2010 istanbul
11/25/10
8:14 PM
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Istanbul 2010
Documenting a town Maria Eliades talks to two directors with two different takes on the creative capital of Istanbul
This month, two different documentary films that focus on the artists of Istanbul will come of age.
The Colours of Cultural Diversity
The first, directed by veteran filmmaker and Istanbul resident, Annie Geelmuyden-Pertan, looks at the multi-ethnic artists who live and work in the city. Geelmuyden-Pertan, also known as Annie G. Pertan, got her start as the Art Director of the original Aflk-› Memnu series in 1974. Since then, she has produced and directed many more films in various languages. The Colours of Cultural Diversity, funded by the Istanbul 2010 Capital of Culture and Ikon Films, is a 100-minute documentary featuring 16 artists from the Greek, Armenian, Jewish, Romanian, Levantine and Syriac communities who meld together like “marbling,” according to Geelmuyden-Pertan, with colours that move adjecent to one another in the water of the city without colliding. Featured artists include Ara Güler, Hayko Cepkin, Emilios Eden and Leonidas Asteris. Where did the idea to do this documentary come from? When they advertised for projects towards the end of 2007, my husband and I [proposed] two projects. One was a series of six documentaries on minorities living in Turkey, their background, history, very detailed of course, because one 28 Time Out ‹stanbul December 2010
I didn't make a film about just any artists. I made a film about artists from different communities living in Istanbul minority would have a 50-60 minute documentary, and actually that budget was too high. They liked the project but asked us if we could concentrate on one documentary, and so we came up with the project of artists born, living and creating in Istanbul. Then my husband died last year, so I carried on by myself. Actually, the film is interesting because it's not just about the artists. At the same time, you have this notion of protection of cultural heritage, what cultural heritage is, what it gives to people. At the same time, you have these artists who belong to different communities [whose] attitude [is either] toward continuing the traditions of the community or breaking away as free individuals. That's also another subject, this question of living with two cultures. They have
their own culture and at the same time they invite the culture of the city they're in. This comes out in the documentary. At the same time there are lots of strata, “realm de memoire,” realms of memory. This is a term coined by Philip Nora in the nineties about French memories. And so, these are memories of places which don't really exist any longer, which you experienced when you were a child. It can be part of what happened or an institution or park or something. They talk about the past. For example, Leonidas Asteris says that when he was a child he grew up in Galata, there used to be a Byzantine column, a head of a column in the street. He would get up there and sing when he was five. Suzi, who is a sculptress, installation artist, remembers that when they were young, they went to Çiftehavuzlar in the summer and her father would grow tomatoes in the garden. These are memories which make you what you are. How did you find the people that you interviewed? I chose them. I mean, on and off, we've been working on this for over a year, thinking about people, who would be interesting. Most are over 60. They're quite well known and they're very different in their fields. Did you know your subjects personally before you interviewed them? I knew them from Istanbul. I didn't actually know them all, but I gained introductions to them and said I wanted to shoot a documentary and [asked them to participate]. I was refused twice, three times actually, but that was okay. Istanbul is a city of three empires: Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman, so it has seen a lot of culture. The artists were chosen because they didn't refute their communities. They accepted what they were. They had become aware of their cultural heritage and where they stood because otherwise there would have been no point in interviewing them, would there? I didn't make a film about just any artists. I made a film about artists from different communities living in Istanbul. How did those artists feel that Istanbul affected their work? You can see it when they speak. They just can't get away. They're very influenced and it's hard. They get inspiration from it. And how about you? Do you get inspiration from the city? Yes. I love it. I love Istanbul. I complain, but I love it. I discover something new every day. But, of course I complain: the traffic, the crowds. But it's my home, really. The Colours of Cultural Diversity (Annie Geelmuyden-Pertan), Swedish Consulate (Istiklal Cad. 247, Tünel, Beyo¤lu), December 2.