YEE London explores ‘Cinema and Modernity in Occupied Istanbul’
part of Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) London’s long-running Arts & Culture Lecture Series, the institute hosted a talk on “Cinema and Modernity in Occupied Istanbul (1918-1923).” The talk, taking place at Yunus Emre Institute London, explored the history and culture of Turkish cinema and featured preeminent film scholars Nezih Erdoğan and Ian Christie.
The talk toured the role of cinema as a medium of communication, education and propaganda during the occupation and how it shaped the public opinion and the national identity of the Turkish people. The speakers analyzed the cinematic representations of the occupation, the resistance and the liberation, and how they influenced the historical memory and the cultural identity of the Turkish nation.
The speakers discussed how cinema not only survived but also thrived as a popular form of mass entertainment and how it reflected and influenced the process of Türkiye’s “Westernisation” and the formation of the modern Turkish identity.
The evening began with Ian Christie’s whirlwind history of the development and evolution of cinema. He showed how foreign films screened in Istanbul influenced Turkish cinema and how Turkish filmmakers drew inspiration from European cinema. Additionally, he emphasized the contributions of foreign filmmakers living and working in Istanbul to Turkish cinema during the occupation. Christie continued to discuss where British and Turkish cinema history converged, focusing on the Gallipoli campaign, which quickly saw commemoration on screens in both nations.
Following Christie, Nezih Erdoğan discussed cinema and modernity in occupied Istanbul. Erdoğan emphasized the contributions of foreign filmmakers, such as the Levant Cinematography Company and Cecil M. Hepworth, to Turkish cinema. He also discussed the evolution of cinema culture during the occupation period by drawing, for example, the popularity of the Military Museum Cinema showcasing the mostwatched films, screenings on warships for soldiers who would exchange films between the ships and the little-known relocation of the Pathe Russia Company to Istanbul.