Turkey’s Antarctica documentary debuts in Ankara

By Enes Kaplan

ANKARA (AA) - The Black Box of the Planet: Antarctica, Turkey’s documentary recorded in the frozen continent, premiered at the presidential complex on Wednesday at an event hosted by the Turkish first lady.

The event was organized as part of the events of Turkey's largest technology festival, Teknofest. The documentary was prepared by the Turkish Industry and Technology Ministry.

Speaking at the event, First Lady Emine Erdogan said Antarctica is a continent full of secrets and she recommended that everyone should watch the documentary.

Turkey’s expeditions to Antarctica are also one of the successful signatures for the country in becoming a major force in the scientific field globally, besides in its own geography, she said.

“This work under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency is implemented in coordination with our Industry and Technology Ministry. Congratulations to all the ministry team and I wish you continue to be successful.”

Pointing out that the 4th National Antarctic Science Expedition has many firsts in many respects, Erdogan said: “The first of these is the recording of the expedition through a documentary.”

Erdogan praised Burcu Camcioglu, the director of the documentary who worked with a team of two to finish the film.

“We can almost say, ‘Antarctica was touched by a woman’s hand.’ I especially congratulate our women. They have been a part of this important work with their courage, experience, and broad vision,” she added.

Mentioning the team had to return ten days earlier than it was planned due to glacial melting, Erdogan said: “The total melting of a canal covered with glaciers throughout history is one of the most striking and concrete indicators of climate change.

“It is very important to take the necessary precautions through international cooperation. We must not forget that our future is under the threat of climate change,” she added.

Speaking ahead of the screening, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank said that he believes “our citizens will know what our scientists are doing there,” and that their interest in science and the continent will increase when they watch this documentary.

The 57-minute documentary will be aired through TRT Belgesel, the documentary channel of the public broadcaster, at 10 p.m. local time (1900GMT) on Thursday. The film will also be broadcast by TRT on Sept. 27.

The documentary was prepared as part of the country's 4th National Antarctic Science Expedition last year.

In the 4th Antarctica expedition, 24 scientists, headed by Ersan Basar and coordinated by Burcu Ozsoy, searched for several answers in the frozen continent.

During the event, 135 hours of raw video was shot for creating the documentary.