Ferzan Özyaşar from Hatay (Antakya), Çağdaş Yazıcı and Eylem Şen from Izmir, were supported with Armenia-Turkey travel grant for her visit to Yerevan for making a film about Armenians of the Musadağ.
Ferzan Ozyasar
“Due to the subject of our project, we had the chance to be with families who are from Musadağ and to have long conversations with them while our travel in Armenia. For me, Musadağ Armenians in both Turkey and Armenia are like the branches of the same tree which fell apart from each other. They are fed by same roots even though they have been under the influence of both Turkish and Russian culture for many years. Their societal relations, approach to life, communication with their surroundings and with nature, views on life and education, the tie they established with their history, and especially the Musadağ resistance connect them to one another wherever in the world they might be. Since not only the feelings we felt were unique to us but whomever from Musadağ both from Turkey and Armenia whom we explained our project to shared our feelings too, they always had a sincere conversation with us and helped us. Both of the societies need each other to develop and to complete one another. Especially, the younger generation so as to integrate with their identity, have to find means and events to express themselves.”
“It is so sad that the people of two communities fell so apart from each other since the Turkish mobile companies start operating just a little bit away from Yerevan, the wines tastes the similar both in Vakıflı and Yerevan, and people share the same concerns and happiness. However, if all of us hold on to this concern, there is no border that we cannot pass both materially and spiritually.”
Action Sen
“During my stay in Yerevan, my experiences from paving stones to architectures of buildings, from bazaars to variety of foods, chats with the people made me feel complete. It was like meeting our relatives whom we missed greatly since we had very warm and sincere meetings, foods, music and memories…”
“The 84 year old lady whom gave us fresh tomatoes from her garden, our friends who set the table for all of us with delicious foods, also played the accordion and made our dreams come true…”
Contemporary Printer
“Our visit to Armenia for our documentary project was more than just a visit to the eastern parts of the Turkish state’s border. Just like any other people living in Turkey, Armenia was far for us too. Therefore we were travelling a long way than the actual way of travel itself.”
“Our arrival was like meeting our relatives whom we have not seen for many years. We have spoken with the people whom we have acquaintance with about both past and the future; maybe not with the same language but with words, attitudes, music, folklore, gestures, mimics, games, jokes. Meeting the warm, humble, hardworking, intellectual people of Armenia was like looking at the mirror and the most humane way of knowing oneself.”