Başer told Gazete Duvar the story of how the images of the workers' march before the massacre in Istanbul's Taksim Square, in which 36 people were killed and more than 130 injured by gunfire during the celebrations, unearthed.
"I have been going to the flea market in Bornova for years. Last weekend, while wandering around again, unaware of what was about to happen to me, I came across a notebook in one of the stalls containing negative films, nicely sorted in a folder, with an index on the first page. The seller didn't have much information about what was inside. Of course, negative films are not like normal postcards, you can't see what's inside at a glance, you have to hold them up to the light."
"I immediately thought I'd have a look at what was inside. There were photographs from 1976 and 1977, they were dated and it was written next to them what photographs they were. As I was scanning them quickly, when I saw the title ‘1977 Istanbul Workers' Day,’ my eyes suddenly lit up."
Başer has not been able to find out who took the photographs. However, he has some clues. In the two-page negative film he received, there are shots from May 1, 1977 as well as shots from a film set.
Among the photographs taken by our unknown photographer on 1 May 1977, there are many photographs from the cortege of the Filmmakers' Union. It is even possible to see Semra Özdamar, one of the famous actresses of the period, in the photographs. Therefore, Başer believes that the photographer may have a connection with the world of cinema.