16 Apr An interview with Mert Izgi, director of “HANDPRINT”

Posted at 13:36h in Interviews by


Mert Izgi

 

«In my cinema, distance is eliminated by the viewer’s sense of empathy.»

 

BIO

Mert Izgi was born in Istanbul. He completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Adana. He studied at Selçuk University, Department of Radio, Television and Cinema. During his university education, he received training for his industry at Kısa-Ca Film Workshop. He shot the films Yesilcam (2018), Searched for Blood (2020), 90+ (2021) and HANDPRINT (2024).

 

 

“Handprint”, Ayşe Özçelik’s story, is the story of a woman living on the margins, in silence, yet with a strength that seems to carry generations. What was the spark that made you want to turn her life into a film?

 

I think Ayşe Özçelik will represent the Black Sea women who struggle throughout life and struggle to fall in every way. As a documentary director, it is to be on the road constantly, to produce and to stay in the struggle. The madness inside you drags you to this. That’s how our paths crossed with Ayşe Özçelik.

 

 

Her life unfolds under the weight of male authority and unspoken grief, especially the loss of a child — yet it’s never framed as victimhood. How did you approach telling such a story with both intimacy and cinematic distance?

 

We know Ayşe Özçelik’s story as much as she tells us. Without external intervention, without pressuring her with questions, we share her grief as much as she allows. I think it is important to empathize in order to understand people’s pain. The distance in my cinema is eliminated by the viewer’s sense of empathy. Of course, I have to feel that sincerity so that it can be reflected on the silver screen. Ayşe Özçelik is not just a character in a documentary for me. She will continue to accompany me in an important place in my life and contribute to my cinema.

 

 

The Black Sea landscape doesn’t just set the scene — it breathes with Ayşe’s story, wild, grey, and relentless. How did the geography shape your visual language and the emotional tone of the film?

 

When I decided to film Ayşe Özçelik’s story, I saw that the gray aspects of the story were more prevalent. When you experience situations such as uncertainty, grief, loneliness that affect human life until the end of your life, you cannot see life through a window of vibrant colors. In a region like the Black Sea, which is the apple of nature’s eye, Ayşe Özçelik’s story can be described as a tear in my film.

 

 

 

Looking back at your journey — from Yeşilçam to Handprint — how do you feel this documentary fits into your evolution as a filmmaker? Was there something in Ayşe’s story that made you approach filmmaking differently this time?

 

Thank you for asking this question. It was something I didn’t realize when I was making Handprint, but during the editing process and the festival journey, I realized that I could make 20 more documentaries like Handprint. This is exactly the cinema I want to live and make live.

 

 

What are you currently working on?

 

I am currently continuing my research for two documentary projects that I came across in Fethiye and Ankara.