Turkish cinema to celebrate 99th year

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Cultural and Social Affairs Department will celebrate the 99th year of Turkish cinema with a series of events to be held.

According to a written statement made by the municipality, Fuat Uzkınay’s footage of the collapse of a 150-meter Russian monument in San Stefano (currently Yeşilköy) on Nov. 14, 1914, went down in history as the first Turkish film.

The municipality, which will organize various events on Nov. 14, regarded as the birthday of Turkish cinema, will organize cinema and documentary screenings and panels between Nov. 12 and 17.

Commemoration programs will be held for Muhsin Ertuğrul, Halit Refiğ, Metin Erksan, Erol Günaydın and Giovanni Scognamillo, who have made big contributions to Turkish cinema, and many artists including Hülya Koçyiğit, Can Gürzap and Rasim Öztekinwill participate in the panels. Also, documentaries of Sefa Önal and Yılmaz Atadeniz will be shown.

The programs, which will be organized at the Fatih Culture Center, will begin on Nov. 12 with the commemoration of Erol Günaydın and continue with “Respect to Giovanni Scognamillo” on Nov. 13 “Muhsin Ertuğrul Documentary and Film Screening” on Nov. 14, commemoration of Metin Erksan on Nov. 15, Halit Refiğ on Nov. 16 and a documentary featuring 100 years of Turkish cinema on Nov. 17.

All events will be open to the public for free.