'Turkey Second-Biggest Exporter Of TV Series In World'

Turkey comes second in the world in the exportation of local TV series, only preceded by America, Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) President Mehmet Büyükekşi said in İstanbul last week at the inauguration of a panel on Turkey's status as a rising power in world cinema and the TV industry.

The president pointed out that Turkey aims to increase the value of its exported cultural products to $2 billion by 2013. Büyükekşi said the cinema industry follows the pharmaceutical and arms industries in importance, as it reached a volume of $88 billion in 2013. “This amount is expected to rise to $100 billion in 2017 and $110 billion in 2018,” the president pointed out.

Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi, who was also a member of the panel, said they plan to change the image of Turkey as represented in Alan Parker's 1978 film “Midnight Express” through art and films.

Meanwhile, American director Bobby Roth, who is currently behind the camera in Turkey to direct some episodes of the upcoming Turkish historical TV series “Filinta,” said he had first learned about Turkey through “Midnight Express” but that his impression of the country changed completely after experiencing it for one week.

Roth, known for his work on a number of popular TV series such as “Lost” and “Prison Break,” said the Turkish people are really enthusiastic about the TV industry and that the studios and crews are impressive.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)