Istanbul Modern hosts Turkish cinema restoration program

Istanbul Modern Cinema is celebrating World Audiovisual Heritage Day with the “Yeniden Perdede” (Back on Screen) program. Organized in collaboration with the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Prof. Sami Şekeroğlu Cinema-TV Center, the event showcases films from Turkish cinema that have been restored over the last 15 years.

Running from October 22 to 27, the selection aims to highlight efforts in preserving Turkish cinematic memory and invites audiences to re-examine these works through a modern lens. The program includes various films spanning different eras, such as Muhsin Ertuğrul’s 1935 film “Aysel, Bataklı Damın Kızı,” Metin Erksan’s “Karanlık Dünya,” Halit Refiğ’s “Gurbet Kuşları,” and Erden Kıral’s “Hakkâri’de Bir Mevsim.”

Istanbul Modern Film Curator Müge Turan noted that restoration is an effort to carry memory into the present, stating that a film’s preservation is only truly achieved when it is re-watched and discussed. The program also features appearances by directors and actors from the featured films.