Director Bayrak participated in the Cinema Workshop's discussion titled “Behind the Camera,” held at the AA Istanbul office under the coordination of AA Academy and moderated by Barışkan Ünal, Director of Foreign and Economic News at Anadolu Agency (AA).

When asked how she started in cinema, Bayrak said, "After graduating, I worked on a set with Yücel Çakmaklı and found it very difficult. Then I worked in the banking sector for 5.5 years. At that time, a friend of mine told me, 'You will return to cinema one day. All my free time outside of work was spent on cinema. My husband was a huge support to me at this point. My dream was cinema, and I returned to cinema."

Bayrak emphasized that what is important in cinema is for the director to find their own unique language, saying, "As a director, I moved forward by breaking the mold. Every film is a design, and working with a harmonious team is crucial when creating that design. To be honest, I struggled a lot at this point, but I overcame this process with my friends who supported me. This was extremely valuable to me."

“Directors imbue the filming process with a sacred meaning, like entering a temple.”

Pointing out that there are certain myths surrounding cinema, Bayrak continued:

"For example, for some people, the number of pages in a script is extremely important. So a 70-page script might be considered bad, while a 120-page script might be seen as good. Film cannot be measured in this way. This stems from perceptions related to hierarchy in cinema, primarily the position of the director. In general, directors imbue the filming process with a sacred meaning, like entering a temple. We wanted to break this, and for example, we didn't use a clapperboard on set. This is a practice that may seem small but has a very important meaning. We observed that the absence of a clapperboard in the film world brings courtesy and gentleness to the set."

“The emotion that the character in this film possesses is something we all have.”

Belkıs Bayrak also touched on the filming of her first feature film, “Gülizar,” and continued:

"For me, the most important aspect of a film was the script. ‘Gülizar’ was my first film, and I had no reference point. At this point, the most important thing you can rely on is your imagination. I overcame this difficulty by working with a good team. So much so that we also cast the teams we would work with. We selected the team we would work with, paying attention to issues such as personality and resilience in difficult conditions. As a director, I prefer harmonious work to compromising on professionalism. I want the energy to be in the film and I focus on the scene we want."

Bayrak explained that although Gülizar was inspired by a true story, she transformed it into a screenplay, saying:

"I am a woman, and the emotion that the character in this film possesses is something we all have. Even if we don't know its source, that feeling of unease is familiar to every woman. The fear here has a universal meaning. An American filmmaker once told me that on the bus, she had to choose between sitting in the aisle or by the window. In a situation like ‘harassment,’ it's not easy to express it outwardly. Those who experience it turn inward, become silent. I also wanted the character in the film to be in such a state of silence. Ecem Uzun, who plays Gülizar, understood this very well, acted it out, and took the story to another level."

Bayrak emphasized that it is very common to be unable to speak after an incident such as harassment, saying, "At this point, women are overly encouraged to speak. However, being unable to speak is a more realistic situation. The important thing is that we recognize this silence. What exactly causes this inability to speak? Those who experience incidents such as harassment are perfectly sane people. Until we fully understand the reason for this silence, we will not understand the problem because the source of the problem is not women."

“In Gülizar, we tried to describe the whole issue of boundary violations in a layered way.”

Bayrak emphasized that one of the film's central themes is related to boundaries and continued:

"Women have their own boundaries. The important point here is how these boundaries are violated in everyday life. The issue that needs to be addressed is whether there has been a violation of space. Sexual harassment is one of the most severe forms of this, but there are also boundary violations in other areas of life. How aware are we of this, and how much do we legitimize it with our actions? In Gülizar, we tried to describe the whole issue of boundary violations in a layered way."

Bayrak also touched on how harassment is portrayed in Turkish films and TV series, stating, "When you turn harassment into a process in cinema, you are, in a sense, taking sides with your profession. Therefore, the design of the scene in question was very important to me. Any behavior performed without consent is harassment. The person subjected to harassment experiences trauma. We tried to represent this trauma in a way that is appropriate to the sensitivity of the subject, using elements such as fragmented camera work and sound design."

“We took care not to legitimize the incident while representing it.”

Bayrak pointed out that cinema is the art of concealment and said:

“We took care not to legitimize the incident while representing it. You have a responsibility regarding the representation of violence in harassment, and unfortunately, this representation is generally done in an explicit manner. I am against this depiction, and around the world, explicit representation is not preferred when telling this story. I believe that explicit representation is contrary to the spirit of cinema. The interest Gülizar has received at festivals stems from this preference."

“We make our films with sharp judgment and baggage”

Director Bayrak also evaluated the process of the film “Gülizar” at domestic and international festivals. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, its European premiere at the 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival, and won a total of three awards at the 61st Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, including the “Dr. Avni Tolunay Jury Special Award.”

Saying that there are certain preconceptions about festivals and that she does not agree with the judgment that films are made for festivals, Bayrak said, "We make our films with sharp judgment and baggage. The same film, for example, is made with a different intention in Europe. We saw that the intention of the film and the director was very clearly understood at international festivals. This was very important to us. However, our film did not receive the same response in Türkiye, especially among critics, as it did around the world."

“The issue is being reduced to a female director filming a woman’s story”

Bayrak, who mentioned that there are many directors who film harassment against women in cinema, said:

“Here, the issue is being reduced to a female director filming a woman’s story. I don’t think this is very graceful. Is this an issue when a male director tells a story about men? On the other hand, while solidarity among women in the industry is important, I don't think we can build a world by pitting men against us. Life goes on after the set. At this point, I believe that concepts such as courtesy and empathy are more important for the set and cinema than the situation of women itself. When working together, it is more important to work with courtesy in an environment where women are present."

New film in the works

Bayrak stated that she is working on a new film titled “Brighter Than Bright,” adding that the production, which is currently in the preparation and funding stages, is planned to embark on its festival journey in 2027.

Emphasizing that filmmaking involves various challenges such as securing funding, Bayrak continued:

“At this point, I need to highlight the support provided by the Ministry of Culture and TRT 12 Punto. On the other hand, every film has its own destiny. After the first film, the second film creates great expectations. As someone who has made their first film, you face a challenge. It's not about becoming a director, it's about remaining a director. Therefore, you need to prepare yourself properly to shoot that second film.”

“Older generations don't want to share their knowledge and experience”

The successful director, saying that she is a new generation director, said, "Unfortunately, in our country, older generations don't want to share their knowledge and experience. They are not open to this. They see their experience as unique and do not pass it on to new generations. I am not that kind of director. The global trend is not like that either. Schools are established and training is provided to pass on knowledge and experience. However, our institutions do not have such a mission, and this is a bleeding wound for us. Yet, we need to build structures that are open to knowledge and a culture of criticism and pass on this experience."

The program, attended by AA Academy & Editorial Coordinator Yahya Bostan and film enthusiasts, concluded with a question-and-answer session.