Press Conference of the Film Fotoğraflar (Photos)
September 21th 2001
Hotel Dedeman Istanbul
Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation
Speech Text
Dear Press Members,
Welcome to the Umut Foundations press conference of the television film Fotoğraflar (Photos) on the issue of No to Individual Armament .
I think that as a host making an opening speech is my task. Today I will tell a liitle bit for what reasons this film, in conjunction with our Foundations mission that you are familiar with for years,has been prepared and what are our aims. You will hear the know-how of the film from Ömer Faruk Sorak who has developed the concept of the film on our behaf ,who has realized the camera shootings and made the film presentable to you,who is the owner of theBöcek Yapım Prodüksiyon ( Böcek Film Making Production) and who is the supervisor of the project. Then we will call the manager of the our films Mr Ozan Yalabık and we will try to answer your questions.
After this introduction which I have tried to tell shorty the flow of our meeting,let me tell you a liittle about the reason we have shooted this film.
As you all know, Umut Foundation struggles ,since its foundation in 1993, in order disagreements to be solved by peaceful means without any violence. It organizes search conferences,it organizes seminars,it publishes books appealing to youth, treating the importance of education,in additon to all these, it regularly organizes contests in different fields but always concerning indivudal armament with a subject it determines during the activities of September 28th Indivudal Disarmament Day.For instance the article contest on Medias contribution to peace,for instance the composition contest between highschools on violence and weapon in young people, for instance the caricature contest on No Joking Around Weapon and for instance the story of film, the short film and the short documentary film awards on Youth and Weapon which will be given to the winners in an award ceremony next week Friday September 28th.
As everyone whose relatives have lost their life knows, fire burns the place it falls,knife burns the place it touches.Even though it is said to be forgettable,it is unforgettable.
As someone who lost its heart due to a stray bullet,I am asking you,do you know that there are five hundred million of guns and rifles ready to be fired anytime in the world?
Not omly guns and rifles put an end to peoples life. The number of murders committed with the point of a knife which has taken away mothers,fathers,brothers,sisters,half of its heart is ashaming. We shouldstop this fear, get rid of this shame even though it seems hard or even impossible.
Of course it is impossible to bring back the person who has lost its life. But there isnt any obstacle in front of searching the way to say no to this negative trend.We believe as Umut Foundation that this difficulty will be overcome with little and stubborn efforts
We are hopeful for our country. Because we see that the participation and support to our strruggle call we have started against individual armament as Umut Foundation is growing more and more everyday. Our activities are watched curiously,participation to our activities is increasing.
We are also hopeful for the world. Because we know that serious efforts are made in the international arena in order to say no to death increasing due to five hundred guns and rifles bullets. It strengthens,cherishes the hope in the world, the hope in our country.
The conference concerning small arms organized last July by United Nations in New York didnt draw attention much at first. But the conference results announced have caused surprise in the world as well as disappointment.According to the data announced; its as if people were born to kill each other,were living to kill each other.
1. 1 out of 12 people is carrying a weapon in the world.
2. Children and women are the principal people who die due to small arms
3. Murders are committed 3 times more in houses with small arms than in houses without any.
4. 60 percent of the five hundred million weapon which the presence has been proved are in the hands of illegal people.
This and this kind of realities have unarguably proved that people shouldnt be quiet anymore.
The world isnt silent, we shouldnt be silent either.
That s why with this idea,we wanted to add another work into the works we have done for years. We wanted to reach wider masses, to activate the societal awareness, to call on our community through television. Because in order to be a peaceful society accepting the rule of law,we need to be all together. Our aim is to create a conscious public opinion through the television film which we will tell you the technical details shortly.
By saying NO to Individual armament.
We have set out withthis title which has always been our slogan.We had three main themes. I mean there were lot of areas the individual armament was used in the society but in the meeting we have conducted it was clear that three of these are events we all run across and know one to one. That why we treated football terror, village marriage and bullies in our film.
2. While drawing attention to this, while saying No to Individual Armament, we now know that while guns,knives, package knives are being weapons, the vehicles in traffic are also starting to be weapons . Individual violence has started to become as much violent as organized violence. While individual violence has turned into a collective terror, it brought the world to the verge of a war. We hope there wont be any war, people wont die, terror will be eradicated and justice will be served. Those who want to live humanily live humanily in this world. We believe that the right of life can be defended in all circumstances.
Every mothers son has the right of life arising from its birth as a human. This right cannot be taken away from anybody.
By saying NO to Individual Armament
Our struggle is the struggle to give to young people awareness of citizienship and to sort weapon out of their words, to attach them to the rule of law principles.
The film we are planning to show in local and national channels is named Photos. You will watch the films four version in televisions. I will not give more any more details about this topic since you will hear the details from Ömer Faruk Sorak shortly.
If I have to summarize my talk in a few words, our hope and our aim is to draw our societys attention to the issue of violence and weapon though our foundation and different institutions we are in cooperation with since we think our societys education level is low.We also aim to show how regrettable results unconscious armament causes and create solution.
The most important thing is that we exist as individuals possessing social conscience. We all hope that our youth will be awate of their societal responsibilities,will be peaceful and creative.On this opportunity we and also you whom we can transfer our beliefs to the public opinion have a very important duty.
We are trying to transfer our message to masses through this kind of film we have contributed in order to deserve living humanly.Come support us
I would like to thank you one more time for being here with us and give the floor to Ömer Faruk Sorak.
For a Future Full of Hope