The Lebanese Issue With Fetih 1453

Fetih 1453 is a Turkish movie that was briefly released in Lebanese cinemas last week before meeting outrage from Greek Orthodox Christians due to its “historically incorrect” and defamatory content.

The movie has since, of course, been banned.

I won’t go endlessly about the uselessness of bans and how I’m officially against banning anything, etc, bla bla bla. You don’t want to waste your time reading it and I’m frankly tired of sounding like a broken record with this happening frequently lately.

Having said that, I do have an issue with Fetih 1453. Let’s call it the Lebanese Turkish obsession.

I don’t like Lebanese people watching Syrian-dubbed Turkish endless dramas. It was “funny” to see the Nour craze (this still makes me cringe). But when it started moving towards twenty five series per second on every single channel on TV, it became frankly nauseating.

And yet those series still find an audience. So I figured housewives and school children must be bored. The former don’t get access or can’t read Fifty Shades of Grey and the latter haven’t discovered porn yet. And it’s fine – it’s just something free and silly for them to watch.

However, I have to ask: Why did a Turkish movie get a wide release and such intensive publicity in Lebanon to begin with?

It’s not because the movie is a foreign movie. The world has about 200 countries, many of which produce cinema. I don’t see Latvian movies getting wide releases here.

It’s not because Turkey is a nearby country. I’m pretty sure Greece has movie offerings as well and we don’t get those.

It’s not because the cinema in Turkey is such an attraction. If anything, why not bring Bollywood movies? For the record, please don’t.

We don’t know the Turkish language. Most of us (I’d say all but who knows) don’t want to learn the language. Many other cinematic offerings by other more cinematically “significant” countries never see the light of day at our cinemas. And yet someone decided that this Turkish movie was such a cinematic jewel that we couldn’t live without it.

“A Separation,” a movie that by all accounts is near a masterpiece, didn’t even get a wide release here. Let alone all the billboards announcing it. And that movie is Iranian, so another neighbor whose number we don’t understand and who’s politically involved with us.

Do Lebanese movies get the same treatment in Turkey? Our movies don’t even get the same reception in Egypt that Egyptian movies get over here.

Moreover, didn’t anyone stop for a second and think what would the Lebanese Armenians think about a Turkish movie being released in Lebanon? Why don’t we bring Armenian movies to Lebanon instead? At least there are people here who’d go watch them without needing the subtitles.

It would have been much better for Fetih 1453 to be incorporated in one of the many movie festivals we get over here. Lebanese movie distributors should either be fair in bringing movies here or just keep the regular formula that honestly seems to work: bring the American and French. Leave out the rest. Sprinkle some Lebanese Nadine Labaki occasional seasoning on top. And that’s it.

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10 thoughts on “The Lebanese Issue With Fetih 1453”

  1. As an Armenian Lebanese, I actually don’t really care if a Turkish movie is being released in Lebanon. But I do agree that we don’t get a variety of international movies (except with different “film festivals”), and I also don’t like the Syrian dubbed Turkish shows (but that’s because all dubbed shows annoy me to no end, you should see the Armenian dubbed American shows on Armenian TV, will drive you nuts!).
    You do have a point with the Turkey obsession, it does hit a nerve personally, but I feel like Turkey is on this mission to increase its awareness as this modern awesome place. What with all the touristic things, Turkish airlines, and its impressive film industry (whether you like the shows or not, you have to give credit that they’re doing a pretty ok job). I wish Lebanon would get its shit together so that it can promote itself like them, we’re more awesome here anyways 😛

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  2. I have the same thoughts. And yes, the separation is a good movie and there are a lot of movies from other countries that deserve to be watched.
    I am also against the ban. And I will say this again: EDUCATE people and teach them to build their own thinking instead of telling them what to think.

    Anyways, regardless of its content, I heard that the movie had good of CGI work done.

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  6. My own personnel opinion is that we as Humans should have a CHOICE,if we feel like watching something we should be able to watch it as I’m sure nobody is going to put a gun to your head to make you watch it.just goes to prove that Religion in Politic’s is thriving and keeping us have our blinkers on and I would like to eat and watch what I would like as they are basic human rights.im sick and tired about Racism in this world because of history’s events,what has happened in history must be acknowledged but not used as a way of being Racist to one particular person or Race/Color,Religion.But unfortunately we are always being taught to hate by Goverments and Religous organisation’s ((The hate coming from Religous side of things is actually the Most frightening and Disturbing Thing,as religion should teach love,Respect and Fogivness)) If you truly believe in god I think you should Truly believe that God is the True Judge and should be left in his most powerful hands and not us as mere Mortals.your most likely thinking I am getting right off the ‘Movie Topic’ But I’m Not because by Not having the Choice Watch a particular Movie is being in This Movies case being Dictated by Religous figures and organisations who have a strong hold on Politics.
    I’m sick of being trying to instil hate in me,More the Fact that its a Turkish hate.But as I mentioned earlier let us Acknowledge the Past and Learn from it but let’s not hate the Average Turkish person (Which I did) but after being Forced to live with some of them through being castrated,I now have now taken off my blinkers and realise that there is good and bad in every race which I first handedly experienced during my 6.9 years of my life.without the Turk I would not be writing this piece of my opinion now,without going right into it,I am and will be fully Grateful to my Turkish friends.
    By the way I did get to watch this Particular Movie an Quite enjoyed it,But give the People a choice.Who wants to watch can Watch and whom Doesn’t,DOESN’T..
    Give somebody a chance and you judge if you like them or not and let god Judge them if they have Done wrong to any living thing.
    PEACE OUT 🙂

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