I Have a Word in Equality, where we aim to bring together those who have a say in the name of 'Equality', especially NGOs, the private sector, the public, and academia in order to ensure gender equality! This week's guest of our series is Halime Güner, one of the Founders of the Flying Broom Foundation. The Flying Broom Foundation is one of the deep-rooted names of collective solidarity, working for gender equality since 1996.
The Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival, organized by the Flying Broom Foundation, which has realized projects and broken new ground in many different fields, is Turkey's first women's films festival and prepares intensively for the festival every year in solidarity with women's organizations and NGOs.
After the 24th meeting with the audience, the award ceremony was held. While the festival screenings were held both online and outdoors, this year the theme of the festival was "Getting Out of Purgatory", with its program and activities, women continued their resistance, inspiration, and solidarity.
Interview: Simge Yazıcı
Edit: Simge Yazıcı
For detailed information about the Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival: www.ucansupurge.org.tr/festival/ucan-supurge-film-festivali/
Can we hear from you for Awen for Us supporters about your connection with Flying Broom?
Halime Güner: As someone who has witnessed the corporate history of Flying Broom since its establishment, we have carried out many works that touch on important social problems in different fields for 25 years. We brought many social problems to Turkey's agenda; Our struggle with early and forced marriages at a young age, which we took steps in 2003, is at the top of this.
As a women's organization that has existed for many years, we have gone through different phases. We tried various organizational models. For many women, Flying Broom was like a school. Many women who contacted us years ago when they were still students and acquired various expertise, contact us again and want to work together.
We witness this often. This experience is of course very proud of us. As a women's organization that is aware of the accumulation and gains of the women's movement, we strongly believe in intergenerational transfer, the power of volunteerism, and transparency. With these savings, we are preparing much more firmly for the next 25 years.
‘Solidarity through art for a just and equal world’ and “24. What can you tell us about the "Flying Broom Women's Film Festival"? Your second festival takes place during the pandemic process. How were the participation and interest?
Halime Güner: This year we've kept the festival dates longer: online screenings from August 27 to June 3; We held the opening on June 4 and physical screenings between June 7-12.
The theme of “Getting Out of Purgatory” determined for the 24th Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival is of great importance to us. As you know, as a result of the restrictions that came with the #pandemic that has been going on for a year and a half, there has been an increase in the rates of invisible labor and violence in the home. Again, the burden on women in the home has increased the most. In the online education system, access and participation of girls in education were prevented in many provinces. At the same time, threats against the Istanbul Convention and Article 103 of the TCK came to the fore.
In all these processes, we benefited from the experience and power of the women's movement to cooperate and come together. The Women's Platform for Equality (THRESHOLD), which includes more than 300 women #activists and NGOs from almost every province of Turkey, was the most concrete example of this. For this very reason, coming out of purgatory has been an inspirational theme for all of us.
After completing a hard work day and night with our festival team under the direction of Azize Tan, we held the opening night of the 24th Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival at CerModern with a limited number of participants. The recording of the night was also broadcast on ABBTV simultaneously with our own social media channels. We were met with quite a lot of interest.
As every year, we completed the 24th festival by adding unique experiences and leaving memories to all of us. Due to the pandemic, we held online and physical screenings together for the first time in our festival history. This, of course, has increased our number of views by enabling us to reach much more people in Turkey and around the world, as was the case last year.
Not only that; As you know, we haven't been able to physically go to the cinema for a long time due to pandemic measures. When the physical part of the festival started, tickets were sold out and almost all the halls were full. We saw once again how much we miss watching movies in the halls. Ankara was filled with culture and art through panels and film screenings throughout the festival.
What would your call be to our equality volunteers for your next work?
Halime Güner: It is our responsibility to build a just world for everyone.
Studies carried out in the name of equality; advocacy, activism, transparency, sustainability, and social benefit cannot be considered independent. At the point of providing these, the importance of NGOs is indisputable. For this reason, our main call on behalf of the Flying Broom Foundation is for equality volunteers to participate more and more actively in the field of civil society.
When fighting against gender inequality, where do you think the most intense effort should be?
Halime Güner: Transfer of intergenerational experience is a topic that is frequently on our agenda lately. The young generation of Z generation is very different, very dynamic. In all the works we have carried out in the last year, we observe how much difference it makes to act and produce with them. For this reason, we think that we should focus more on youth participation and volunteerism management in the fight against gender inequality.
As a civil society activist, what is your word on Equality?
Halime Güner “Let's not compromise on being together and solidarity in this struggle where we cannot give up our lives, our rights and equality.”