Visiting the European Film Market (EFM) at the 74th International Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) in the capital of Germany, Berlin, Deputy Minister Mumcu, who also visited the Turkish stand, made evaluations to AA correspondent.
"THE CINEMA FILMS SUPPORTED BY OUR MINISTRY CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROMOTION OF OUR COUNTRY"
Mumcu emphasized the importance of participating in this event, which is followed by the whole world and brings together thousands of industry representatives, and successfully representing Turkish cinema and Türkiye. He stated: "We have previously won many awards, including the prestigious Golden Bear at the Berlinale. The cinema films supported by our ministry contribute to the promotion of Turkish cinema and our country by participating in the world's most important international film festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, and Tokyo. We attach great importance to this and continue to support both film production and international representation."
Mumcu pointed out that Turkish series are watched on all corners of the world, stating, "Our series are broadcasted today in more than 170 countries worldwide, from America to Russia, from the Far East to Latin America, reaching approximately 750 million people. The Turkish TV and film industry ranks among the top 5 countries in exports. Turkish series have a significant impact on promoting Türkiye and Turkish culture in the regions where they are sold."
"WE WILL ORGANIZE A 'TV SERIES AND CONTENT FAIR' IN ISTANBUL IN 2025"
Mumcu stated that series also contribute significantly to Türkiye's recognition in the world, saying, "Therefore, we are implementing important projects in collaboration with our television industry, which has such a great impact. We support the opening of country stands at events such as MIPCOM, MIPTV, ATF Singapore, Content America, and Dubai Series and Content Fair, which are among the world's most important TV series and content fairs, and present our series to the whole world."
Mumcu also shared that they have started working on the idea of holding a fair in Türkiye, one of the world's leading countries in the field of TV series content, stating, "Hopefully, we will organize a TV Series and Content Fair in Istanbul in 2025. We believe that this event will be one of the most important in its field."
"WE PREDICT THAT WE WILL EXCEED 40 MILLION VIEWERS"
Mumcu noted that cinemas had to remain closed for a long time during the pandemic and, as in the rest of the world, there was a significant decrease in the number of viewers in Türkiye. "During this period, we provided 32 million TL in support to cinema halls to ensure their continued operation. In addition, in collaboration with our Ministry of Treasury and Finance, we reduced the 'Entertainment Tax' rate from 10% to 0%, thus providing 278 million TL in support to the sector in 2023," Mumcu said.
Mumcu added that they made a legislative change to increase the number of cinema viewers and introduced two new types of discounted tickets. "In this way, we have opened the way for private institutions to purchase discounted tickets. We believe that this regulation will make a significant contribution to the number of viewers in 2024. Our cinema sector has started this year very well. As of February 2024, the number of viewers has increased by 34% compared to the same period last year. We predict that we will exceed 40 million viewers in 2024, with a 30% increase over the previous year. Hopefully, we will have a great year together with our sector."
"WE WILL HOST A LARGE NUMBER OF PRODUCTIONS IN TÜRKİYE IN THE UPCOMING PERIOD"
Deputy Minister Mumcu also mentioned the efforts regarding the shooting of foreign film productions in Türkiye during the Berlinale, emphasizing that Türkiye has a natural studio feature throughout its rich history and natural beauty.
"Türkiye offers very important advantages to film producers with up to 300 sunny days, various shooting locations, competitive pricing, advanced technical infrastructure, experienced and qualified workforce, and an incentive system. In addition to these advantages, we have implemented the 'Foreign Film Production Support,' where foreign film producers filming in Türkiye can receive a refund of up to 30% of the amount they spend in our country, aiming to increase our country's competitiveness."
Mumcu said that many important productions featuring world stars such as Guy Ritchie, Jason Statham, Hugh Grant, Josh Hartnett, Henry Cavill, and Salman Khan have been filmed in Türkiye.
"Many Hollywood films want to shoot their productions in our country. Hopefully, in the coming period, we will host many productions in Türkiye."
