The event “The Arrival of Cinema in İstanbul and Early Period Cinema,” hosted by the Yunus Emre Institute in London, drew significant attention from cinema enthusiasts.

Professor Ian Christie of Birkbeck University commended Nezih Erdoğan’s contributions to Turkish cinema in his opening remarks at the event and expressed gratitude to the Yunus Emre Institute in London for organizing the program.

The event, featuring Professor Nezih Erdoğan, a prominent film historian in Türkiye and a visiting scholar at Birkbeck University, delved into the historical evolution of cinema in İstanbul from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.

Prof. Erdoğan, who teaches film theory, film history, and storytelling at İstinye University, delivered an engaging discussion on the audience and the modern world during the formative years of cinema in İstanbul.

In his speech, Erdoğan addressed various topics such as the arrival of cinema in the city, the sense of wonder and modernity it instills in the audience, the influence of Karagöz on cinema, and the impact of cinema on the cultural and political transformation of the city.

Prof. Nezih Erdoğan discussed how the audience was introduced to content that appealed to their visual and auditory senses, such as the traditional puppet show “Karagöz and Hacivat,” before the advent of cinema.

He explained that in 1896, due to the absence of electricity, cinema began with the first elements illuminated by gas lamps, and emphasized that cinema was initially introduced as a Ramadan event in Şehzadebaşı, acting as a bridge between modernity and tradition.

Music from Turkish films performed

In the final segment of the program, pianist Çiğdem Borucu performed music from rare and original films selected from the archive of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, which were screened in İstanbul during that period.