Performing modernity: the film of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on his forest farm

Abstract

Although there are several general accounts of the history of cinema in Turkey, little is known on the use of film as a means of communication by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his followers in building the Republic of Turkey as a modern nation-state (1923-1938). Drawing upon primary archival sources and newly found footage, this study explores Ataturk's relationship to cinema during his time in power. By comparing the account of the making of a film about Ataturk on his Forest Farm by Fox Films in 1930, which was provided in a diplomatic letter from Joseph C. Grew, the American ambassador to Turkey, with the two surviving archival versions of this film, this study demonstrates how Ataturk used film to communicate his and Turkey's new image to the American public.