Die Türhüter, 1988, 17’ 

Fremd. Yaban., 2007, 18’ 

German; with Turkish and English subtitles

Moderator: Tunçay Kulaoğlu

Prior to the conversation with Sema Poyraz—who has directed numerous documentary films and appeared in countless television and feature films as well as theater productions—two of her short films will be screened. Drawing on these two films—one a documentary, the other a fiction—the movements known as Turkish-German Cinema and Post-Migration Theater will be discussed within the context of Sema Poyraz’s artistic journey spanning over 50 years. Artistic practices perceived as ‘foreign’ in Germany and ‘German-oriented’ in Turkey will be examined within the framework of labor migration, labor, and multiple identities.

Sema Poyraz was born in Zonguldak, Turkey, in 1950. She emigrated to Germany in 1961 and studied at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin. Since 1980 she has worked as a freelance author, director and actor. Her feature filmGölge – Zukunft der Liebe (1980) can be considered an early precursor of so-called German-Turkish cinema. In 2013 she won the Golden Tulip for Best Actress at the 32nd Film Festival in Istanbul for her portrayal of the mother in Özür dilerim by Cemil Ağacıkoğlu. In 2020 Poyraz was featured in the Kino Kanak documentary. She has been a member of the ensemble at the Maxim Gorki Theater since 2019, where she works with the directors Nurkan Erpulat, Hakan Savaş Mican and Ersan Mondtag, among others.

Registration is not required. The talk will be held in Turkish.