Cinema Archives - Beykoz Kundura

Cinema

Kundura Sinema presents a selection of short documentary films that invites us to rethink our relationship with memory and the archive. At times we encounter archival footage that brings to light the lost layers of a city, at times frames accumulated over the years in a darkroom, and at times narratives built through diaries and found footage. These films explore how the traces of the past are preserved, how they are transformed and how they are reconstructed.

In this selection, where the archive is approached not only as a space of preservation but also as an aesthetic and political way of thinking, different layers of memory from different geographies come together. These encounters make visible memory’s resistance to time and the ways in which it carries the traces of vanishing worlds. The films in the program approach archives not merely as structures that preserve the past, but as living spaces that take on new meaning through the gaze of the present. In this way, cinema goes beyond being a tool for preserving memory and becomes a space of thought that is constantly being rebuilt, connecting the past and the present.

Since 2020, Beykoz Kundura has designed special programs every March that focus on remembering the pioneering women of cinema history and making their work visible once again. This year, with the support of the British Council, we turn our focus to Scotland’s pioneering women documentary makers.

Having been a guest in 2024 of the Momentum program, realized in collaboration between the British Council and Creative Scotland, which brings key cultural figures from around the world into Edinburgh’s festivals, Scotland’s wider cultural sector and the international creative community, Beykoz Kundura built on this experience to design this special program with the aim of developing sustainable creative collaborations with Scotland.

Prepared in collaboration with the Invisible Women collective and the Scottish Documentary Institute, this curation looks at film history from a feminist perspective and builds strong links between the past and the present. The films in the program are being shown to documentary audiences in Türkiye, in Istanbul, for the first time.

Before the screening, we will hold a conversation with the curators on the visibility of women in film history, discussing together the visibility of women in creative production from the past to the present. After the screening, we will celebrate International Women’s Day together in the cinema foyer with a live DJ performance by Ladies On Records, who research and bring to light the stories of women musicians active in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.

We believe it matters that creative women are not forgotten, that their work is made more visible, and that these stories are multiplied in solidarity. We come together to tell more stories, to bring back to mind those already told, and to grow our collective memory together.

#KültürdeKadınGücü

Beykoz Kundura has been designing special programmes since 2020 that focus on remembering the pioneering women of cinema history and making their creative contributions visible once again, every March. This year, with the support of the British Council, we turn our focus to pioneering women documentary filmmakers from Scotland.

Having taken part in the Momentum programme in 2024—a delegate initiative that brings cultural practitioners from around the world into Edinburgh’s festival scene, Scotland’s wider cultural sector, and its international creative community—in collaboration with the British Council and Creative Scotland, Beykoz Kundura has designed this special programme with the aim of developing sustainable creative collaborations with Scotland.

Co-curated in collaboration with the Invisible Women collective and the Scottish Documentary Institute, this programme approaches cinema history through a feminist perspective, building strong connections between past and present. The films presented in the programme will meet documentary film audiences in Turkey, in Istanbul, for the first time.

Prior to the screenings, we will host a conversation with the curators focusing on the visibility of women in cinema history, opening a collective discussion on women’s presence in creative production from past to present. Following the screenings, we will come together in the cinema foyer to celebrate International Women’s Day with a live DJ performance by Ladies On Records, a collective that researches, archives, and brings visibility to women musicians active during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

We believe in ensuring that creative women are not forgotten, that their labour becomes more visible, and that these stories are multiplied through solidarity. We come together to tell more stories, to remember what has been told, and to collectively expand our shared memory.

#WomenPowerInCulture

This selection brings together:

Stanley Kubrick’s story of rise and dissolution woven from light; Alfred Hitchcock’s gothic narrative that quietly heightens the tension between crime, desire and judgment; Billy Wilder’s dark portrait of Hollywood that turns cinema’s own mythology inside out; Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s harsh drama shaped around family, loyalty and power; and, again from Kubrick, an unsettling modern classic that wanders the boundaries of desire.

Although they belong to different eras and contexts, Barry Lyndon, The Paradine Case, Sunset Boulevard, House of Strangers and Lolita touch on shared questions woven around individual desire, social structure, power, passion and loss.

Brought back to life on the big screen in restored prints, these films approach cinema not only as a form of storytelling but also as a way of remembering, seeing and rethinking.

On the threshold of a new year, we invite you on a journey through cinema’s timeless stories.

Kundura Sinema welcomes the new year with five powerful restored stories from film history.
At Kundura Sinema, which has placed memory and practices of remembrance at its center since the day it opened, the tradition of watching restored films in a restored venue continues. Every year, these encounters create not merely a screening experience but a meeting ground that renews our awareness of the practice of watching films in a cinema.

Spanish Dancer 1923 / USA / 105′ / Black & White / English with Turkish Subtitles

Director: Herbert Brenon | Screenplay: Jean L. Sagal | Cast: Pola Negri, Antonio Moreno, Edward Arnold | Cinematographer: James Wong Howe | Music: Louis Silvers | Producer: Adolph Zukor

Directed by Herbert Brenon, Spanish Dancer (1923) stands out as an unforgettable masterpiece from the golden age of cinema. Bringing the richness of Spanish culture and the intensity of passion to the screen, this romantic drama delves into the depths of dance, love and betrayal. Starring Pola Negri, the film tells the story of Carmen, one of the most memorable characters of the era, with the elegant visual style of 1920s cinema.
The film follows the thrilling and passionate life Carmen leads at the royal court in Spain. As a dancer, her bold manner, as much as her beauty and talent, makes her a figure known throughout Spain. But a love affair full of secrets and hidden betrayals pulls Carmen into an unexpected journey.

Pola Negri’s compelling performance and the film’s masterful portrayal of the dance culture of its time make Spanish Dancer not just a romantic story but also a visual feast. With Herbert Brenon’s direction and the creative use of visual effects, the film offers a perfect blend of historical drama and dance.

One of the unforgettable examples of silent cinema, Spanish Dancer meets audiences in this special screening accompanied by a live piano performance by Ayşe Tütüncü.

Accompanying the scenes in real time throughout the film, the live music offers the chance to experience cinema and music at the same time, drawing viewers more deeply into the film’s emotional world. This special screening offers the experience of watching the timeless storytelling of silent cinema accompanied by live music.

Directed by Arthur Hiller, Love Story (1970) is one of the simplest and most touching love stories in cinema history. Shaped around class differences, youth, loss and the fragility of loving, the story builds its emotional intensity without tipping into excess. Unlike narratives that idealize love, the relationship between Oliver and Jenny, who come from different worlds, unfolds through love’s transience and fragility. With a narrative that accepts loss as much as happiness, the film takes viewers on a quiet but profound emotional journey. With Francis Lai’s iconic score and the natural performances of Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal, Love Story was a huge box-office success on its release and received 7 Oscar nominations at the 1971 Academy Awards. The film won Francis Lai the Oscar for Best Original Score, and Ali MacGraw was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance. Over the years, it has earned a special place in cinema history as a timeless romantic classic that has resonated across generations.

At Kundura Sinema, the final days of the year close with two timeless films from the history of cinema.

As we await a new year, we gather for restored classics that we remember anew every year and whose meaning deepens with every viewing.

It’s a Wonderful Life and White Christmas trace a fine threshold between loneliness and solidarity, between despair and the desire to begin again.

Bringing together the dramatic depth and the musical splendor of classic American cinema, these two films give the holiday season a cinematic expression in both form and feeling.

Accompanying the opening of the Kundura Hafıza Archive and Research library, this double documentary selection opens up a discussion of the concepts of library and memory through stories from different parts of the world. While Umberto Eco: A Library of the World approaches the library as a universe of thought, a space of imagination and a carrier of cultural continuity, How to Build a Library, through the initiative of two women in Nairobi, confronts the shadows of the colonial past and turns the library into a stage for social transformation. The encounter between these two films invites us to reimagine the library not merely as an archive of knowledge, but as a living, organic universe of both individual and collective memory and of cultural resilience.

Keeping the tradition of repertory cinema alive, Kundura Sinema invites you into the magical world of film history with carefully curated selections of restored classic films.

In this special program, you will rediscover on the big screen the golden age of gothic atmospheres and unforgettable monsters. From Dracula to Frankenstein, from the Wolf Man to the Invisible Man, these stories reach into the depths of both fear and human nature. Through the modern interpretations that contemporary works such as The Shape of Water bring to classic monster films, we draw a unique connection between the cinema of the past and the present.

Are you ready to come face to face with the most iconic creatures in film history?