Films have been used as a diplomatic tool since the invention of the camera, Turkish musician and composer Burak Saygili said Friday at the Film Diplomacy Conference 2025 in Istanbul.
"Hollywood cinema, like other cinemas, uses cinema and the camera as a diplomatic tool," he said.
Saygili cited films such as The Pianist, Schindler's List and Inglourious Basterds as examples of cinema used to emphasize the Holocaust and Hitler's atrocities.
He said the invention of the camera transformed communication, making written text outdated, and now the big screen itself is becoming somewhat obsolete as digital channels have reached a different level.
"If we are going to say something in the field of diplomacy, we must definitely do something related to digital channels," said Saygili.
He also warned about cultural imperialism, referencing movies produced in Hollywood that homogenizes the content and is consumed globally.
"Cultural diplomacy should not turn into cultural imperialism. Cultures should develop with each other, but we should not impose one culture on another," he emphasized.
Murat Emir Kaya, a member of the provincial executive board of the ruling AK Party's Youth Branch in Istanbul, highlighted a scene in the film Ayla about ants as a successful example of use of diplomacy.
He said that scene in the movie, which tells the story of a Turkish sergeant who helps a little girl during the Korean War, gave the message that Turks went there for peace.
Kaya added that the 2017 Turkish-South Korean film also significantly increased cultural and diplomatic relations with South Korea.
Can Ulkay, director of Ayla, emphasized creating awareness as one of cinema's most important visions.
"Some people, without realizing it, researched the Korean War" after watching the movie, Ulkay said. "Koreans really love us a lot ... but we were not aware," he said.
Speaking about how movies and series are received around the world, Turkish actor Muttalip Mujdeci said visitors from Japan, Spain and elsewhere come to see filming locations and actors.
The three-day international event brings together participants from around the world to merge cinema with diplomatic principles under the theme "Building Diplomats Through Lens."
The conference features a training day led by diplomats, officials, filmmakers, media agencies, sustainability trainers and intercultural experts; a 24-hour film challenge producing short films on global peace and cooperation; and an award and screening day judged by diplomats, directors and media figures.
