Turkey and Kosovo have formalized cooperation between their film industries. Signed in Ankara, the bilateral agreement should facilitate co-productions of films and TV series over the next five years, allocating financial support of between 20% to 80% to Kosovar-Turkish co-productions.
After the signing, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, praised the historical and cultural ties between their two countries, while her counterpart from Kosovo, Vlora Dumoshi stressed that cooperation between the countries was not new, given the long-standing support for Kosovar projects by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).
In 2018, the Croatian daily Globus headlined “Turkey’s Great Return to the Balkans”. This gesture is in fact part of the political and ideological reconciliation of countries once belonging to the Ottoman Empire. Since the early 2000’s Turkish investments have multiplied, reaching $20 billion in 2019. Turkey does not hide its objectives; in 2011 the Foreign Ministry stated:
“The Balkans are a priority for Turkey, not only from political, economic and geographical points of view, but also for our historical, cultural and human links with the region.”
Find more information about the Balkan broadcasting and film industries on our Audiovisuelle Méditerranée page.
Sources: hurriyetdailynews.com, turkishpress.com, cineuropa.org, courrier international.com, mfa.gov
