How did this grant contribute to the realization of your project in regard to artistic exchange, local cultural development and/or the promotion of cultural diversity?
The travel grant allowed us (the Turkish director Zeynep Köprülü and me, the German cinematographer) to go on location scouting together in Turkey and properly prepare the project for shooting. It strengthened our creative relationship and will have a direct influence on the quality of our short film, which we hope will be screened in international festivals in 2018. During the shooting, lasting personal and professional contacts have been established between the Turkish, German and Romanian members of the crew.
How does exchange, networking and international contacts contribute to the development of your artistic and cultural project?
The director Zeynep Köprülü and I met and worked with each other for the first time during our studies at FAMU, the Czech National Film School, in Prague in 2009. This short film is our second collaboration, which has always been based on networking and international exchange across borders and time. The film - a Coming of Age story about two young Turkish girls, one of them affluent enough to move abroad to study, leaving her best friend behind in a place that lacks opportunities – would be a very different one without the input from different cultural and professional perspectives on the script during development and on the visual language during shooting.
Can you elaborate on the learning and knowledge you have gained and shared throughout this experience?
I went to Turkey for the first time for this project and experienced a predominantly Muslim culture and country which I had not been very familiar with prior to my arrival. Despite the current political tensions between Turkey and Germany, my personal and professional experiences were wholly positive. I am grateful for the possibility to establish strong personal connections with colleagues in the Turkish film industry. There was great mutual respect on set and on location and we all learnt from and passed on our knowledge to each other without any intercultural conflicts.
Please indicate a link to your current work (website/facebook page)
http://www.annegretsachse.com
