Cinematographers of Turkey first began organizing through the Göryön listserve group started in 2011 by Doğan Sarıgüzel. This group only had a handful of members and in 2013 evolved in to the Cinematographers’ League of Turkey (TGYB) listserve.
In April 2013 a series of meetings addressing working conditions, particularly in the advertising industry, created an opportunity for cinematographers to meet in person and discuss common concerns and make several collective decisions. The number of participating cinematographers rapidly increased. After a year of intense meetings and discussions the group recognized the need to establish itself as a formal legal identity. Hence, in February 2014 the Cinematographers’ Association of Turkey was established through collective agreement.
