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Directed
by Catherine Stryker
Documentary / U.S.A. / 2007 / 30 min. In English
Turtle
Beach is a story of success against the odds in a fight to save a
sea turtle nesting beach from development. In Turkey in the
mid-eighties, new tourist facilities were being built along the
coastlines at breakneck speed. When former nightclub singer June Haimoff
heard of plans to build a holiday village on the beach at Dalyan, she
decided to speak up for the endangered species caretta
caretta. Dalyan’s sea turtles became an international cause
celebre as the landmark campaign to save the beach gathered
momentum. It was the first time that conservation had been considered in
Turkey’s rush to develop economically and the sea turtles became
powerful symbols of a new awareness in the country.
Haimoff is a charismatic woman in her eighties who has made
her home in Dalyan. We hear about the early days of the campaign, and
her doubts and fears about taking an unpopular stance. We hear from
lifelong residents of the village, a former Minister of Tourism, from
the developers who were taken aback by sudden opposition to their plans,
and a Turkish conservationist who took the fight onto the European
political stage and became a founding member of the WWF.
The interviews are set against the stunning scenery of the beach and the
Dalyan delta today. Archive footage from the 1980s, original
photographs, cartoons, letters and headlines show the urgency of the
campaign and the strength of feeling it inspired, especially in Germany
and Turkey.
The Dalyan Delta was ultimately given special protection status by the
Turkish government but the unspoilt natural beauty of the beach and the
presence of the sea turtles has become a major draw for tourists and
tour operators. Despite the pressures of popularity and commerce, the
sea turtles remain protected and continue to nest along the glorious
sandspit. Turtle Beach looks at a small corner of the world where one woman
spoke out for a species, the conservation movement pulled together,
ideas of progress were hotly debated, and governments responded
accordingly.
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