Istanbul door het oog van de camera
Meet the Archive: Istanbul door het oog van de camera
A peek behind the scenes at Eye, where more than 50,000 films are stored. Curator Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi shows travel films from the collection, featuring unique footage of Istanbul – from the very earliest moving images shot in 1897. The city and its distinctive silhouette are also frequent subjects in the films of Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
When cinema was invented in 1895, Istanbul (Constantinople at the time) was the capital of the Ottoman empire. Many travellers from the West travelled there, often with the luxurious Orient Express, and wrote about what they saw.
As these were also the heydays of Orientalism, the fascination of the Western audience was complete. No wonder then that Alexander Promio, one of the first travelling cameramen visited the city in 1897 to make its first moving images.
Live music
This program contains a selection of historic footage showing Istanbul, found in Eye's film collection. Ranging from 1910 to 1968, these travel films show how the emblematic silhouette of the city got engrained in the public eye over time. And while the city (with 16 million inhabitants today, according to official census) is constantly changing, some parts of it remain the same as they were 120 years ago.
The session is presented by Eye curator Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi (born in Istanbul), with live musical accompaniment by 'Afro Anatolian Tales'-percussionist Sjahin During in duo with ney-player (flutist) Sinan Arat.
This is part of
Details
Production year
2025
Length
90 min.
Event language
Dutch
Country
NL
Part of
Meet the Archive
Eye curators talk about the filmmuseum’s eclectic, wide-ranging collection. What is hidden among a collection of over 60,000 film titles? Which films are restored and why? In what areas does Eye carry out research? And what choices does putting together a collection like this involve?
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