GRAPHIC DESIGN
ANIMATION
PHOTOGRAPHY
FILMMAKING

ECEM
DALGAKIRANLAR

PHOTO CHALLENGE 05 HOME
OPEN ENTRY WINNER

I want to explore another aspect of the sea—our relationship with it—
through a combination of photography, animation, and marbling (ebru art).

PHOTO: This image was shot on Earl Grey B&W 35mm ISO 100 film at Southend-on-Sea, home to the longest pier in the world (Essex, England). In 2019, I attempted to immigrate to the UK but failed. I returned to Istanbul with a hidden depression. This photo reflects that feeling.

ANIMATION: In September 2023, a man was pushed off a ferry by the crew as it departed from Piraeus, Greece. No one stopped the engines. No one threw a life jacket or jumped to save him. Some just filmed. Antonis Karyotis drowned due to lack of action and courage. Later, racist audio recordings surfaced: "I thought he was Black, Pakistani."

This event horrified me. In Turkey, people say, "In Europe, if you fall in the street, no one helps you." I never expected to see this in Greece—a country of sailors, where the sea is supposed to mean something more.

ARTWORK: In this looping piece, someone drowns in the shallow waters of Southend-on-Sea while a man on the pier hesitates, thinking instead of acting. The animation is layered with “ebru” effects, the sound of water, and a heartbeat—echoing the weight of hesitation and lost moments.

PHOTO SERIES: HOME

In this photo series, I wanted to show people’s (and my own) relationship with the sea. The moment I decided to move to Athens, I was looking at the sea in this neighborhood, Palaio Faliro. Psychologically, I had hit rock bottom, yet the shore still gave me a sense of optimism. I told myself, “I can heal here.”

Istanbul also has the sea, but being alone with it is not always easy. A friend once told me, “We live in a city surrounded by water on all sides, yet we can’t touch it.” The elderly in Istanbul always sigh and talk about beaches, tavernas, open-air cinemas, small squares, and old marketplaces which does not exist anymore. Gentrification and greed have destroyed Istanbul. And we, who hugged the trees in Gezi Park, were declared terrorists.

In many parts of Athens, I feel as if I’ve stepped into my grandmother’s Istanbul. But Palaio Faliro has another layer. When I shared my love for it online, someone told me:

"I do not know if it was by mistake that you mentioned Palaio Faliro. Palaio Faliro is the Athens region where nearly all the Greek Orthodox Christians of Istanbul settled when they fled from Pera / Beyoğlu. They chose Palaio Faliro because of the sea that reminds them of Istanbul."

That’s when I realized that, just as my queer community and I are subjected to certain fascist policies today, many elderly people here were also targeted, forced to leave their beloved Istanbul through discriminatory practices. Guided by an emotional compass, I found myself in this neighborhood where Istanbul’s Greek, Armenian, and Turkish communities once lived. Since then, I have held a special love for this place.For me, home is the people who share similar wounds—and the sea.

gender ideology
short film

a ReFOCUSxShort directed by Ecem Dalgakiranlar
ReFOCUSxAthens Lab

In Turkey, the government delivers daily speeches targeting "gender ideology", often citing examples from Russia, Hungary, Poland, and Trump's America as models of restricting freedoms.

A newly proposed legal amendment seeks to introduce the term "biological sex" into the penal code. According to the draft bill, the amendments would include the following provision:

"Anyone who openly promotes, praises, or encourages behaviour and attitudes that contradict biological sex assigned at birth and general morality, shall be sentenced to one to three years in prison."

LGBTI+ groups continue to resist for human rights, and call on everyone for support! The only way to protect freedom and human rights is becoming what they described: a global movement! Get organised for global awareness, resistance and connection! Share hope, not fear!
-Ecem Dalgakiranlar
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Major Statements From World Leaders:

They are planting a time bomb in our national structure.”
-Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey

"My dear Turkish friends, I am very happy that you organized this meeting against the normalization of LGBT"
-Aleksandr Dugin, Advisor of Vladimir Putin

“Woke Movement Altered U.S, But Not Europe”
-Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece

"We won't let woke ideology endanger our kids."
-Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary

“Creatures who have declared open war on [Russian society] and want to enslave us" 
-Russian TV commentator

"I will take historic action to defeat the toxic poison of gender ideology and reaffirm that God created two genders, male and female,"
-Donald Trump, President of USA

We look at a moment of “Gender Ideology” which frightens all world leaders.
What do they do in their daily lives and what is on their woke agenda?