Turkish TV Festival: Özge Özpirinçci & Eccho Rights’ Handan Özkubat

Eccho Rights’ director of Turkish drama, Handan Özkubat, and Özge Özpirinçci, star of I Am Mother, which is distributed by the company and has been renewed for a second season by Show TV, spoke to Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari, editor at TV Latina, during the first day of the Turkish TV Festival.

When asked about how they continue to amortize the costs of Turkish dramas with global sales and how they are making profits, Özkubat said in an English interview that you can watch in full here: “First of all, production costs are increasing around the world. It’s happening not only in Latin America and Turkey but also in the U.S., Western Europe and Asia…. However, we’re doing very well. This is also happening because of the quality of Turkish series production. We have a large volume of titles, which usually have 100 episodes and give us a great advantage for international sales. The narratives we’re creating with our producers and incredible actors and actresses is something that international buyers are looking for, [which makes the business] remain profitable.”

Özpirinçci, lead actress of the hit I Am Mother, spoke on what attracted her to the character of Karsu, a role that invited her back to the screen after taking time off when her daughter was born. “I started receiving scripts and felt very grateful for it. Saner Ayar (founder and managing partner of O3 Medya, the producer of I Am Mother), told me about the script. He sent me five episodes, which is not common for an actress or actor before starting to shoot or sign a deal. I read them and immediately loved them. The way the story was told, the way the character was going to evolve, how every traumatic event in the plot was going to change, and the relationship between the characters, especially Karsu’s relationship with her mother, is what attracted me to this role.”

I Am Mother, which premiered last December on Show TV in Turkey, tells the story of a mother of three who carries the pain of her mother throughout her life and starts anew in a bustling city after enduring a life-changing trauma.

Özkubat later highlighted how Turkish dramas are competing with telenovelas for space on regional channels and how they are working with streaming services. Meanwhile, Özpirinçci described her experience working on I Am Mother and how she sees the success of Turkish dramas around the world.

You can view the complete interview here.

To view all of the interviews for the Turkish TV Festival, please visit www.FestivalTurco.com or www.TurkishTVFestival.com.