IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

The art of cinema, with its distinctive capacity to construct space, is able not only to create surreal settings in accordance with the requirements of the screenplay but also to employ real locations as integral elements of its narrative structure. From a multidisciplinary perspective, space can be broadly defined as “a void that separates human beings from their environment to a certain extent and enables them to carry out their actions,” or as “a segment of space whose boundaries are perceptible to observers.” In this sense, space may initially be understood as the setting where events take place. However, in film space often transcends its function as a mere backdrop and becomes a character in its own right.Although events unfold in the streets, houses, and roads of a city, what is essential is the city itself. As the film progresses, we do not merely move within the storyline; we also traverse the city. The city accompanies us, and we, in turn, accompany the city. One of the most recent examples of this poetic approach within Turkish cinema is We Will Die Together (2021, Hakkı Kurtuluş and Melik Saraçoğlu) set across significant locations of Istanbul from the Historic Peninsula to Beyoğlu, from Galata to the Princes’ Islands the film does not employ the city merely as a background. At the center of the narrative lies a forbidden love story, and the city becomes the witnessing subject of this relationship at times sorrowful, at times joyful. Accompanying the beginning, progression, and conclusion of the story, Istanbul transforms into a site of memory.In this respect, the film transcends being merely a cultural product and itself becomes an element of cultural heritage. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that through its capacity to function as a site of memory, cinema makes a profound contribution to cultural heritage.