Last week I was sitting at JFK next to the Turkish Airlines lounge and they had a video ad on repeat, in which a movie star is being pitched what sounds to be an epic international action/romance film. The film producer tells him they’re gonna get to go to the Alps and North Africa, and the Caribbean… but the star, wise as he is, suggests that instead they shoot in the one place they can do it all: Türkiye

Now clearly, the ad isn’t designed to just speak to film producers who happen to be in the terminal. Even though it did actually inspire me look up the film tax credit incentives in Turkey — and they’re not bad! 30% cash rebates on qualified expenses.

More importantly, what this ad suggested to me is that "THE MOVIES" clearly still hold a place in the global imagination. Something exciting and luxurious and wonder inducing.

The entire point of the ad is that this super sexy, super successful movie star wants to go shoot his movie in Türkiye... so why wouldn't we as tourists want to go visit there too. At a minimum, the suggestion is that there is still some global appeal for the IDEA of cinema, and that there is still global appeal for the kinds of epic, sweeping and exciting stories shared in cinema.

So, while I won't be moving any productions to Turkey just yet, I won't soon forget seeing this ad -- especially anytime I find myself sucked into the black hole of the "this entire industry is garbage and no one even cares or really likes movies anymore" mindset that can be catching if you read to many trades on any given Tuesday.