Lost footage of Türkiye’s first reenactment film unearthed

ANKARA

Long-lost footage from “Zafer Yollarında” (“On the Roads to Victory”), hailed as Turkish cinema’s first reenactment film, has resurfaced through archival research decades after being presumed gone forever.

Rediscovered by the General Directorate of Cinema under the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the film was produced by Türkiye’s first private film company, Kemal Film, between 1923 and 1924, during the nascent years of the Republic of Türkiye.

It depicts the cavalry operations of the Turkish forces under Commander Fahrettin Altay during the Great Offensive — a decisive phase of the Turkish War of Independence that culminated in the retreat of Greek troops to the Aegean coast.

What makes the film unique is that it features real war heroes, including Altay himself, portraying their own roles on screen.

This makes it not only the first reenactment film in Türkiye but also a cinematic document of national memory, blending dramatization with authentic historical figures.

The rediscovered footage retains its original intertitles in the Ottoman Turkish script and its authentic opening credits, providing rare insight into early Turkish filmmaking techniques and storytelling.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy described the find as a significant contribution to Türkiye’s cultural heritage, noting that the film had been wrongly attributed for decades.

According to Ersoy’s statement, detailed examination revealed that the film’s director was not Fuat Uzkınay, as previously believed, but Muhsin Ertuğrul, a pioneering figure in Turkish cinema and theater.