Shrinkage: Wildfires and Nomads

Nomadism, one of humanity's oldest forms of life, is now on the brink of extinction in Anatolia as a consequence of the ecological devastation we are experiencing. Nomads, whose living spaces have already got significantly shrunk, now face the threats posed by large-scale wildfires. Stating that we need to see such fires as a part of our lives due to climate change and decades of misguided forest policies, many scientists argue that if we wish to sustain our existence on this planet we should turn to approaches based on harmony with nature but not domination; just as the nomads have been doing for thousands of years. Shrinkage traces an alternative perspective on wildfires and the human-nature relationship by centering the Yagal family and their goats, who lost their winter quarters in the 2022 wildfires.

  • Nazim Guveloglu
    Director
  • Nazim Guveloglu
    Writer
  • Nazim Guveloglu
    Producer
  • Duygu Bostanci
    Director of Photography
  • Nazim Guveloglu
    Director of Photography
  • İlhan Kaya
    Editing
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Daralma: Orman Yangınları ve Konar Göçerler
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    33 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 30, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Turkey
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey
  • Language:
    Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Nazim Guveloglu

Conducted academic studies on political science at METU (Turkey) and Goethe University (Germany). Beside filmmaking, ventured into mime and music. Making productions in the forms like promotional film and PSA in his own company since 2018.

Selected Filmography:
Bondage (Experimental short)
A Gigantic Jigsaw Puzzle: The Epicurean Inscription of Diogenes of Oinoanda (Documentary)
French Kiss Chocolate (TV commercial, 16 mm)
February: Around 17 Years Later Than the Earth Was Shaken (Fiction short)
About to Fall (Fiction short)

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Witnessing the 2021 wildfires in Turkey was a challenging experience for me. Consequently, I decided to make a documentary to present alternative information sources and ecological perspectives for the social awareness arosen. My belief in that we need such sources and perspectives more than ever has effected many of my works, including a documentary in the field of archaeology-philosopy and my first feature film project, the script of which I recently finished.
In fact, I had envisioned a different framework for this film. However, as we were finalizing the shooting in the summer of 2022 I heard that the winter quarters of the Yağal family, whom we had interviewed two months ago, were burned in a wildfire. This made me decide to center the film on their story. Thus, we made some additional shootings and interviews on site and finished the film with such a scope. This very low-budget production was mainly completed with voluntary labor and contributions.
I believe, nomadism may open many questioning paths for today as it carries traces of the human-nature relationship for millenia.