It has become necessary to make the following press statement in view of the news report published in Cumhuriyet Newspaper today with the headline “Movie Promotion Through Ministry Circular.”

The news with the byline of Sinan Tartanoğlu is an ugly distortion of facts that the Ministry is forcing students to watch a movie though a circular “to provide box office support.”

The “Son Mektup” (Last Letter) movie which was filmed on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Çanakkale War (Dardanelles Campaign) has managed to present to the movie goers the vision of love for the motherland, for the nation and a sense of national unity and solidarity. To claim that advising students to watch the movie is an effort to provide box office support and to be disturbed by it suggests that those who object have not watched the movie and are indifferent to the spirit of Çanakkale.

Our Ministry will continue in the future to advise students to watch movies like “Son Mektup” which contribute to the development of a sense of history and that promote national and moral values.  

We would like to kindly inform the public.  

Press and Public Relations Department