Dargeçit (Hold Still) screening & discussion with the filmmakers

We are pleased to cordially invite you to the screening of Dargeçit, (Hold Still) winner of the Best Documentary award at the 2024 Istanbul Film Festival, followed by a discussion with the film team, organized in collaboration with the Core Program and the Human Rights Club.

The screening will take place on Monday, March 17th at 6:00 PM. Immediately after the film, there will be a discussion with the director, Berke Baş, producer Enis Köstepen, and Olcay Özer from the main production company Hafıza Merkezi. The film screening will be with English subtitles, but the talk will be conducted in Turkish.

Sincerely,

Core Program and Human Rights Club

  

About the film: 27 years and counting… Families whose sons and brothers disappeared at the hands of state forces in the Dargeçit district of Mardin in 1995 are fighting for truth and justice within the Turkish judicial system with the help of their lawyer and the Human Rights Association. They travel for hours to each hearing of the trial, which finally began in 2015. While breaking the state’s wall of impunity may seem like an impossible task, “the truth is out there for those who want to see it.”

Director: Berke Baş

Director of Photography: Berke Baş

Editing: Catherine Gouze, Eytan İpeker, Berke Baş

Producer: Enis Köstepen

Production Company: Hafıza Merkezi, Liman Film, inHouse projects

43rd Istanbul Film Festival National Documentary Competition (April 17-28, 2024), Best Documentary

57th SİYAD Awards  (2025), Best Documentary

17th Documentarist Istanbul Documentary Days (June 3-8, 2024) Best Cinematography, Best Editing

 

Berke Baş was born in Ordu in 1972. She holds a BA in Political Science and IR from Boğaziçi University, and MA in Media Studies from the New School. She has been directing/producing independent documentaries since 2001. In 1998, she founded inHouse Projects with Melis Birder. Between 2002-2017, she lectured at Istanbul Bilgi University Cinema, TV and Cultural Studies graduate programs. In addition to Dargeçit, Berke Baş’s filmography includes Bağlar (co-directed with Melis Birder, 2016); Nahide’nin Türküsü (2009); Beton Park (2010); Planet Galata – A Bridge in Istanbul (co-directed with Florian Thalhofer, 2010); What a Beautiful Democracy! (co-directed with Belmin Söylemez, Somnur Vardar and Haşmet Topaloğlu, 2008).

 

Enis Köstepen studied International Trade and Sociology at Boğaziçi University and Anthropology at The New School for Social Research. In 2001, Enis Köstepen joined the founding editorial board of Altyazı Cinema Magazine, and in 2008 he started producing feature films at Bulut Film. Between 2013 and 2021, he worked as project development and fundraising coordinator at Hafıza Merkezi. In 2019, he became one of the founders of Altyazı Cinema Association and is still a member of the board of directors. Enis Köstepen’s filmography includes Dark Cloud (Bahtı Kara, Theron Patterson, 2009), Beyond the Hill (Tepenin Ardı, Emin Alper, 2012), Lifelong (co-producer, Hayatboyu, Aslı Özge, 2013), Abluka (Emin Alper, 2015), A Tale of Three Sisters (co-producer, Kız Kardeşler, Emin Alper 2019), Hold Still (Dargeçit, Berke Baş, 2024), Yellow Letters (co-producer and co-screenwriter, Sarı Zarflar, İlker Çatak, post-production).

 

She graduated from Galatasaray University with a degree in Philosophy and earned her master’s degree in Cultural Studies from Sabancı University. Between 2010 and 2016, she worked as a program assistant and coordinator in the Purple Certificate Program at Sabancı University’s Gender and Women’s Studies Center, within the scope of the United Nations Joint Program for the Protection and Promotion of the Human Rights of Women and Girls. From 2016 to 2019, she served as a program manager in the Educational Programs department at TEGV. Since April 2019, she has been working as the Capacity Development Coordinator for the Haklara Destek Program at Hafıza Merkezi, and since 2020, she has also been serving as the Project and Resource Development Coordinator at the same institution.