IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

This study examines the qualitative transformation of Istanbul’s representation in Turkish cinema through the analysis of four films across three distinct periods, focusing on the relationship between cinematic space and urban transformation. The sample selection is based on major socio-political and economic ruptures in the history of Turkey, aiming to reveal their impact on urban sociology, the structural reconfiguration of Istanbul, and their cinematic reflections. Within this framework, Turkish cinema of the 1960s, 1990s, and post-2000 is explored through Ah Güzel İstanbul (1966), Tabutta Rövaşata (1996), Gemide (1998) and Hayat Var (2008). These films were chosen for their capacity to reflect the spirit of their respective periods and for their layered use of Istanbul as a cinematic space. A shared element in these works is the recurring motif of the sea, analyzed as a visual and symbolic motif whose meaning transforms across different periods in parallel with changes in the urban fabric. The study traces the connections between the socio-political structures of these eras and the spatial transformation of Istanbul, considering how these dynamics shape the relationship between characters and the urban environment as well as the changing social classes they embody. Using content analysis, the research identifies key themes—migration and informal urbanization in the 1960s, individualism and globalization in the 1990s, and uncertainty in the post-2000s—while uncovering the dominant perspectives that define each period’s cinema. Drawing primarily on Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space, the study constructs a theoretical framework to interpret Istanbul as an urban space shaped by intersecting historical, social, and cinematic dynamics.