Etem article: Women, LGBTQ underrepresented at Boston Turkish Film Festival
The Boston Turkish Film Festival promotes an exchange of culture and ideas, but an analysis by doctoral candidate Jülide Etem of its 2018 selection of films shows it prioritizes patriarchal and nationalistic themes and leaves out the voices of women and the LGBTQ community.
“Film diplomacy in action at the 23rd Boston Turkish Festival: A critical look at immigrants efforts to promote Turkish culture,” appears in NESCUS European Journal of Media Studies. Etem critically reviewed the film festival’s diplomatic role in influencing U.S. citizens’ perceptions of Turkey.
Etem found that the selection of films “presents Turkish immigrants as a united group contributing their culture to the Boston community and promotes a presentation of Turkey by sugar-coated films that celebrate Turkish culture.” Only 17 percent of the films screened were directed by women, and none told stories about the LGBTQ community.