Turkish-Armenian Photojournalist Ara Güler Becomes First Film to Be Jointly Produced by Historically Hostile Turkey and Armenia

A biopic about Turkish-Armenian photojournalist Ara Güler is becoming the first film to be co-produced by Turkey and Armenia. The neighboring countries are historically hostile nations due to the fact that Turkey rejects use of the word “genocide” to describe the killings of more than a million Armenians and other Christian minorities by Ottoman Turks.

The biopic, titled “Hello,” will be directed by Ela Alyamac and Aren Perdeci, whose “Lost Birds” (2016) is the first film shot in Turkey to depict the mass deportations and genocide of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

Alyamac from Turkey’s Kara Kedi Film company and Ani Galtsyan from Armenia’s Anso Films signed the agreement to produce “Hello” in tandem at the Cannes Marché du Film on Friday. “Hello” is being hailed as “the first-ever narrative feature film co-produced by Turkey and Armenia, representing a bold and unprecedented act of cultural cooperation and renewed understanding,” according to statement from the directors.

Güler is known globally for his portraits of scores of 20th century icons ranging from Pablo Picasso to Winston Churchill. The directors, who are of Armenian descent, developed a close rapport with Güler the year before he passed away and worked with him to develop his life story into the screenplay for a film with the working title “Hello.” Though the film will explore various aspects of his career and exotic travels, at its core it is a three-day journey the photographer made with his father to the Armenian village where he was born. “Guler always told us his greatest journey was taking his father back home,” the directors told Variety when the project was first unveiled.

Besides documenting top 20th century personalities, Güler, who died in 2018, gained fame for his images of a bygone Istanbul, which earned him the moniker “Istanbul’s Eye.” He established a long collaboration with Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. Guler’s photographs were included in the 2003 Pamuk book “Istanbul: Memories and the City.” He also directed the 1975 doc “End of the Hero,” about a World War I battle cruiser.

The Dogus Corp. of Turkey, which owns the Ara Güler Archives and Research Center and the Ara Güler Museum, is collaborating on the biopic project. Panavision is set to repurpose Güler’s originally owned lenses to shoot the film, according to the directors.

“Hello,” which is supported by the Turkish Ministry of Culture’s Cinema Fund, also received a pre-purchase funding award from Turkish public broadcaster TRT’s 12 Punto script development platform.

Cast and plans for start of shoot are still being kept under wraps.

“At a time when artistic collaboration can be a catalyst for healing and connection, ‘Hello’ aims to demonstrate the power of cinema to transcend borders, foster mutual understanding, and celebrate shared heritage,” the directors stated.