Filmmaking organisations including the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) are calling for the immediate release of Turkish film editor Erhan Örs, who was imprisoned on June 3 for his involvement with a human rights charity.
In 2017, Örs edited a film for the Migration Monitoring Association – a Turkish NGO that focuses on human rights for Arab, Kurdish, Yazidi and Christian refugees, and victims of forced migration. Örs was detained by Turkish authorities in June and he is currently being held in Silivri Prison awaiting trial.
The ICFR - founded by the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and European Film Academy (EFA) – has released a statement condemning Turkish authorities and calling for Örs’ release.
“To be held and tried on the basis of his profession as film editor is nothing short of preposterous,” said Mike Downey, EFA chairman and co-founder of ICFR. “In the case of Örs, the editing profession itself is facing unlawful prosecution. This judicial process is a clear threat to the freedom of filmmakers in Turkey. We call on the Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him.”
Örs has edited a number of short and feature-length films including Hasim Aydemir’s Turkish-Kurdish drama Blackberry Season which picked up an audience award at this year’s London Kurdish Film Festival.
He released a statement from jail, via the Editors’ Society of Turkey and The Cinema Television Union, thanking filmmakers and organisations for their support.
The Federation of Film Editors Associations (TEMPO), The Association of Audiovisual Editors of Spain (AMAE) and the Audiovisual Editors Association of Catalonia (AMMAC) have also released statements and are using the hashtag #EditingIsNotACrime.
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