SILKY (İPEKÇE), 1987

Türkiye | DCP, Color, 92’ | Turkish
Director: Bilge Olgaç
Cast: Perihan Savaş, Berhan Şimşek, Gülsen Tuncer

By Bilge Olgaç, one of the rare pioneering women directors in the cinema of Türkiye, İpekçe is a distinctive 1980s film that examines provincial life through a woman’s gaze.

A young woman brought to the village on a truck, striking everyone with her long, silky hair, is settled in a hut by the villagers and soon comes to be known as “İpekçe.” When she falls in love with the craftsman who decorates her hut, she comes up against the patriarchal morality and the boundaries imposed on women by the village. Olgaç builds İpekçe’s story around belonging, identity, the female body, and social control in the provinces, while Perihan Savaş’s commanding performance gives a distinctive weight to the woman at the film’s center.

Silky was restored by the Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation (İKSV) with the support of Zurich Insurance.

SURPRISE FILM:
BILGE AND HER APPRENTICE
(BİLGE VE ÖĞRENCİSİ: BİR REJİ ASİSTANININ GÜNLÜĞÜ), 2014
Director: Belmin Söylemez
Producer: Haşmet Topaloğlu, İstanbul Museum of Modern Art
Duration: 21’02"
The story of a young woman entering the world of filmmaking as an assistant director to Bilge Olgaç, and the two years they worked together. This short documentary aims to pay tribute to the life and work of Bilge Olgaç who passed away in 1994. Through her diary, Söylemez tells us all the things she learnt from Bilge Olgaç, the most productive woman director of Turkish Cinema. The film also gives us clues on filmmaking in Turkey in the late 80’s. From tough shooting conditions to 35 mm editing, we discover Olgaç’s world through her assistant’s eyes.