In the spotlight
Burcu Melekoglu and Vuslat Karan - Blue ID
Film still: Blue ID, dir. Burcu Melekoglu and Vuslat Karan
Perseverance and queer joy shine bright in Blue ID
Blue ID is an intimate portrait of Turkish trans actor Ruzgar Erkoclar—a documentary film that started as a documentation of one person’s gender affirmation journey in a starkly conservative Turkey and transitioned into a larger story about the power of perseverance and queer joy. “It’s a film about how to be yourself when everyone has an idea about who you are,” recounts filmmaker duo Vuslat Karan and Burcu Melekoglu. More challenges and turns of fate awaited them in distributing their evocative film, but as their documentary film profoundly demonstrates, the power of determination and a close-knit queer community knows no bounds.
There are very limited trans resources available in Turkish, as Ruzgar Erkoclar discovered first-hand when embarking on a journey of self-discovery. That was the onset for filming Blue ID; the filmmakers were close acquaintances of Erkoclar and would help him navigate English-language resources found online. “That was about twelve years ago,” director Vuslat Karan recounts. “He came up with the suggestion: ‘Why don’t we film this process? We can make a film and reach people in Turkey who don’t have access to any trans resources—just like I’m experiencing.’ And that’s how we began.”
The vulnerability of a personal transformation and the intimacy between friends is distinctly palpable in the film—the feeling of excitement to embark on this journey of gender affirmation speaks volumes. “The aim was that we wanted the audience to feel trans joy,” Karan recalls proudly.
“And then experience the bubble bursting,” Burcu Melekoglu adds. Six months into filming, Erkoclar’s story of transition was leaked to the press. And so, the deeply intimate story turns into one of intense media scrutiny and a full-on confrontation with the homophobia and transphobia prevalent in traditional Turkish society. “We go through that with Ruzgar, we feel the destruction caused by that invasion of privacy and empathize with how hate can hurt in different ways.” When speaking on receiving IDFA Bertha Fund support, Karan recounts: “For first-time filmmakers, for someone who really doesn’t know how to navigate the international film industry, the support provided really means a lot. There wouldn’t be a film without that support.” Followed closely by pitching at IDFA Forum, the connections formed during the matchmaking set a network for Blue ID in motion. Melekoglu: “It really was a jumping board.”
Photo: Directors Burcu Melekoglu (middle) and Vuslat Karan (right) in a Talk after the screening of Blue ID at IDFA 2022
This powerful story deserves a wide audience, but unfortunately distributing film has been faced with unexpected complications. After taking the time to carefully select the right queer-identifying sales agent to represent them, the filmmaker duo found themselves ghosted and left in the dark. After months of concern, they discovered they weren’t the only filmmaking team who were left hanging. “By that point, around when Berlin and Sundance take place, sales agents had their slates filled—especially for quote-unquote queer films—so we ended up tackling the festivals and distribution ourselves,” Karan recounts sorely. When asked if they had any advice to other filmmakers following an independent route, Karan underlines: “it’s expensive.”
The fact that the documentary film is met with roadblocks and resistance in Turkey is no surprise—it is yet to premiere in its motherland. Blue ID was selected for the prestigious Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival; a major win in the face of the growing anti-LGBTQI+ sentiment in Turkey. But the festival’s controversial decision to censor another documentary film in the same competition caused a storm of debate and political pressure, resulting in the cancelation of the 60th edition of the international industry event.
The commitment to creating a film for audiences, and trans audiences in particular, clearly spoke to viewers internationally. Following premiering at IDFA 2022 and won the NPO Audience Award, Blue ID has gone on to win acclaim and admiration at various film festivals. “As queer filmmakers ourselves,” Melekoglu muses: “hearing young, queer people say the film felt empowering or showing second generation Turkish audiences that there is a queer community thriving in Turkey—or, right now we’re mostly surviving, but we will thrive again—means the most to us.” The NPO Audience Award and pre-sale to TVO in Canada has ensured TV sales internationally, but theatrical release of the film is also a complex question. Looking forward, the duo set their hopes on private, pop-up screenings. It’s been a hard road, but just as their film speaks of perseverance, the filmmakers remain determined and optimistic. Melekoglu concludes: “Things will get better. We know how meaningful telling these stories is—so we will find ways.”
By Roxy Merrell