During a visit to the ISF animation studios in Ankara the Minister of Industry and Technology, Mustafa Varank, told the Turkish news agency AA that Turkey was increasing its potential in this sector.
Accompanied by his family, he watched the making of “Rafadan Tayfa Göbeklitepe”, the country’s most popular animated series with 3.5 million viewers. When the original cinema film – “Rafadan Tayfa: Dehliz Macerası” – was released, admissions hit 1.8 million in the first weeks.
In particular the minister talked about creating a training centre in collaboration with ISF Studios to encourage young designers in creative techniques.
Turkish animated film sector is still in development
According to a study by Bahçesehir University (Istanbul) published in 2020, Turkey’s animation industry has not yet reached maturity, adding its “market volume is about 95 million dollars with over 100 large and small studios.”
Until recently the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), a state monopoly of the country’s television industry, was limited to broadcasting animated films imported from abroad (United States, France, Belgium, Japan, Italy, Canada, Korean Republic).
A report from the European Audiovisual Observatory revealed that between 2010 and 2014, only 3.2% of animated films in Turkey were national productions. The first Turkish animated feature, “Devoted Servant of God: Barla”, was only released in 2011.
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Sources: dailysabah.com , ec.europa.eu, dailysabah.com, publication.avanca.org
