Cinema critic and film writer Atilla Dorsay was the guest of the twelfth event of Anadolu Ajansı's (AA) Cinema Workshop series organized under the coordination of AA Academy with the theme of “Cinema Criticism”.
Moderated by AA Foreign and Economic News Editorial Director Barışkan Ünal, Dorsay talked about how he discovered cinema and the story of his transition to film criticism at the conversation held at AA's International News Center in Istanbul.
Stating that he was born in 1930 in Izmir, Dorsay said, “We spent the war years in Izmir. In those years, my parents could only go to the movies. They took me to the movies as a child. War, love, and movies I shouldn't have watched at that age—I saw them all. These films shaped me and molded my personality," he said.

“Turkish cinema is accomplishing very important things”

Stating that he came to Istanbul for his education in the following years, Dorsay said:
“My passion for cinema continued after I came to Istanbul. I was a boarding student in Beyoğlu, where there were movie hours and old movies were shown. In fact, as soon as I left school, I would see a lot of cinemas on the street in front of me. In this way, cinema became the primary source of entertainment in my life and an ideal I felt compelled to pursue. After my military service, I applied to the Istanbul Municipality and started working as an architect. It was then that I realized that my life revolved around cinema.”
Emphasizing that Turkish cinema developed despite the increase in ticket prices, Dorsay said, “Exceptionally, I wrote about a few films in the late 60s, but I started to write seriously about Turkish cinema in 1970 with the film ‘’Umut‘’. After that day, I considered it a mission to write about Turkish cinema. It is easy to praise Hollywood, but Turkish cinema is also doing significant things.”

“For the first time this year, the Oscars may not be awarded”

Stating that he saw cinema as a hobby in his early years, Dorsay said, "When I started writing for the Cumhuriyet newspaper for a certain amount of money, it became my hobby and the main occupation of my life. I have never complained about it. 
I love cinema so much that it has stuck to me; it has become part of my soul. Cinema is my means of living, my entertainment, and my hobby. It has become whatever word comes to mind. At this age, I still can't give up cinema.” 
Expressing his love for Turkey's “Oscar” nominee “Hayat,” Atilla Dorsay said, “It is currently unknown whether the Oscar will even be held. The fire they're facing could prevent them from giving out awards this year for the first time. This is a major deficiency. They are the most important and highly anticipated movie awards worldwide.”

“Down with artificial intelligence”

Answering questions from the audience, Dorsay said that cinema is the seventh art form and added: “This name was given because there were six arts before. The debate continues over which of these is the oldest. These six arts have gradually revealed themselves in the history of humanity. Cinema has been declared the seventh art form, and it can benefit from all the other six arts. Because of this advantage, cinema has become so popular. While there are people who are interested in various branches of art, cinema attracts a significantly larger audience.
Regarding the production of movies using artificial intelligence, Dorsay stated, "This whole artificial intelligence thing has invaded our lives in such an artificial way that everyone keeps asking about it. "Someone my age can't take artificial intelligence seriously. Let the young people take it as seriously as they want; it doesn't concern me at all. Down with artificial intelligence," he said.
Following the event, the 1942 film “Casablanca” by Michael Curtiz, one of the most important cult films for Dorsay, was screened.