ISTANBUL NOTES

DOCUMENTARY; 69’40’’ ; 2016; Turkey

Director / DOP / Montage
SYNOPSIS

in beautiful memory of Ömür / Hariçten Gazelci'ye

Istanbul Notes is a cinematographic improvisation with five musicians from abroad who fall in love with the Maqam Music (Classical Ottoman Music) and decide to live in Turkey believing that music might best be learned in the lands it was born and performed. Each has different stories but the desire to find their own paths despite modern times’ obligations intersects their roads. Constructing three layers -music, İstanbul and combination of both in the filmic platform- the film is a modern times fairytale in praise of İstanbul and its classical music; a film about obstinacy, desire, looking for one’s own raison d’etre, travelling, being a world citizen and the power of music to understand the other and express oneself in the pursuit of intertwining stories following passion.

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AWARDS / EVENTS
  • Best Documentary, Boston Turkish Film Festival, US, March 2017
  • Cannes Film Market, Turkey Stand, France, May 2017
  • Berlinale Market, Turkey Stand, Germany, February 2017
  • Best Women Film, Jaipur International Film Festival, India, May 2016
  • Athens Ethnographic Film Festival, Athens, Greece, November 2018
  • Labour Film Fest, Turkey, May 2018
  • North Carolina ATA-NC, US, March 2018
  • Ethnomusical Film Festival, Florence, September 2017
  • Durban International Film Festival, South Africa,July 2017
  • CinePobre Internationa Film Festival, Mexico, April 2017
  • Royal Anthropological Inst. of Great Britain Film Festival, UK, March 2017
  • International Filmmor Women’s Film Festival, Turkey, March 2017
  • Best Doc Nominee-Association of Film Critics, Turkey, Feb 2017
  • Seattle Turkish Film Festival, US, November 2016
  • Best Doc Nominee, On the Road Film Festival, Rome, Italy, September 2016
  • Apricot Tree International Ethno Film Festival, Armenia, September 2016
  • Best Doc Nominee, Burgas Int. Film Festival, Bulgaria, July 2016
  • Best Doc Nominee, Balkan Food Film Festival, Albenia, July 2016
  • Best Music Doc Nominee, Pärnu Int. Documentary F. F., Estonia, July 2016
  • Documentarist Documentary Days, Turkey, May 2016
  • Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival, Turkey, May 2016
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Producer: Bora Yediel
Co-Director: Yunus Emre Aydın
DOP: Özlem Sarıyıldız
Camera: Özlem Sarıyıldız, Bora Yediel, Mehmet Tütüncü, Yunus Emre Aydın
Montage: Özlem Sarıyıldız
Sound: Melih Sarıgöl
Color Grading: Ali Umut Ergin
Poster: Serkan Aka
Translation: Ayşegül Koç, Sermin Sarıca