In June 2013 the İstanbul Municipality proposed to build a new shopping mall in the center of the city, right opposite Taksim Square. They wanted to build over one of the few parks in that area, Gezi Park - a small area of land with trees, cafés and seating for the hordes of people congregating around that area at all times of the day.
The idea caused such a stir that it inspired huge protests. The entire area was occupied by people, thereby preventing the bulldozers from coming in. Improvised cafés and educational centers were set up; free concerts were made available for everyone; the atmosphere was strongly reminiscent of the festive atmosphere of gatherings in the West in the late Sixties during the height of the Protest Movement.
The protesters were asked to leave; when they did not respond, the police moved in with tear gas, water cannon, riot shields and truncheons to break up the gathering.
Serkan Koç's documentary traces the origins, growth, and break-up of the Gezi Park protests in cinéma-vérité style. Hand-held cameras capture the spontaneity of the proceedings; this was not an especially well-organized protest, but it nonetheless grew and grew with thousands of young people from all walks of life joining it.
Perhaps the only fault that can be leveled at BAŞLANGIÇ is a certain lack of context. Unless viewers are acquainted with the events leading up to the Gezi Park disturbances, they might not understand their significance in terms of recent Turkish history. Perhaps some sort of introduction, in the form of title cards and/or interviews might have been welcome. On the other hand Koç's documentary was very much a heat-of-the-moment response, released very soon after the disturbances took place, so perhaps we can excuse a certain rough and ready structural appearance.
