Hello,

 

From its archaic period until what can be considered its modern-day era, having altered, transfigured, and sometimes even destroyed many styles and forms with the use of moving images, we as a group of friends interested in both practical and intellectual production, are excited and beyond happy to be announcing as a result of all the hard work, dedication and love, the establishment of our experimental film cooperative.

 

Both as a result of the meaning of the word and the effect it has on us, as well as it being a reference and dedication to a film collective we hold dear, our cooperative named ‘Chute’, effective today has started production. Within the hegemony of popular cinema or popular "arthouse" cinema that we have all lovingly watched while growing up and still do feel affection towards, in which intellectual and practical production mechanisms are heavily monopolized, it is very important for us to be able to create a space for experimental film and video in our own way, as it is often "genrefied" with concepts such as being "alternative" or "radical", that are extremely misleading and create barriers between the image and its viewers.

 

One of the most important points is to do this as part of a collective because we believe that the artist’s creativity and individuality will not perish or minimize in a space of communal creation, but on the contrary; it can preserve and develop their individual voice and style. Experimental cinema has historically always had a cultural environment in which its artists are in solidarity with each other, produce together, discuss matters, and form collectives. Taking into consideration that this field has always been hit by economic barriers and with low to no possibility for distribution, a named or unnamed collective production becomes a necessity rather than a choice.

 

At this stage, in the initiative we started as Chute Film-Coop, our greatest desire is to create a formation that will reflect its intellectual dimension through publications and conceptual film festivals, its artists' visual world by means of films they will produce, and in the long run, also serves as an archive for experimental film/literature. We hope to create a productive space that has the power to 'add something new to the dictionary' both on our own behalf and on behalf of those who get in touch with us to join the collective. We would like to thank everyone who supported us in realizing this idea, which is rooted in the simple logic of "We love cinema and we love our friends."

 

Baran Bozdağ