Describe the main features of the measure/initiative:
As a Development Workshop, supported by the Turkey Mosaic Foundation within the scope of the Support for Civil Society Culture and Art Fund and carried out in cooperation with Atom Film, The Magic Lamp Project is one of the two projects selected for the 2019 Culture and Arts Fund. The project will provide an opportunity for seasonal agricultural workers to talk about their lives and the rights violations they have been facing.
The project encourages seasonal agricultural workers to use the “magic lamp” -i.e., camera – to develop their self-awareness, decision-making, responsibility, and planning skills by producing short films about their lives. In addition, 30 young people and/or adults in seasonal agricultural worker households from Adana, Ankara, and Konya will attend theoretical and practical film shooting training.
A selection of the photographs taken throughout the process will be presented in exhibitions and used as an advocacy tool. Outputs of the projects have been shared in Adana, Ankara, and Konya through film screenings and exhibitions so that the responsible institutions, organizations, or people listen to the stories of seasonal agricultural workers and take action towards improving their living conditions.
The training on short films and the shootings were completed in Adana in February with 10 seasonal agricultural workers. After the three-day Short Film Shooting Training, which the experts provided in cooperation with the project partner Atom Film, the shootings were carried out by the seasonal workers under the facilitation and supervision of experts in the tent areas where seasonal agricultural workers were staying. After shootings, the editing was carried out by Atom Film.
Initially, the project activities in Ankara and Konya were planned to be implemented at the beginning of July since most of the seasonal agricultural workers would be present in the tent settlements around this date. However, the training was supposed to take place not in the open air but the tents. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it was decided that this training environment would not be healthy for the participants and the project team. Therefore, the project activities could not be realized as planned in July for the above-mentioned reason
Website of the measure/initiative, if available:
What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the measure/initiative?:
The Magic Lamp project has shown the effect of providing a favorable environment, which is a key point in rights-based studies, by presenting information about the art of cinema with a little inspiration and courage. Workshops, planning, shooting, and photographs documenting the events from the first to the last day, two short films titled "Take to the Heels" and "Reverse" one short documentary, and one digital album containing the behind-the-scenes shots were prepared in two languages: English and Turkish.