Grudge is a film that starts off beautifully, bearing a plot twist with so much potential. Yılmaz Erdoğan, who both stars in the film and also penned its script, could have done a first in Turkish cinema had he taken a more adventurous direction when developing the crime mystery set around officers of the Istanbul […]
Two women face the truth of the dissolution of the European egalitarian dream. Everywhere they look things are not equal; in the taxi, on the bench in the middle of a village, in the congregation, in the boardroom, in the home. They tell stories of childbirth, sing about violence and dance about menopause. They remember […]
A cursory glance at the poster of My Father’s Violin / Babamın Kemanı (2022) as you scroll through Netflix suggests a nostalgic dive into a virtuoso’s life. Whilst this new Turkish movie doesn’t take the ‘Whiplash’ route into an upcoming musician’s world, as Engin Altan Düzyatan portrays an already esteemed violinist, this film not only […]
‘In Good Hands’ (Sen Yaşamaya Bak) is a Turkish drama/romantic comedy on Netflix. My excitement of watching this new release transpired to be misplaced, as the film is rather underwhelming. The plot is spoon-fed to us right off the bat. Melisa (Aslı Enver) learns that she is terminally ill with “give or take 4 or […]
If you are a filmmaker with a new film that features or involves Turkiye, then the Taste of Anatolia – Films from Turkey film festival want to hear from you! Launched in 2018 by Cambridge-based film charity Balık Arts, this year will mark the fourth edition of the festival, which aims to showcase the rich […]
Metin Murat’s page-turner debut novel is an ode to all the people of Cyprus and their culture. A self-declared work of fiction set against the historic and political realities of the last 80 years between his ancestral home of Turkish Cyprus and London. The novel starts in 1930s Cyprus and Bamyakoy (based on the author’s […]
Painless sees singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya at her most direct and open yet. The album title comes from a grown understanding that pain isn’t always a negative thing, a freeing experiencing that simultaneously released a kind of joy while making this record. The 12-track album, Nilüfer’s second following her acclaimed 2019 debut Miss Universe, is full […]
The Yunus Emre Institute in London is staging a special performance of Karagöz & Hacivat shadow play as part of the annual celebration of National Sovereignty and Children’s Day in Turkey on 23 April. This famous play, which is aimed at kids aged 4 and older, but suitable for all the family, will be performed […]
The Crescent Moon Fox – the debut book by Turkish Cypriot author Metin Murat – was launched in London last week. The novel, set in Cyprus from the British colonial rule era through to the turn of the millennium, was promoted by the publisher Armida Books at the London Book Fair. The three-day event in […]
After a three-year hiatus, Turkiye’s much-hyped Islandman returns to London in May to perform at the Jazz Café. The band, a three-piece electro-acoustic live outfit, provide a unique mix of mellow electronic dance beats with spacey live guitars, and hypnotic rhythms that are steeped in global grooves; expect everything from Turkish psychedelia to tribal drumming. […]
