Pride and popcorn: consuming the idea of community at film screenings in the Turkish diaspora

Abstract

A range of studies have revealed the interrelatedness of identity construction, community formation and media among diasporas, mostly focusing on domestic contexts. Seeking to add further nuance to the understanding of the social lives of diasporas, we concentrate on media culture in the public environment of the film theatre. The significance of diasporic film consumption is investigated through a local audience study of Turkish film screenings in Antwerp. The phenomenon of the screenings was analysed through a multi-method approach, including 536 questionnaires among audiences, 19 in-depth interviews and 3 group interviews, along with previous findings (on distribution and exploitation) of the same project. The results show that Turkish films are almost exclusively attended by people with Turkish roots, creating a Turkish diasporic space within the boundaries of the urban and the public. The audience study shows that the screenings fulfil a major social role but also affect understandings of community.

Keywords:

• Turkish diaspora
• media culture
• cultural identity
• film consumption
• public space
• cinema

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Hans Martens and Koen Panis for their generous support during the statistical analysis.

Notes

1. Bollywood refers to commercial films produced in Bombay/Mumbai and should not be confused with Indian film production (which also covers Tamil, Telugu and other regional film industries). The use of the term has been problematised (e.g. in Vasudevan 2011). See Ganti (2012) for an elaboration on the rhetoric and conceptual ambivalence in relation to the Hindi film industry.

2. ‘Cinema & Diaspora’ (BOF UA 2009–2013; FWO 2008–2012), supervisors Philippe Meers (University of Antwerp), Roel Vande Winkel (University of Antwerp) and Sofie Van Bauwel (Ghent University). Researchers Kevin Smets and Iris Vandevelde (both University of Antwerp).

3. The selected films were New York'ta Beş Minare (dir. Mahsun Kırmızıgül, 2010), Av Mevsimi (dir. Yavuz Turgul, 2010), Eyyvah Eyyvah 2 (dir. Hakan Algül, 2011) and Kurtlar Vadisi: Filistin (dir. Zübeyr Şaşmaz, 2011), screened between November 2010 and January 2011. Before entering the theatre room, film-goers were asked to fill in the six-page questionnaire, which was collected by the researchers during the intermission or after the film. The average return rate was 55.3%. Films were selected on the basis of genre diversity (one action film, one action/drama, one comedy and one thriller) and practical circumstances. The 18 questions covered respondents’ demographic profile as well as film-going habits and preferences. A test survey was conducted (not included in the final data-set), after which questions were simplified to increase the response rate. For instance 5-point Likert scale multiple choice questions were simplified to 3-point scale questions.

4. Altogether, 10 men and 10 women were interviewed. The interviews included one double interview (mother and daughter). One of the focus groups was mixed (two women, one man); the others included 3 women and 5 men, respectively. The sample consisted of people from the first, second and third generations, with ages varying between 17 and 65, guaranteeing demographic diversity. Most respondents were contacted through organisations or through a contact sheet attached to the questionnaire. All interviews were conducted in Dutch; translations are the responsibility of the authors. Participant observations were performed at 15 multiplex screenings, 3 screenings in organisations and 3 screenings in a family context, between 2009 and 2012.

5. Located in the northernmost part of Belgium, the city of Antwerp has a strong relation with the neighbouring Dutch province of Noord-Brabant.

6. There is a potential margin of error due to the younger respondents and those still studying.

7. The average age of audiences at Turkish films is the same as Belgian film audiences in general, as appears from our confidential consultation of the (‘national’) Kinepolis Audience Survey, conducted in 2010 across the Belgian multiplex theatres of Kinepolis (located in all major cities). Other large surveys conducted in recent years confirm this general trend.