In collaboration with the Seattle Turkish Film Festival, Dr. Melike Yucel-Koc — who also serves on the Festival’s Film Selection Committee — organized and moderated an inspiring evening with Zuhal Olcay, one of Turkey’s most celebrated and influential performing artists at the University of Washington.
The event, titled “Turkish Cinema Through an Artist’s Lens” offered an intimate and thought-provoking exploration of Turkish cinema through Olcay’s perspective as an actor, musician, and cultural figure whose career spans more than four decades.
Through a rich and engaging conversation, they reflected on the evolution of Turkish cinema, the shifting representation of women in film and television, and the ongoing pursuit of artistic freedom and creative resilience in Turkey’s changing social and political landscape. Olcay also spoke about her leadership as President of the Actors’ Union in Turkey, where she has played an important role in advancing artists’ rights, creative autonomy, and professional solidarity within the industry. Her reflections offered a unique blend of personal insight and cultural commentary, tracing how cinema serves as both an artistic medium and a platform for dialogue, representation, and resistance.
The event drew a diverse audience of students, scholars, and community members, providing a rare opportunity to engage directly with one of Turkey’s most significant cultural voices.
This program, made possible through the collaboration between the MELC’s Turkish & Ottoman Studies Program and the Seattle Turkish Film Festival, exemplifies the department’s ongoing commitment to cross-cultural dialogue, artistic exchange, and the critical study of global cinema.
Our heartfelt thanks goes to MELC Turkish and Ottoman studies Program's Fulbrigth TA, Cemalcan Uslu who assisted the event as the translator for Olcay.