Department of Cinema and Television

The first science, art and culture institution in field of cinema is "Turkish Film&TV Institute", whose roots go back to "Club Cinema 7", the first cinema club founded in Turkey by Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu as part of Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts. The first film archive, the first cinema museum and the first cinema education started within this institution which was led by Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu.

After Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts turned into Mimar Sinan University, Turkish Film&TV Institute was restructured. The Institute has been maintaining its activities under the titles "Turkish Film&TV Institute" and "Department of Cinema-TV". The title "Turkish Film&TV Institute" is used for archive and film center at international relations.

Department of Cinema-TV utilizes all facilities of Turkish Film&TV Institute and is supported by it. It provides a unique education in the field of cinema. The Department maintains its activities in accordance with the principle "Production within Education, Education within Production". Esteemed professionals from film sector and masters of Turkish film industry lead production workshops, teach theoretical and practical courses besides academicians as well.

Students are educated in line with the Institution's goals of both bringing up experts to work in Film-TV industry and academicians equipped with aesthetical, technical and theoretical knowledge to work for cinema-TV schools home and abroad. Students benefit from the film archive where more than 10 000 films are preserved and also participate in professional projects realized by the Institute.

Basic knowledge of cinema is presented in form of both theoretical and applied courses in the first three semesters. Then, the students are required to produce at least one short film per semester. Students make their films with use of professional equipment through consulting to and collaborating with their advisors. These films are evaluated by a grand jury at the end of semester.

The teaching staff include cinema professionals and academicians, who are Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu, Prof.Tevfik İsmailov, Memduh Ün, Duygu Sağıroğlu, Nedim Otyam, Feyzi Tuna. Younger generation staff are Prof. Cem Odman, Prof. Alev İdrisoğlu, Prof. Asiye Korkmaz, Assist. Prof. Yüksel Aktaş, Serdar Akar and Uğur İçbak. Teaching staff and students participate in all professional works executed by Turkish Film&TV Institute. The institution and its members hold exhibitions to promote Turkish cinema home and abroad, join festivals, project films for public in its theatres, produce films and documentaries, assist other universities, public organizations, TV channels and researchers in sense of information and documentation.

Post-production of films like "Aşk-I Memnu", "Yorgun Savaşçı", "Üç İstanbul", "Toprağın Teri", Metamorfoz", "Yalnız Efe", "Preveze'den Önce", "Beş Hikaye", "Derman", "Mavi Sürgün" are made in Cinema-TV Center. Films like "Toprak Adamları", documentary series like "Türk Sinema Tarihi" and "Ünlü Ustalar", television programmes like "Sinema Klasikleri", "Oskar Alan Filmler" and "Toplu Gösteriler", documentaries like "Atatürk ve Sanat", "Cemal Reşit Rey", "Sedad Hakkı Eldem", "Dolmabahçe ve Atatürk", "Beni Hatırlayınız", Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi Tanıtım Filmi" are produced by members of this department. Also, BRT TV broadcast of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality during 1992-1994 was executed by instructors and students of Department of Cinema-TV. Furthermore, works of students are awarded in considerable festivals home and abroad.

Starting from first years of education, important figures of cinema, experts and academicians have been invited to the institution and seminars, panel discussions and film projections. Some of those guests are François Truffaut (French director), Elia Kazan (American director), Marcel Carne (president of French Academy and director), Anthony Queen (actor), Walter Lassally (Academy Award Winner cinematographer), Tölümüş Okeyev (Kirgiz director), Klaus Eder (president of FIPRESCI), Prof. Muller (chairman of Munich Film School) and Prof. Lengsfeld, Ed Giulio (American designer), M. Neilson (creator of fantastic scenes in Superman series), Paul Lamastra (American film editor), Ludwik Gesek (director of film archive in Austria) and some directors from Turkish speaking countries. In addition, joint programs are held with Munich Film School and Natfitz Film School of Bulgaria.