Yeşilay’s “Healthy Ideas Short Film Competition”, held this year for the ninth time, has concluded. Organised with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism under the theme “Drug Addiction Through the Eyes of Young People”, the competition’s award-winning films were honoured at a ceremony on 20 November.
As part of its preventive work to protect children and young people from addiction, the Turkish Green Crescent Society (Yeşilay) has organised the Healthy Ideas Short Film Competition since 2017. The competition gives young people the opportunity to express their perspective on addiction through the power of art.
Held for the ninth time this year under the theme “Drug Addiction Through the Eyes of Young People”, the Healthy Ideas Short Film Competition attracted great interest across the country. Realised with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the competition’s award ceremony took place on 20 November at Sepetçiler Kasrı, Yeşilay’s headquarters. The ceremony was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr Mehmet Dinç, President of the Turkish Green Crescent Society; Birol Güven, Director General of Cinema at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Mehmet Güleryüz, President of SETEM; members of Yeşilay’s Board of Directors and Scientific Board; the competition jury; and members of the press.
In a competition that aims to raise awareness of substance addiction, young filmmakers explored the effects of drug addiction from their own perspectives, producing powerful and original works. The projects carried strong messages that heighten public awareness of drug addiction.
First prize went to Muhammed Emin Er for “Kukla” (Puppet), second prize to Büşra Eslem Ayrık for “Karar” (Decision) and third prize to Mehmet Celal Almaz for “Bağımsızlık Mücadelesi” (The Struggle for Independence). The Ministry of Culture and Tourism Special Award went to Selçuk Kaan Salk for “Eller” (Hands), while the People’s Choice Special Award was won by Mehmet Celal Almaz for “Bağımsızlık Mücadelesi”.
A total of 375,000 TL in prize money was presented to the winners at the ceremony. The first-placed film received 100,000 TL, the second 75,000 TL and the third 50,000 TL. The winner of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Special Award received 100,000 TL, while the film named “people’s favourite” after receiving the most votes in a public vote with 6,667 participants won 50,000 TL.
ASSOC. PROF. DR MEHMET DİNÇ: “WHILE THE STATE REDUCES SUPPLY, WE AIM TO REDUCE DEMAND”
Speaking at the ceremony, Yeşilay President Assoc. Prof. Dr Mehmet Dinç said: “As the Turkish Green Crescent Society, we have had a single agenda for 105 years: protecting our people’s freedom from addiction. We work towards this goal day and night, summer and winter, because the worst thing that can happen to a person is to become addicted, and the worst thing that can happen to a society is for its young people to become addicted. That is why we strive to offer our children the social support, alternative activities and every opportunity they need. While the state reduces supply, we try to reduce demand. We focus on building a culture of independence among young people.”
“CINEMA CHANGES THE WAY WE PERCEIVE THE WORLD”
Noting that Yeşilay runs initiatives such as Healthy Generation Healthy Future, My Club Yeşilay, the Yeşilay Festivals and a Cartoon Competition as part of its preventive work, Dinç stressed the importance of cinema in the fight against addiction. “But the field we value most is cinema. Some senses are more powerful than others, and we know that among the arts, cinema goes straight to the heart and changes the way a person perceives the world. That is why we held the short film competition for the ninth time this year. We believe short films will make a great contribution to building an independent youth culture,” said Dinç.
“THE ADDICTION INDUSTRY SUSTAINS ITSELF THROUGH CINEMA”
Pointing out that the addiction industry makes heavy use of cinema to normalise addictive substances, Dinç cited an academic article published in Addicta, Yeşilay’s international peer-reviewed journal, which analysed addiction-related imagery in Turkish series and films. “Alcohol was found in all 10 films examined, tobacco in six and drug use in two. Two-thirds of the films contained elements of addiction, while 15 per cent of the content featured images of addiction in various forms. The addiction industry sustains itself through cinema. We, in turn, act in the knowledge of cinema’s power to reach our people,” he said.
BİROL GÜVEN: “WITHOUT SOMETHING TO SAY, THERE IS NO CINEMA”
Birol Güven, Director General of Cinema at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, opened his speech at the ceremony with the question “What is a good film?” He said: “I learnt what a good film is from Palestinian filmmakers. We watched From Ground Zero, a Palestinian production made up of 22 short films. By the time we reached the twentieth film our lives had been turned upside down; we couldn’t watch the last two. It was reality itself, deeply affecting. At that moment I made up my mind: a good film unsettles you, it gives you a headache. Without something that troubles you, there is no cinema. May young filmmakers never be without something to say. Cinema matters enormously, both for the spirit of the age and for what we are living through today. A country without a strong cinema is not a strong country. We must unsettle more, give more headaches and make more films. I wish our young filmmakers every success.”
