ARMENIANS TO EMBARK ON CINEMATIC JOURNEY TO ISTANBUL

Hurriyet Daily News
April 5 2010
Turkey

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 GuneÅ~_ 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 Kultur University’s Cinema and Television
Department students Bilgi Diren GuneÅ~_ 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 Hurriyet 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 GuneÅ~_. "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, GuneÅ~_ 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’

GuneÅ~_ was born in the eastern Turkish province of Erzincan, while
Hızar was born in southeastern Å~^anlıurfa 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 GuneÅ~_.

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 Ä°pekci and Ugur 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.