Back on Screen
October 22–27, 2026
Istanbul Modern Cinema celebrates World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on October 27 by revisiting the heritage of cinema in Türkiye. Organized in collaboration with the Turkish Film and Tv Institute, “Back on Screen” highlights the contributions made to the preservation of cinema in Türkiye through films restored over the past 15 years, while inviting audiences to see them with fresh eyes.
Spanning from Muhsin Ertuğrul’s Bataklı Damın Kızı Aysel (1935) to Metin Erksan’s Karanlık Dünya / Âşık Veysel’in Hayatı (1953) and Erden Kıral’s Hakkâri’de Bir Mevsim (1983), the selection brings together films from different eras, shedding light on the evolving faces of cinema history in Türkiye. The program also includes a panel on restoration and cinema heritage on October 22.
*All screenings are subtitled in English.
In Collaboration with
65 KV, 1973
Türkiye | Animation, 4’
Director: Cemal Erez
HOW SAILED THE BOAT OF CREED (AMNETÜ GEMİSİ NASIL YÜRÜDÜ), 1969
Turkiye | Animation, 3’
Director: Tonguç Yaşar
For the Thursday screening of this film, visitors can collect their tickets at the museum desk on the day of the screening. Tickets are free for residents of Türkiye.
A SEASON IN HAKKÂRI (HAKKȂRİ’DE BİR MEVSİM), 1983
Türkiye | DCP, Color, 110’ | Turkish
Director: Erden Kıral
Cast: Genco Erkal, Şerif Sezer, Macit Koper
BIRDS OF FOREIGN LAND (GURBET KUŞLARI), 1964
Türkiye | DCP, Black & White, 103’ | Turkish
Director: Halit Refiğ
Cast: Tanju Gürsu, Cüneyt Arkın, Filiz Akın, Hüseyin Baradan, Sevda Ferdağ
BLACK HEAD (KARA KAFA), 1979
Türkiye / West Germany | DCP, Color, 76’ | Turkish
Director: Korhan Yurtsever
Cast: Betül Aşçıoğlu, Cüneyt Kaymak, Savaş Yurttaş
For the Thursday screening of this film, visitors can collect their tickets at the museum desk on the day of the screening. Tickets are free for residents of Türkiye.
DARK WORLD: THE LIFE OF AŞIK VEYSEL (KARANLIK DÜNYA: AŞIK VEYSEL’İN HAYATI), 1952
Türkiye | DCP, Black & White, 84’ | Turkish
Director: Metin Erksan
Cast: Aşık Veysel Şatıroğlu, Ayfer Feray, Kemal Bekir
For the Thursday screening of this film, visitors can collect their tickets at the museum desk on the day of the screening. Tickets are free for residents of Türkiye.
Screening do not have English subtitles.
DESPERATE ROAD (AMANSIZ YOL), 1985
Türkiye | DCP, Color, 97’ | Turkish
Director: Ömer Kavur
Cast: Kadir İnanır, Zuhal Olcay, Yavuzer Çetinkaya, Mine Çayıroğlu
HOW TO SAVE ASIYE? (ASİYE NASIL KURTULUR?), 1986
Türkiye | DCP, Color, 106’ | Turkish
Director: Atıf Yılmaz
Cast: Müjde Ar, Ali Poyrazoğlu, Hümeyra, Güler Ökten, Füsun Demirel
MOTHERLAND HOTEL (ANAYURT OTELİ), 1985
Türkiye | DCP, Color, 105’ | Turkish
Director: Ömer Kavur
Cast: Macit Koper, Şahika Tekand, Orhan Çağman
SILKY (İPEKÇE), 1987
Türkiye | DCP, Color, 92’ | Turkish
Director: Bilge Olgaç
Cast: Perihan Savaş, Berhan Şimşek, Gülsen Tuncer
BILGE AND HER APPRENTICE
(BİLGE VE ÖĞRENCİSİ: BİR REJİ ASİSTANININ GÜNLÜĞÜ), 2014
Director: Belmin Söylemez
Producer: Haşmet Topaloğlu, İstanbul Museum of Modern Art
Duration: 21’02"
THE GIRL FROM THE MARSH CROFT (AYSEL, BATAKLI DAMIN KIZI), 1935
Türkiye | DCP, Black & White, 80’ | Turkish
Director: Muhsin Ertuğrul
Cast: Cahide Sonku, Muhsin Ertuğrul, Ergun Köknar, Talat Artemel
For the Thursday screening of this film, visitors can collect their tickets at the museum desk on the day of the screening. Tickets are free for residents of Türkiye.
THE REVENGE OF THE SNAKES (YILANLARIN ÖCÜ), 1962
Türkiye | DCP, Black & White, 102’ | Turkish
Director: Metin Erksan
Cast: Fikret Hakan, Nurhan Nur, Aliye Rona
