06.03.2019
Interview: Sasha Demir
Illustration: Saydan Akşit
Hazar Ergüçlü, who was among the jury at last year’s Akbank Short Film Festival’s national competition, will be with us again this year for the conversation event “About Acting”, to share her experiences. We sat down with Ergüçlü to talk about her acting career, the jury and festival experience as well as her upcoming projects.
Let us start by asking about your experiences last year as a jury, how was the process in your perspective?
I was very happy and honored to be selected as a jury last year at the Akbank Short Film Festival. I was a part of an important team. And I watched very good shorts. I think the people at the jury were on the same frequency and had similar perspectives, because the results of the competition was just as I would want to.
You recently announced that you will be part of the cast at BBC’s upcoming “Mallorca Files” series and you also keep working for international projects. What do you think your Netflix project contributed to your reach into the international scene?
Definitely contributed a lot in terms of exposure, and as for conditions, I was introduced into new standards, which improved my own vision as well. I learned a lot in the past year. And I found myself in projects that I couldn’t even dream of previously. I am grateful.
Have you ever acted in a short film? Or are there any short projects? Do you follow short films, and do you have any recent discoveries?
I played in a short when I was 18. As an upcoming project, I will be playing a part in Ayris Alptekin’s last short, a pretty small part though. Also, I am among the jury of Hisar Short Film Screenings this year. I like shorts, I like watching people’s perspectives on life and various topics, and their unique decisions in short formats.
As far as we know, you also have another project with the director of “Snow”, Emre Erdoğdu. In an interview, Erdoğdu said that you will be among the producers of this project. Can you tell us a bit about the project and how you ended up being a producers for it?
Yes, I am one of the producers of Emre’s second full-feature. The reason why is because I want to invest in his artistic talent and make it possible for him to do films as he likes to. As you know nowadays it is almost impossible for independent directors to shoot films without compromise on who they are. Me and Emre, as well as almost everyone from “Snow” are coming together to fight such obstacles, to make independent cinema really independent. And not to rely on anybody, we decided to collaborate among ourselves.
You were also at Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Ahlat Ağacı” and had the chance to walk on the red carpet at Cannes. Without a doubt, every actress/actor dreams about being hosted at one of the most prestigious festivals of the cinema scene and receive a standing ovation. Can you share us your experiences from Cannes?
It was incredible to be at Cannes. I don’t think I will ever forget it. It was like a poem. Working with Nuri Bilge Ceylan was also an incredible experience. My shooting took only four days, but that was enough to change my world. Just like Cannes did as well. I hope I can be a part of that experience again. There, they call NBC “maestro”. It is at Cannes that you really understand what you have been a part of and how important it is.
Despite your young age, you have worked with master directors such as Derviş Zaim, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Uğur Yücel and Onur Ünlü. Who are some other directors that you would like to work with?
My criteria for new projects is how much they excite me. I am especially interested in debut features, which give me a chance to meet brand new people and different styles.
What excites you the most in a project? Is it the story, the character, the director or something else?
As you work on your career, you sometimes accept projects to develop yourself and earn new experiences, even though you don’t like the story itself. I find that important. This is the sort of background needed to be able to make good decisions later on in your career. I am open to be excited about anything at any point. The story, the character, the director, all of these have different significance. But my priority is the character I will play, if the role is exciting, I would pursue it to any end.