Toygun Çetin, a graduate of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Department of Cinema and Digital Media, achieved great success with his short film 'Jelly', which is about a depressed young man's socialization effort with the help of a digital friend developed with artificial intelligence. While the 18-minute film was screened at called 'Lima Web Fest' and 'Lift-Off Online Sessions' festivals, it was also broadcast on BluTV as one of the special works in Turkey.
27-year-old Toygun Çetin, who graduated from IUE Faculty of Communication, Department of Cinema and Digital Media last year, shot the short film 'Jelly' in Istanbul. Emphasizing the impact of technology on daily life and even shaping people's up close and personal relationships, the film was completed in about 3 months. Combining science fiction and drama, the lead role of the movie was played by Çetin's friend from university, Andarkan Çeliker.
HIS LIFE CHANGED
IUE graduate Toygun Çetin, who prepared the script and directed the film, stated that he continues to work on new projects. Sharing details about the movie, Çetin said, “The lead character Cihan is an introverted and depressed young man. Cihan's life changes with the bag he found in the park. In the bag is a voice assistant with artificial intelligence named 'Jelly'. Cihan's life begins to change positively after the assistant. Thanks to this assistant, Cihan starts to socialize and gets rid of the feeling of loneliness. Jelly becomes Cihan's best friend in a short time. The change in Cihan's life is also conveyed to the audience generally. While my university friend Andarkan played the lead role in the movie, Jelly was voiced by Buğu İrem Kaymakcı, who graduated from the Department of Media and Communication. I thank them very much for their support.”
GAVE ME COURAGE
Çetin continued as follows: “We screened the film on ‘Kısalar’, one of Turkey's largest short film platforms, which I am the founder of. I got very positive feedback about the movie. Then, my film qualified to be among the few works in our country and was broadcast on BluTV. It reached thousands of people in this way. It also was screened at two festivals called 'Lima Web Fest' and 'Lift-Off Online Sessions'. The fact that my first movie was appreciated so much made me happy and encouraged at the same time. I want to continue my career in the field of cinema, which I majored in and loved very much. My aim is to develop new projects and create works that make a difference. My university friend and I continue our preparations for joint projects.”
