Armenians to embark on cinematic journey to Istanbul

Monday, April 5, 2010

VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU

ISTANBUL - Hüriyet Daily News

The first Turkish Film Festival of Armenia was organized from March 25 to 27. Taking its inspiration from Orhan Veli Kanık’s poem, “Listening to Istanbul,” by Bilge Diren Güneş and Veysel Cihan Hızar, will be shown in Armenian cinemas throughout 2010. The film will provide Armenian viewers the chance to have a virtual tour of Istanbul, the directors say

Orhan Veli Kanık, one of Turkish literature’s most beloved poets, is set to share Istanbul with the people of Yerevan thanks to recently a Turkish film festival in Armenia.

Nine films from Turkish directors were screened in the Armenian capital last week as part of the "23.5 Turkish Film Festival in Armenia,” organized by festival directors Gorgiy Vanyan and Luisa Poghosyan with the support of the British Embassy in Yerevan.

As the winner of the jury award, “Istanbul’u Dinliyorum – Listening to Istanbul,” which takes its name from Kanık’s most famous poem, will be played in Yerevan movie theaters throughout the year.

Directed by Istanbul Kültür University’s Cinema and Television Department students Bilgi Diren Güneş and Veysel Cihan Hızar, “Listening to Istanbul” has already been the recipient of a handful national awards.

“Our film has been shown in many festivals but it is very important to us to screen it in Armenia. It made us very happy to get this proposal. The film will be seen by Armenian audiences throughout 2010. We thank everyone,” Hızar recently told the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review.

Virtual tour of Istanbul through film

Istanbul is a city where many Armenians lived in 19th and 20th centuries, and a source of modern Armenian language and literature.

“Even an Armenian person, who has never seen Istanbul, has definitely an image of this city on his mind,” said Güneş. “The main reason why the film was liked was because of curiosity about Istanbul, in my opinion. It is a very beautiful city that everyone is in love with.”

Hızar said the film would provide an opportunity for all its Armenian viewers to take a virtual journey of the city. “We want people to feel like they are in Istanbul when watching the film.”

Referring to the current tensions between Turkey and Armenia, Hızar said both sides need to find common ground. “As young people, we deeply believe that all offenses will be halted in the near future.”

Agreeing with Hızar, Güneş said: “The artists of both countries have an important mission. They can create a new language between the members of the two publics. We would be very happy if we can make even a small contribution to relations between the two countries with this film.”

‘We grew up on the same land under the same sky’

Güneş was born in the eastern Turkish province of Erzincan, while Hızar was born in southeastern Şanlıurfa before both came to Istanbul for schooling.

“From Erzincan to Sivas, to Diyarbakır, we and the Armenians grew up on the same land under the same sky for centuries,” said Güneş.

Touching on Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was assassinated on Jan. 19, 2007, she said: “Just like we want justice for our journalists such as Abdi İpekçi and Uğur Mumcu, we want it for Dink, too. We suffered the same pain as Dink.”

The biggest wish for both directors is to see Armenia, yet travel is difficult because of the limited financial resources available to them as students, Hızar said.

“I hope we can get this chance one day. Maybe our film gets an award and they invite us to the country. Then our dream would come true,” he said.