Haluk Bilginer's remarks on "Turkey's cinema" and Oktay Kaynarca's statements under discussion

While Haluk Bilginer's past suggestion to use the phrase Turkey's cinema instead of Turkish cinema sparked a new debate on social media, actor Oktay Kaynarca's remarks from a program he attended in the past, saying "I am from Turkey, I am a nationalist of Turkey," were reshared following these developments.

Haluk Bilginer's remarks in an interview saying, "Shall we call it Turkey's cinema? Turkish cinema does not sound right to me," sparked a debate as they were reshared on social media. While this expression caused different views regarding cultural identity and inclusivity to emerge among users, it also received criticism from some names, including journalist Ece Üner.

While these discussions continued, Oktay Kaynarca's remarks, which he uttered in a television program he attended in the past, saying, "I do not like city nationalism. I like country nationalism. I am from Turkey. I am a nationalist of Turkey," re-circulated on the X platform. It was stated that these old footage clips of Kaynarca were not said in response to Bilginer's statements, but were brought back to the agenda after the recent discussions.

Following these remarks that resonated widely in June 2024, Oktay Kaynarca stated in an explanation that by using the expression I am from Turkey, he emphasized his loyalty to the lands and defined himself as a Turk. The statements of the two actors at different times led to new evaluations around the concepts of national identity and citizenship on social media.