he reached out to pick it up, the plate had already fallen to the ground. From behind, an old, low, high-pitched voice said, “Don’t touch it, look what you’ve done!” When she shouted, the first thing the child saw was the embarrassed expression on his mother’s face. The young woman bit her lower lip, picked up the plate from the floor and carefully placed it on the shelf, on the clean circle among the dust. When the little boy looked into the eyes of the old woman who owned the voice, he didn’t like her facial expression at all, as much as her voice. The woman’s body was rigid under her light-colored dressing gown, her hands were shaking. He understood that this woman with snow-white hair and cotton skin didn’t like him very much. She had already made it abundantly clear. The old woman turned to the young woman who had come to rent the house and said, “I don’t want a family with children in my house,” in one fell swoop. There was no accusation in the young woman’s facial expression against her child who was clinging to her skirt anymore. The old woman definitely didn’t want children in her house. Any attempt to convince her would be in vain. How could she say that her two other children wanted to come with her and that she had left them at home out of shame in the face of this harsh outburst? The short silence was broken by the sound of slippers coming down the wooden steps. “Digin Azat, ur es?”1 “Hos em Kayane, yegur!”2 The child opened his eyes wide. He listened to the footsteps. Someone speaking a language he did not understand was getting closer. Before the face of this second old woman, he fixed his eyes on her black fishnet slippers. Kayane turned to Azat and asked in the accent of the Armenians of Istanbul, “They came for the house?” Azat only said, “Well…” with an air of dissatisfaction. After receiving this answer, Kayane asked the young woman, “Are you a man?”. Startled, he immediately began to correct his question. “So are you Armenian, I meant…” The young woman seemed a little annoyed by this question. “My husband is a man, I am an Assyrian.” This time the eyes of the two old women opened wide. Two pairs of astonished eyes stared at the young woman. Kayane asked, “Are you baptized too?” “Of course, like all Christians.” The young woman who came to rent the house was surprised by this question that she could not understand, and was looking at the two old women. Kayane pulled herself together immediately. “Forgive our ignorance, my daughter. Neither Azat nor I have met a Syriac before. Is the boy yours?” The tense atmosphere softened a little with this question. “Not a boy, a girl,” said the young woman. Kayane’s eyes were moist behind her pince-nez glasses. When she approached the child and kissed her on the cheeks, the smell of humidity in the stony place was overpowered by the smell of naphthalene and garlic. She turned to the young woman: “Are there any other children?” The young woman answered in an instant, “There is a girl older than this and a boy in the house.” Kayane turned to Azat and said, “Azat ka!  Our house will be joyful!” Azat looked at Kayane’s face expressionlessly. He was angry. The young woman quickly began to list the good qualities of her children. At that moment, the little girl took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her nose that was not running. As she did this, she looked the shrill-voiced old woman in the eye. The landlady, Azat Hanım, reluctantly agreed to rent her house to a family with three children. Then she began to list her conditions one by one. “The stairs and the stony area will be wiped every week. The wooden cloth will be wrung out well. If the cloth remains wet, the stairs will rot because they are wooden, and the floor of the stony area is marble so they will turn into mud when stepped on. The windows of the stony area facing the street will be wiped once a month and the spiders will be removed. No closing the door quickly. The children will go up and down the steps slowly. No using my house like a street! Other than that, we can talk once we settle down. There’s not much I can think of right now…” Kayane turned and said with a slightly embarrassed expression, “Don’t scare the girl so much, she’ll think you hired a maid.” Azat glared at Kayane. The young woman immediately jumped in. “Okay, I accept.” Kayane was relieved. Naturally, no one knew about what would happen that day. How could it be? Who could have known that five years later, this young woman whom old Azat was speaking to so gruffly would adopt; that the young woman would live in that house for thirty years and that she would not want to sell the house she inherited just because of her memories of Azat. The easiest guess for that day was; It was that Azat and the little girl would never warm up to each other. And even as the step-grandmother spent her last days in the hospital bed, those first unnamed glances would never be erased from the child’s memory. Kayane, on the other hand, would receive the answer to the question she asked her beloved little one, “Will you forget me if I die?” more than enough after her untimely death. None of them knew all of this that day… The little girl could now go out into the garden. But the first step she took over the threshold stirred that shrill, old voice once again: “Don’t step on those places! You’ll bring the mud in!”

Öküz, August 22, 1996

Kiralık Ev

Genç kadın, cumbalı ahşap evin önünde durdu. Dört katlı binayı aşağıdan yukarıya süzdü. Elini tuttuğu çocuk, iki kanatlı tahta kapının önünde ufacık kalıyordu. Kadın, “Herhalde burası,” diye düşündü. Kapının yanındaki ipi iki defa çekip bıraktı; çıngırak üç-dört defa vurdu. Çocuk, gözlerini ipe dikti, bütün çabalarına rağmen sesi çıkaran çıngırağı göremedi. Alelacele üstüne başına son bir çekidüzen verdi genç kadın. Çocuğun cebindeki mendilin yerinde durup durmadığını kontrol etti. “Burnun akarsa sil kızım, olur mu?” Çocuk “olur” dercesine başını salladı. Elini cebine sokup mendilini sıkı sıkıya tuttu. Çok geçmeden, geniş, kocaman tahta kapı önce “şlink” sonra “şlank” sesiyle aralandı. Tavandaki delikten sarkan ip, kapının açılan kanadındaki kilidin diline bağlıydı. 

Böylelikle, ip yukarıdan çekildiğinde, demir dil kapının sabit kanadı üzerindeki raydan kurtulup ardına dek açılıyordu. Çocuk, kapı açıldığında yüzüne vuran serin havayı hissetti, gördüğü manzara büyüleyiciydi. Annesi, yüksek tavanlı mermer taşlığa adımını attı, tahta kapıyı yavaşça yerine itti. Bu defa kapı “şlank” sesiyle kapandı. Sağlı sollu iki tahta merdiven yukarıya, birinci kata çıkıyordu. Önlerinde duran iki taş basamak, iki metrekarelik, sağında ve solunda iki küçük bölmenin bulunduğu iki tahta kapılı sahanlığa iniyordu. Daha önce banyo olarak kullanılan bu bölmeler, merdiven boşluğundan yararlanılarak yapılmıştı ve şimdi odunluk olarak kullanılıyorlardı. Merdivenlerden ağır ağır inen birinin ayak sesleri duyuldu. “Ev sahibi herhalde,” diye düşündü kadın. Tek basamakla ikinci büyük taşlığa indiklerinde, çocuk usulca annesinin elinden sıyrılıp sol dip kısımdaki bahçe kapısına yöneldi. Güneş ışıkları içerideki nem kokusuyla birlikte yüzüne vuruyordu. Hemen solda, duvarın üzerindeki örümcek tutmuş taş rafta renkli bir tabak ilişti gözüne. 

Elini uzatıp almak istediğinde tabak yere düşmüştü bile. Arkadan, yaşlı, kısık, tiz bir ses, “Dokunma ona, bak ne yaptın!” diye bağırdığında, çocuğun ilk gördüğü, annesinin yüzündeki o mahcup ifade oldu. Genç kadın alt dudağını ısırarak, tabağı yerden aldı ve rafa, tozların arasındaki temiz kalmış dairenin üzerine özenle yerleştirdi. Küçük çocuk, sesin sahibi yaşlı kadınla göz göze geldiğinde, sesi gibi yüz ifadesi de hiç hoşuna gitmedi. Kadının açık renk sabahlığının altındaki vücudu kaskatı kesilmiş, elleri titriyordu. Bembeyaz saçlı, pamuk tenli bu kadının, kendisinden pek hoşlanmadığını anlamıştı. Zaten bunu fazlasıyla belli de etmişti. Yaşlı kadın evi kiralamak için gelen genç kadına dönüp, “Ben evimde çocuklu aile istemiyorum,” dedi bir çırpıda. 

Genç kadının yüz ifadesinde, eteğine yapışmış duran çocuğuna karşı bir suçlama yoktu artık. Yaşlı kadın evinde kesinlikle çocuk istemiyordu. Onu ikna etme girişimleri bosuna olacaktı. Bu sert çıkış karşısında, iki çocuğunun daha kendisiyle gelmek istediğini, utanma belasına onları evde bıraktığını nasıl söyleyebilirdi... Kısa süren sessizliği, tahta basamaklardan aşağı inmekte olan terlik sesleri bozdu. “Digin Azat, ur es?”1 “Hos em Kayane, yegur!”2 Çocuk, gözlerini fal taşı gibi açtı. Ayak seslerini dinledi. Anlamadığı bir lisan konuşan biri giderek yaklaşıyordu. Bu ikinci yaşlı kadının suratından önce siyah file terliklerine dikti gözlerini. Kayane, Azat’a dönerek, İstanbul Ermenilerinin şivesiyle, “Ev için geldiler?” diye sordu. Azat memnuniyetsizlik belirten bir edayla, “E he...” demekle yetindi. Kayane bu cevabı aldıktan sonra genç kadına, “Haysınız?”3 dedi. Şaşalayarak sorusunu düzeltmeye koyuldu hemen. “Yani Ermeni misiniz, demek istedim...” 

Genç kadın bu sorudan biraz sıkılmış gibiydi. “Kocam Hay, ben Süryaniyim.” Bu defa iki yaşlı kadının gözleri fal taşı gibi açıldı. Şaşkın bakan iki çift göz genç kadına dikildi. Kayane, “Siz de vaftiz oluyorsunuz?” diye sordu. “Tabii ki, bütün Hıristiyanlar gibi.” Evi kiralamaya gelen genç kadın, anlam veremediği bu soruya şaşırmış, iki yaşlı kadına bakıyordu. Kayane kendini hemen toparladı. “Bilgisizliğimizi bağışla kızım. Azat da, ben de daha önce bir Süryani’yle tanışmamıştık. Oğlan senindir?” 

Gerginleşen ortam bu soruyla biraz yumuşamıştı. “Oğlan değil, kız,” dedi genç kadın. Kayane’nin kelebek gözlüklerinin arkasındaki gözleri nemliydi. Çocuğa yaklaşıp onu yanaklarından öptüğünde, taşlıktaki nem kokusunu naftalin ve sarmısak kokusu bastırdı. Genç kadına döndü: “Başka çocuk var mı?” Genç kadın bir çırpıda, “Bundan büyük bir kız, bir de oğlan var evde,” diye yanıtladı. Kayane, Azat’a döndü, “Azat ka!4 Desene evimiz şenlenecek!” dedi. Azat ifadesiz baktı Kayane’nin suratına. Sinirlenmişti. Genç kadın çabucak çocuklarının iyi özelliklerini saymaya başladı. 

O sıra küçük kız cebinden mendilini çıkarıp akmayan burnunu sildi. Bunu yaparken, tiz sesli yaşlı kadının gözlerinin içine içine bakıyordu. Ev sahibesi Azat Hanım evini üç çocuklu bir aileye kiralamaya gönülsüzce razı oldu. Ardından, şartlarını bir bir sıralamaya başladı. “Her hafta merdivenler ve taşlık silinecek. Tahta bezi iyice sıkılacak. Bez sulu kalırsa merdivenler tahta olduğu için çürür, taşlığın zemini de mermer olduğu için üzerlerine basıldığında çamur olur. Taşlığın sokağa bakan camları ayda bir kez silinecek, örümcekler alınacak. Kapıyı hızlı kapatmak yok. Çocuklar basamakları yavaş inip çıkacaklar. Evimi sokak gibi kullanmak yok! Onun dışında hele bir yerleşin de konuşuruz. Şimdi aklıma pek fazla bir şey gelmiyor...” Kayane döndü, biraz mahcup bir ifadeyle, “Kızı bu kadar korkutma, eve hizmetçi aldığını zannedecek,” dedi. Azat ters ters baktı Kayane’ye. Genç kadın hemen atıldı. 

“Tamam, kabul ediyorum.” Kayane rahatlamıştı. O gün, doğal olarak, ileride olacaklardan hiç kimsenin haberi yoktu. Nasıl olabilirdi ki? Kim bilebilirdi, yaşlı Azat’ın tersleyerek konuştuğu bu genç kadını beş yıl sonra evlat edineceğini; genç kadının otuz yıl boyunca o evde oturacağını, kendisine miras kalan evi sırf Azat’a bağlı anılarından dolayı satmak istemeyeceğini. O gün için kestirmesi en kolay olan; Azat ile küçük kızın birbirlerine hiçbir zaman ısınamayacaklarıydı. Ve üvey anneanne hastane yatağında son günlerini geçirirken bile, adı konulmadık o ilk bakışmalar çocuğun hafızasından sonsuza dek silinmeyecekti. Kayane ise çok sevdiği ufaklığa sorduğu, “Ben ölürsem beni unutur musun?” sorusunun yanıtını zamansız ölümünden sonra fazlasıyla alacaktı. Bütün bunları o gün hiçbiri bilmiyordu... Küçük kız artık bahçeye çıkabilirdi. Fakat eşikten dışarı attığı ilk adım, o tiz, yaşlı sesi yine harekete geçirdi: “Basma oralara! Çamuru içeri getireceksin!” 

Öküz, 22 Ağustos 1996

1 (Erm.) “Azat Hanım, neredesin?” 

2 (Erm.) “Buradayım Kayane, gel!” 

3 [=Hay mısınız? =Ermeni misiniz?] Ermenicede “mi/mu” gibi soru ekleri olmadığı için sorular ses tonu değiştirilerek sorulur. Kayane’nin sorusu Türkçeyle harmanlanarak konuşulan İstanbul ağzına güzel bir örnek oluşturuyor.

4 İstanbul Ermenicesinde, kadınlara yönelik, “be, ayol” anlamında hitap.

Öfkenin Şenliği |The Festival of Anger

Jaklin Çelik

He had returned to Istanbul, to his street and house that he had not visited for years, to bury an old ghost. In his pocket; a lock of hair of a little boy who was separated from his mother and siblings in Harput, now wanting to return to his owner and land, placed between an old newspaper…

EXCERPT " On the “Night of Weeping” before Easter, at one point during the “Lord, Have Mercy” prayer, which was sung forty times in succession, one of the deacons gave a hard kick to a rat that he had been following with his eyes for a while. “Lord, Have Mercy” was on its twenty-second repetition between his lips, and the rat hit the Orthodox cross carved into the marble of the altar and lay down on the carpet. A thin, feeble “squeak!” sound was heard. The full moon, with its light reflecting from the windows, was licking the pain that had infused into the lines under the eyes in the painting depicting the severed head of John the Baptist dripping with blood. A tremor was felt in the strong voice of the choir. The abbot quickly gathered the other voices that had been torn away from his voice like a shell and scattered around his own voice. The deacon could not help himself with his killing instinct, and did what should not be done among those who were on their knees, stood up and killed the rat at the cost of violating church laws. As he returned to the others, a question mark appeared on their moonlit faces. His voice was louder."

Sarhoşların Perşembesi | Drunkards' Thursday

Jaklin Çelik tells the story of the desperation of being stuck in limbo, the sign language of the poor, and the hidden wine cellars that stand like a borderline in the middle of life, with a heart-touching, ingratiating and delicate style.

EXCERPT "The man who stuck his head out of the window of his car called out to the puny dog ​​who narrowly escaped getting under the wheel:

“Look ahead, animal!” The puny dog ​​could not look ahead, not even at the ground or the sky, because he was blind. He dragged his body, which blindness had weakened and rendered defenseless, through the irregular flow of traffic, to the pavement and with difficulty left it at the foot of the wall. His tongue was out, his breath was ragged. A little ahead, a woman with “For the love of God” written in crooked letters on a piece of cardboard in front of her, her feet were gathered under her skirt, and the expectation of the income needed to leave this country as soon as possible had settled in her eyes by the end of the day. Her black eyes with long eyelashes that crowned her thin cheekbones and resented her eyeliner were anxious about making contact with people, fixed on a point far from the shame of her open palm. It was as if she had extended a hand entrusted to her to beg. He glanced at the dog out of the corner of his eye; soon the boy from his hometown who had adopted him would also appear from somewhere; it always happened like this."

Sami Şekeroğlu Article by Atilla Dorsay

Mavi Boncuk |

Sami Şekeroğlu Article by Atilla Dorsay[1]

The death of a cinema enthusiast and what it evoked

November 29, 20245

Apart from obituaries, it was never mentioned in the written press or in the culture hours of TV. However, from a comprehensive perspective, today, a significant part of the films before Yeşilçam, during and after it, became ours thanks to Sami Şekeroğlu

Sami Şekeroğlu also died. Of course, those who know him know that; when it comes to the Seventh Art, it is not only those who think of the bright past of cinema art, its attractive stars, its genius creators... He was a person who devoted himself to it and as a result, made a great contribution to it becoming the Seventh Art.

Sami Şekeroğlu was one of those exceptional people. If we start with the classic biographical information... He was born in Elazığ in 1937 (two years older than me). He graduated from the State Fine Arts Academy (later Mimar Sinan University), which was also known as the one I studied at, in the Painting Department (I studied in the Architecture Department). There, he took lessons from names such as Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Ahmet Kutsi Tecer (who was also my teacher), and Ali Avni Çelebi. He met names such as Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca and Abdi İpekçi and wrote articles for Yön Magazine.

A period of discussion

As I wrote in my main biography titled Bir Ömürden Seçilmiş Tablolar: Şekeroğlu, who founded the first cinema club of our country, Kulüp Sinema 7, and the Turkish Film Archive affiliated with it, gathered all the films he could find with the support of the university and established a real Cinematheque. In those years when concepts such as National Cinema, socialist cinema, and Islamic cinema were intensely discussed, there was the Turkish Cinematheque Association, of which dear Onat Kutlar was among the founders.

We, the youth of the period (we are talking about the end of the 60s), of course stood by Onat and the Sinematek Association: Leftism required this due to the times!.. But we understood, albeit late, that the real universal Sinematek concept was what Şekeroğlu did. Why did we realize later that he had protected and preserved so many films and restored them whenever he had the chance? Many years later, when I started my book 100 Turkish Films of 100 Years for the 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema, I again referred to Şekeroğlu’s institution that has now settled in our collective memory. Here is the section from the long INTRODUCTION text at the beginning of that book where I once again mention Şekeroğlu:

From the preface of a book

“When I set out to write the book, I had said that I first took refuge in the memories of my past experiences watching Turkish films. But the most important thing was undoubtedly to find and watch the films of the past. This required a lot of effort. Because most of them were lost, there was very little chance of reaching the ones that were not lost. And from my perspective, since we decided to publish the book at the beginning of 2014, time was very short and precious. But I found and received the necessary help. I would like to gratefully remember those who provided this help. First of all, two institutions: as I have explained before, he founded a modest school archive in the 1960s, which later became the unofficial (actually somewhat official) Cinematheque of our cinema, which for years collected our old films, regardless of whether they were negative or positive, wherever he found them and put them in the archive; preserved them as a meticulous, passionate and mysterious archivist; repaired them when he found the financial means... Prof. Dr. Sami Şekeroğlu and the institution that eventually bore his name: Mimar Sinan University Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu Cinema-TV Center. Which is now in the safe hands of its new director Prof. Asiye Korkmaz and her friends.

 I received great help from this institution and its directors. And they provided a significant portion of the films I wanted. Thank them, may they live long.”

My endless gratitude to him

I was going to thank Sami Şekeroğlu again for the repair problems as follows:

“If we come to perhaps the most important aspect of the subject… I believe that all the events to be held this year for the 100th anniversary of our cinema will ultimately undertake an important task. Maybe I am being overly optimistic, but let it be. In my opinion, all these events (shows to be held by some institutions throughout the year, possible publications, panels and discussions, special sections at festivals, etc.) will ultimately create such public interest that the repair of at least some prominent important films (and even the search and finding of copies) will come to the agenda. And there will be a serious chance to save these films.

The real home of the work, Mimar Sinan University Cinema-TV Center, is already preparing for a magnificent mass show. The head of the institution, Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu, told me that they now want to carry out the repairs on a larger scale. For this, they have purchased a state-of-the-art film repair device from outside. With the meticulous contribution of young expert students and the device in their hands, we all watched as a very old newsreel was cleaned of stains and scratches as much as possible. Thus, these repairs and digital transfers can now be carried out here in the best way possible. Moreover, it is within the institution where our films are archived and preserved in the most extensive way.

A period of debate

I wrote in my main biography titled Selected Paintings from a Lifetime: Şekeroğlu, who founded our country’s first cinema club, Kulüp Sinema 7, and the Turkish Film Archive affiliated with it, gathered all the films he could find, with the support of the university, and established a real Cinematheque. In those years when concepts such as National Cinema, socialist cinema, and Islamic cinema were intensely discussed, there was the Turkish Cinematheque Association, of which dear Onat Kutlar was one of the founders.

We, the youth of the period (we are talking about the end of the 60s), of course stood by Onat and the Cinematheque Association: The period required this, leftism required it!.. But we understood, albeit late, that the real universal Cinematheque concept was what Şekeroğlu did. We later realized why he had taken so many films under his protection, stored them, and restored them whenever he had the chance. Many years later, when I began my book 100 Turkish Films of 100 Years for the 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema, I had again referred to Şekeroğlu’s institution that has now settled in our collective memory. Here is the section from the long INTRODUCTION in the introduction of that book where I once again mention Şekeroğlu:

From the foreword of a book

“When I set out to write the book, I had said that I first took refuge in the memories of my past experiences watching Turkish films. But undoubtedly the most important thing was to find and watch the films of the past. This required a lot of effort. Because most of them were lost, and there was very little chance of reaching the ones that were not lost. And from my perspective, since we decided to publish the book at the very beginning of 2014, time was very short and precious.

 But I found and received the necessary help. I would like to gratefully commemorate those who provided this help. First of all, two institutions: As I have explained before, the modest school archive he founded in the 1960s, which later became the unofficial (actually somewhat official) Cinematheque of our cinema, which for years preserved our old films, regardless of whether they were negative or positive, wherever he found them and archived them; as a meticulous, passionate and mysterious archivist; repairing when financial means are available... Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu, who tried to do what French Henri Langlois, the pioneer and creator of the Cinematheque concept in the world, did within the modest conditions of our country, and the institution that finally bears his name: Mimar Sinan University Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu Cinema-TV Center. Which is now in the safe hands of its new director Prof. Asiye Korkmaz and her friends.

I received great help from this institution and its directors. And they provided a significant portion of the films I wanted. May they live long.”

My endless gratitude to him

I was going to thank Sami Şekeroğlu again for the repair problems as follows:

“If we come to perhaps the most important aspect of the subject... I believe that all the events to be held this year for the 100th anniversary of our cinema will ultimately undertake an important task. Maybe I am being overly optimistic, but never mind. In my opinion, all these activities (shows to be held by some institutions throughout the year, possible publications, panels and discussions, special sections at festivals, etc.) will eventually create such public interest that the restoration of at least some important films (or even the search for copies) will be on the agenda. And there will be a serious chance to save these films.

The real home of the business, Mimar Sinan University Cinema-TV Center, is already preparing for a magnificent mass show. The head of the institution, Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu, told me that they now want to carry out the repairs on a larger scale. For this, they have purchased a state-of-the-art film repair device from outside. With the meticulous contribution of the young expert students and the device in their hands, we all watched as a very old newsreel was cleaned of stains and scratches as much as possible. Thus, these repairs and digital transfers can now be carried out in the best way here. Moreover, it is within the institution itself where our films are most extensively archived and preserved.

Groupama’s Contribution

And I continued:

“Şekeroğlu is particularly happy about the collaboration with the foreign institution Groupama. This large international insurance company has been one of the leading supporters of French Cinema since 1987 through its Gan Cinema Foundation. I think it does the same thing in Turkey, where it has a large business volume, and since 2008, it has been running a project called Turkish Classics Again at the International Istanbul Film Festival. Starting from that year, the films Bereketli Topraklar Ötesi, Vurun Kahpeye, Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım, Üç Arkadaş, Gurbet Kuşları, Vesikalı Yarim were repaired. For the current year of 2014, the film Muhsin Bey was selected. As can be seen, almost all of them are important films that are included in this book.

The group is now carrying out this effort, which it started with Fono Film, at the Sami Şekeroğlu Cinema-TV Center. And the results are extremely successful. Sami Bey explains that they selected the films in cooperation with İKSV and that the repair took several months. In addition, the method of this repair is explained in detail before the credits of each film. I do not want to repeat it here. But I must say that it was a difficult, delicate and expensive job. The result is magnificent. An oldest film is reborn from its ashes, gaining the immortality of digital technology. And an important page from both our national culture and social history is revived.”

That is such a life

That is such a life...There are few things more important and honorable than this!.. That is why his death was a bitter surprise for us. We came together at the small but very cute Afet Yolal Foundation Mosque in Levent. It was relatively crowded; but in my opinion, it was insufficient... There were actually more cinema and art people there that I would have liked to see...

Similarly, the public reflection of his death was also insufficient. Apart from the obituaries, he was never mentioned in the written press or during the culture hours of TV. However, from a comprehensive perspective, today, a significant part of the films he made before Yeşilçam, during and after it, became ours thanks to him. I tried to see his family, especially his two daughters; but I couldn't. What can be said, after that classic saying: May God have mercy on his soul...

________________________________________

[1] Who is Atilla Dorsay?

Atilla Dorsay was born in Karşıyaka, İzmir in 1939. His childhood was spent during the difficult war years. He remembers that everything was bought with ration cards, the war news broadcast on the radio and the films about war that were his first cinema experiences.

When he was 10, his family migrated to Istanbul just to send him to Galatasaray High School. Thus, he was raised with French culture.

He studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts (now Mimar Sinan University). He says that he owes his aesthetic perspective, which he has preserved under all circumstances in life, to this foundation.

He worked as a guide, journalist and critic.

He continued his writings in Cumhuriyet newspaper, which he started in 1966, for 27 years.

He married Leman Dorsay during this period. He had two children and three grandchildren.

In the following years, he left Cumhuriyet of his own volition. For a short time, he continued as a magazine writer in Milliyet, which he still continues.

He experienced the joy of creating a brand new newspaper in Yeni Yüzyıl. Later, he continued in Sabah newspaper. He left here, in his own words, "with a principled attitude": In one of his articles, he said, "Emek Yok Yok Ben Yokum" to keep a promise he had made to his readers about Emek cinema.

Dorsay has been writing for T24 since 2013, which he points out with the words "Free, free, without any restrictions on subject, place or time... But now without a salary!.. And very soon it will be ten years..."

Dorsay has made efforts in many areas related to culture and arts. He worked at İKSV and was a member of the Istanbul Cinema Festival staff for years. He presented countless celebrities from all over the world at press conferences, gave interviews and took their photographs.

He both produced weekly music programs and presented films on TRT. Especially in 1995, when the 100th anniversary of cinema was celebrated, and afterwards, he introduced countless classics together with young colleagues such as Murat Özer, Alin Taşçıyan and Müjde Işıl.

He founded the Cinema Writers Association (SİYAD) and served as its president for many years. He presented award nights with carefully selected presenters and musicians. Again in his own words; "when the time came, he did not neglect to leave all these duties to his young friends."

Dorsay's greatest productions are his books. He has collected all the films he has criticized since the 1970s, classified as Turkish and foreign cinema, in many books. These books are an inventory of the last 50 years.

He also wrote about Istanbul, Beyoğlu, urban planning; biographies (especially Türkan Şoray and Yılmaz Güney), interviews, travel notes, stories, and even poems.

He published a work in which he presented his interest in music with a magnificent archive. This book, published under the title Ne Şurup Şeker Şarkılardi Onlar, tells the history of 20th century pop music.

His book, Arguments, Polemics, Fights, was published in September 2022.

The number of his books has now exceeded 60, but he has countless other projects. T24 Articles - Towards the Pandemic Days: Art and Politics met with the reader in October 2023, "Unutulmaz İnsanmızla Konuşlar" and "Benim '6 Silahşörler'im" met with the reader in 2024. Many more will follow. As he said, "God willing!"

 

 

Bir sinema tutkulusunun ölümü ve düşündürdükleri

Ölüm ilanlarının dışında ne yazılı basında ne de TV’lerin kültür saatlerinde hiç anılmadı. Oysa kapsayıcı bir bakışla, bugün Yeşilçam öncesi, kendisi ve sonrasındaki onca filmin önemli bir bölümü, bugün Sami Şekeroğlu sayesinde bizim olmuştu

Sami Şekeroğlu da öldü. Onu elbette bilenler bilir; sinema sanatının o parlak geçmişini, çekici yıldızlarını, dahi yaratıcılarını, Yedinci Sanat denince tek akla getirenler değil... Kendisini ona adamış ve sonuç olarak gerçekten Yedinci Sanat olmasına büyük katkısı olmuş bir insandı.    

Sami Şekeroğlu işte o müstesna kişilerden biriydi. Klasik biyografik bilgilerden başlarsak… 1937’de (benden iki yaş büyük) Elazığ’da doğmuş. Benim de okuduğum o dönemki adıyla Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi’ni (sonrasının Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi) Resim bölümünde olmak üzere bitirmiş (ben mimarlık bölümünde okumuştum.) Orada Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Ahmet Kutsi Tecer (benim de hocamdı), Ali Avni Çelebi gibi isimlerden ders almış. Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca, Abdi İpekçi gibi isimlerle tanışarak Yön Dergisi'nde yazılar yazmış.

 Sami Şekeroğlu

Bir tartışma dönemi

Bir Ömürden Seçilmiş Tablolar adlı esas biyografimde yazmışımdır: Ülkemizin ilk sinema kulübü olan Kulüp Sinema 7 ve ona bağlı olan Türk Film Arşivi’ni kuran Şekeroğlu, üniversiteyi arkasına alarak bulabildiği tüm filmleri toplamış ve gerçek bir Sinematek kurmuştu. Ulusal Sinema, toplumcu sinema, İslami sinema gibi kavramların yoğun biçimde tartışıldığı o yıllarda, sevgili Onat Kutlar’ın da kurucuları arasında olduğu Türk Sinematek Derneği vardı.

Biz dönem gençleri (60’ların sonundan söz ediyoruz) elbette Onat’ın ve Sinematek Derneği’nin yanında yer almıştık: Dönem gereği, solculuk bunu gerektiriyordu!.. Ama asıl evrensel Sinematek kavramının Şekeroğlu’nun yaptığı iş olduğunu geç de olsa anladık.  Onca filmi koruması altına alıp sakladığı ve fırsat buldukça onardığını neden sonra fark etmiştik. Uzun yıllar sonra, ben Türk sinemasının 100. yılı için 100 Yılın 100 Türk Filmi kitabıma giriştiğimde, yine Şekeroğlu’nun o artık ortak belleğe yerleşmiş kurumuna başvurmuştum. İşte o kitabın girişindeki uzun SUNUŞ yazısından yine Şekeroğlu’nu andığım bölüm:

Bir kitabın önsözünden

“Kitabı yazmaya koyulurken, öncelikle geçmiş Türk filmleri izleme deneylerimin anılarına sığındığımı söylemiştim. Ama kuşkusuz en önemlisi, geçmişin filmlerini bulup izlemekti. Bunun için de hayli çaba göstermek gerekiyordu. Çünkü bunların büyük bölümü kayıptı, kayıp olmayanlara ulaşma şansı çok azdı. Ve de benim açımdan, kitabı 2014’ün hemen başlarında çıkarmaya karar verdiğimiz için, zaman çok az ve değerliydi.

Ama gereken yardımı buldum ve de aldım. Bu yardımı yapanları minnetle anmak istiyorum. Başta iki kurum: daha önce anlattığım gibi 1960’larda alçakgönüllü bir okul arşivi olarak kurduğu, sonra sinemamızın gayriresmi (aslında biraz da resmi) Sinematek’ine dönüşen, yıllar boyu eski filmlerimizi negatif-pozitif demeden nerede bulursa alıp arşive koyan; titiz, tutkulu ve gizemli bir arşivci olarak koruyan; maddi imkânlar bulduğunda onartan... Dünya üzerinde Sinematek kavramının öncüsü ve yaratıcısı Fransız Henri Langlois’nın yaptığını ülkemizin mütevazı koşulları içinde yerine getirmeye çalışan Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu ve onun sonunda kendi adını taşıyan kurumu: Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu Sinema-TV Merkezi. Ki şimdilerde yeni yöneticisi Prof. Asiye Korkmaz ve arkadaşlarının emin ellerindedir.

Bu kurumdan ve yöneticilerinden büyük yardım gördüm. Ve istediğim filmlerin önemli bölümünü sağladılar. Sağ olsunlar, var olsunlar.”

Ona olan bitmeyen teşekkürüm

Onarım sorunları için yine Sami Şekeroğlu’na şöyle teşekkür edecektim:

“Konunun belki en önemli yanına gelirsek… Ben bu yıl sinemamızın 100. yılı dolayısıyla yapılacak olan tüm etkinliklerin, sonuç olarak önemli bir işi yükleneceğine inanıyorum. Belki aşırı iyimserim, ama olsun. Bana göre, tüm bu etkinlikler (kimi kurumların yıl boyu yapacakları gösteriler, olası yayınlar, panel ve tartışmalar, festivallerde özel bölümler, vs.) sonuç olarak öyle bir kamuoyu ilgisi yaratacak ki, en azından önde gelen kimi önemli filmlerin onarımı (hatta kopyaların aranıp bulunması) gündeme gelecek. Ve bu filmleri kurtarmak için ciddi bir şans doğacak.

İşin asıl yuvalarından Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi Sinema-TV Merkezi, zaten görkemli bir toplu gösteriye hazırlanıyor. Kurumun başındaki Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu, bana artık onarımları da daha büyük ölçekte gerçekleştirme arzusunda olduklarını söyledi. Bunun için, dışardan en gelişmiş bir film onarım cihazı almışlar. Genç uzman öğrenciler ve ellerindeki cihazın özenli katkısıyla, hep birlikte çok eski bir haber filminin lekelerden ve çiziklerden olabildiğince temizlenmesini izledik. Böylece artık bu onarım ve dijitale aktarma işlemleri, burada en iyi biçimde yapılabiliyor. Üstelik zaten filmlerimizin en geniş biçimde arşivlenip korunduğu kurumun kendi bünyesinde.

Groupama’nın Katkısı

Ve şöyle devam ediyordum:

“Şekeroğlu özellikle Groupama adlı yabancı kurumla iş birliğinden son derece mutlu. Bu büyük uluslararası sigorta şirketi, bünyesindeki Gan Sinema Vakfı aracılığıyla 1987 yılından bu yana Fransız Sineması’nın önde gelen destekçilerinden biri olmuş. Aynı şeyi, sanırım büyük bir iş hacmine sahip olduğu Türkiye’de yapıyor ve 2008 yılından beri, Uluslararası İstanbul Film Festivali’nde Türk Klasikleri Yeniden adlı bir proje yürütüyor. O yıldan başlayarak Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde, Vurun Kahpeye, Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım, Üç Arkadaş, Gurbet Kuşları, Vesikalı Yarim filmleri onarıldı. İçinde bulunduğumuz 2014 yılı içinse Muhsin Bey filmi seçildi. Görüldüğü gibi, hemen hepsi bu kitaba da giren önemli filmler.

Grup Fono Film’le başladığı bu çabayı, artık Sami Şekeroğlu Sinema-TV Merkezi’nde yürütüyor. Ve sonuçlar son derece başarılı. Sami bey filmleri İKSV’nin de iş birliğiyle birlikte seçtiklerini ve onarımın birkaç ay sürdüğünü açıklıyor. Ayrıca her filmin jenerik öncesinde, bu onarımın yöntemi uzun uzun anlatılıyor. Burada yinelemek istemiyorum. Ama zor, incelikli ve pahalı bir iş olduğunu söylemeliyim. Sonuç muhteşem. En eski bir film yeniden küllerinden doğuyor, dijital teknolojinin ölümsüzlüğüne kavuşuyor. Ve hem ulusal kültürümüzden hem de toplumsal tarihimizden önemli bir sayfa yeniden canlanıyor.”

İşte böyle bir yaşam

İşte böyle bir yaşam...Bundan önemlisi ve onur vericisi az olur!.. Onun için ölümü bizim için acı bir sürpriz oldu. Levent’teki küçük, ama çok şeker Afet Yolal Vakfı Camiinde biraya geldik. Görece kalabalık; ama bence çok yetersiz... Orada görmeyi isteyeceğim daha çok sinema ve sanat insanı vardı doğrusu...

 Şekeroğlu'nun cenaze töreninden

Aynı biçimde, onun ölümünün kamuoyundaki yansıması da çok yetersizdi. Ölüm ilanlarının dışında ne yazılı basında ne de TV’lerin kültür saatlerinde hiç anılmadı. Oysa kapsayıcı bir bakışla, bugün Yeşilçam öncesi, kendisi ve sonrasındaki onca filmin önemli bir bölümü, bugün onun sayesinde bizim olmuştu. Ailesini, en çok da iki kızını görmeye çalıştım; ama beceremedim. Ne denir, o klasik sözden sonra: Allah rahmet eylesin...

________________________________________

Atilla Dorsay kimdir?

Atilla Dorsay. 1939 İzmir, Karşıyaka'da doğdu. Çocukluğu zor savaş yıllarında geçti. O yıllardan her şeyin karneyle alındığını, radyolardan yayılan savaş haberlerini ve ilk sinema deneyimlerini oluşturan savaş üzerine filmleri hatırlıyor.

10 yaşındayken ailesi sırf onu Galatasaray Lisesinde okutabilmek için İstanbul'la göç etti. Böylece Fransız kültürüyle yetişti.

Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi'nde (şimdiki Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi) mimarlık okudu. Hayatta her koşulda koruduğu estetik bakışını bu temele borçlu olduğunu söyler.

Rehberlik, gazetecilik ve eleştirmenlik yaptı.

1966'da başladığı Cumhuriyet gazetesindeki yazılarını 27 yıl boyunca sürdürdü.

Bu aralıkta Leman Dorsay'la evlendi. İki çocuk ve üç torunu oldu.

Sonraki yıllarda Cumhuriyet'ten kendi isteğiyle ayrıldı. Kısa bir süre için Milliyet'te devam eden ve hâlâ süren dergi yazarlığı yaptı.

Yeni Yüzyıl'da yepyeni bir gazeteyi yaratmanın keyfini yaşadı. Daha sonra Sabah gazetesinde devam etti. Buradan kendi deyimiyle, "ilkesel bir tavırla" ayrıldı: Bir yazısında, (Emek Yoksa Ben De Yokum) okuruna Emek sineması üzerine verdiği bir sözü tutmak için.

Dorsay, 2013'ten beri, "Özgür, serbest, hiçbir konu, yer ve zaman kısıtlamasına tabi olmadan... Ama artık maaşsız!.. Ve çok yakında tam on yılını dolduracak olan..." sözleriyle işaret ettiği T24'te yazıyor.

Dorsay'ın kültür-sanata dair birçok alanda çabaları oldu. İKSV'de çalışıp yıllar boyu İstanbul Sinema Festivali'nin kadrosunda yer aldı. Dünya çapında sayısız ünlüyü basın toplantılarında sundu, söyleşiler yaptı, fotoğraflarını çekti.

TRT'de, hem haftalık müzik programları yaptı, hem de filmler sundu. Özellikle sinemanın 100. yılının kutlandığı 1995 yılı ve sonrasında sayısız klasiği Murat Özer, Alin Taşçıyan, Müjde Işıl gibi genç meslektaşlarıyla birlikte tanıttı.

Sinema Yazarları Derneği'ni (SİYAD) kurdu ve uzun yıllar başkanlığını yürüttü. Ödül gecelerini özenle seçilmiş sunucular ve müzisyenlerle sundu. Yine kendi sözleriyle; "zamanı geldiğinde tüm bu görevleri genç arkadaşlarına bırakmayı da ihmal etmedi".

Dorsay'ın en büyük üretimleri kitapları. 1970'lerden itibaren eleştirisini yazdığı tüm filmleri Türk ve yabancı sinema olarak tasnif ederek pek çok kitapta topladı. Bu kitaplar, son 50 yılın bir dökümü niteliği taşıyor.

Aynı zamanda İstanbul, Beyoğlu, şehircilik; biyografiler (özellikle Türkan Şoray ve Yılmaz Güney), söyleşiler, seyahat notları, hikâye, hatta şiirler de yazdı.

Müzik merakını görkemli bir arşivle birlikte sunduğu bir eser yayımladı. Ne Şurup Şeker Şarkılardı Onlar adıyla yayımlanan bu kitap, 20. yüzyıl pop-müzik tarihini anlatıyor.

Tartışmalar, Polemikler, Kavgalar adı kitabı Eylül 2022'de yayımlandı.

Kitaplarının sayısı şimdilerde 60'ı aştı, ama daha sayısız projesi var. T24 Yazıları -Pandemi Günlerine Doğru: Sanat ve Siyaset Ekim 2023'te, "Unutulmaz İnsanlarımızla Konuşmalar" ve "Benim Sevgili ‘6 Silahşörler’im" 2024'te okurla buluştu. Ardından daha birçoğu da gelecek. Kendisinin dediği gibi "Allah kısmet ederse!.."

 

Türkiye Defteri and Turkish Cinema

Mavi Boncuk |

Türkiye Defteri was a monthly magazine founded by a few intellectuals who felt and thought about the need for a local Marxism, filling an important gap in thought in Turkey in the 1970s.

The owner and director of the magazine, which was published between April 1971 and June 1975, was Naci Çelik Berksoy. Its founders were Naci Çelik, Hulki Aktunç, and Taylan Altuğ. The magazine also covered Kemal Tahir's views. Marxism and the Ottoman Empire, and Westernization were the main agenda items. Special issues covered Mustafa Suphi, Kemal Tahir, Nazım Hikmet, and Orhan Kemal.

Apart from its founders, its writers also included Kemal Tahir, Selahattin Hilav, Sezer Tansuğ, Selim İleri, Tomris Uyar, Leyla Erbil, Hilmi Yavuz, Necati Güngör, and Ercüment Akman with his cinema writings. Kemal Tahir (Issue 6), Nazım Hikmet(Issue 8), and Orhan Kemal (Issue 11) in Turkish cinema) [1]

[1] PDF LINKS 

In Memoriam Sami Şekeroğlu (1937-2024)

Mavi Boncuk | In Memoriam | Sami Şekeroğlu (1937-2024) 1

Born in Elazığ in 1937. Sami Şekeroğlu graduated from the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts, Department of Advanced Painting. In 1962, he founded "Kulüp Sinema 7", Turkey's first cinema-culture organization. In 1967, he changed the name of Kulüp Sinema 7 to "Türk Film Arşivi". In 1969, he transferred the "Türk Film Archive" he founded, along with all its assets, to the Academy without consideration and became the founder of the "State Academy of Fine Arts Film Archive". The institution became a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) in 1967 and was accepted as an authorized and full member in 1973.

In 1970, he was officially appointed as the Director of the "State Academy of Fine Arts Film Archive". In 1974, he started the first cinema training. In order to establish a Science-Art-Culture Institution that would work in the field of Cinema-TV, he conducted research and examinations in the relevant centers of Europe, and in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Hollywood in the USA, in film schools, film centers, studios, and archives. In 1975, he transformed the DGSA Film Archive into a world-class, modern technology, research-study Science-Art-Culture Institution and changed its name to the "Cinema-TV Institute". From that date on, he continued his work as the Director of the Cinema-TV Institute.

He initiated the first formal cinema-television education in our country at the academic level at the Cinema-TV Institute. He became an Associate Professor in 1985 and a Professor in 1987. He served as the Vice Rector of Mimar Sinan University between 1988 and 1996, and as the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at MSÜ between 1996 and 1999. He established the first Cinema Museum within the MSÜ Cinema-TV Center.

In 1985, he received the Ministry of Culture Cinema Award with his experimental film "Soil Men". In addition to his documentary film work, Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu, who conducted the "Turkish Cinema History Research Project", served as a jury member at film festivals in Turkey and abroad, had articles published in various local and foreign publications, and gave lectures on Cinema History, Aesthetics and Technique at undergraduate and graduate levels, was currently serving as the Director of the MSÜ Cinema-TV Center and Head of the Cinema-TV Department at the MSÜ Faculty of Fine Arts.

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