BAFTA, Golden Globe, Oscars. Guillermo Del Toro's unique remake of the "Pinocchio" tale in a dark stop-motion, tackling fascism in his gothic world swept away numerous awards in the world's leading ceremonies. Yet in this movie, there is also a point of pride for a Türkiye as the set designer of the movie, Merve Çaydere, is the first Turkish person who took part in this gorgeous cinematography project.

"While I was working on mundane jobs, I had a lot of concerns, and anxiety about the future and I couldn't imagine myself working in the art field and doing something extraordinary," she said during an interview with Ihlas News Agency (IHA).

As the 95th Academy Awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious awards in the film industry, took place in Los Angeles, Merve Çaydere, who designed the set for "Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio" and was the first ever Turkish crew member of a stop-motion animated film to win an Oscar, attended the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre.

Çaydere, who moved from Türkiye to the U.S. in 2015 to pursue a master's degree in stage design, said that she still works on set design for stop-motion animation films. "If someone had told me that the film for which I designed the set would win an Oscar, I wouldn't have believed it as I was working a run-of-the-mill furniture company," she said. She graduated from Hacettepe University Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Interior Architecture and Art Design, and worked in various interior design and furniture companies.

"More than 300 people were involved in the film, and it took four years to film it. We received our reward for our efforts with the award we won. I had the chance to attend the Oscars. I had the chance to attend the Academy Gold talent development program previously held by the organization that organized the Oscars. Thanks to this chance, I also witnessed the film I worked on as a set designer winning an award in the hall. This was an exciting experience for me," she shared.

"Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio" won the Oscar for Best Animated Film. In the movie, the dark dangers of groupthink and fascism in Mussolini's Italy take center stage as the lines between humans and puppets are blurred using the director's uniquely distinct visual style that takes on gorgeous form through stop-motion animation

Realizing a dream

According to Çaydere, she dreamt of working in this field when she saw the footage of a film shooting backstage while she was at work. In this footage, she observed the models and sets meticulously prepared for the movie.

"That's why I moved to the U.S. My dreams came true. There will be more projects related to stop-motion animation in the future. I am currently working in the studio of the movie I watched before and dreamed of entering the stop-motion animation field. We are currently shooting a feature film, and I am working as a set designer there too. I love my job. I hope to work more as more projects come out in this field," she elaborated.

"Hopefully, my story of realizing my dreams will inspire young people working in the design and art fields in Türkiye. I persistently pursued my dreams and this always paid off. I hope that young people in my country do not give up on their dreams," she added.