Les Art Turcs Gallery

The folks at Les Art Turcs Gallery in Istanbul, Turkey, are not only committed to making what is called "ekmek parasi."  (1) Their primary goal is to promote the rich culture of Turkey.  To that end, this year they have begun sponsoring films.  They are proud to announce “Rumi-Ahlaf”, a truly beautiful film about the whirling dervishes of Sufism, directed by Kemal Kursat, a student at the University of Istanbul.  A strikingly original portrayal of Sufism, this film has already been shown in the U.S.  It was in the program for World Peace Day 2002, and has been viewed at many American universities, American television channels, including PBS and Discovery, and in Turkey, on the NTV channel.  Another short film, "The Dream of Istanbul," conceived, written, and narrated by Karen-Claire Voss and photographed and edited by James Snow, is now in postproduction stage and will be out soon.

They plan to continue making films.  Currently in the works are a film in commemoration of Cannakale, for this year's Anzac Day ceremonies, another about the hippie days in Istanbul, (2) a thırd about the gypsies of Turkey, and one about the Great Mother Goddess of Anatolia.  They hope that these films will help to safeguard Turkish culture, and that each of the films will constitute mystical and poetic voyages across time and space, and contribute to forming a positive image of this beautiful country to the world.

NOTES:

1.  “Ekmek parasi“ literally means “bread money” and is used to mean “bread and butter.”