Fight for a National Cinema: An Introductory Text and Translation (Halit Refig, 1971)

Halit Refiğ had an impact on debates around Turkish national cinema, both as a thinker and as a practitioner. He was instrumental in establishing the Turkish Film Institute under MSU, along with his director colleagues like Metin Erksan and Lutfi Akad, Refiğ lectured for many years at the first cinema training department. This translation is from his 1971 collection of articles titled Ulusal Sinema Kavgasi (Fight For National Cinema). Here Refiğ elaborates on the concept of national cinema from cultural perspectives framing Turkey as a continuation of Ottoman Empire and its culture distinct and different from western ideas of capitalism, bourgeoisie art and Marxism. For Refiğ, Turkish cinema should be reflected as an extension of traditional Turkish arts. Refiğ explores the potential to form a national cinema through dialogue and dialectic within Turkish traditional arts and against western cinematic traditions of representation.