New images of Atatürk published on national archive

ISTANBUL

Previously unpublished images of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye, along with various historical recordings, have been added to a web archive called Film Mirasım (My Film Heritage, in English) launched by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

A total of 128 digital films from the years between 1918 and 1938 and 195 images between 1938 and 1950 have been added to the archive on the website.

The archive, which includes many important historical films ranging from previously unpublished high-quality images of Atatürk to the last period of the Ottoman Empire and the first years of the Republic, showcases 911 documentary films.

With the work initiated by Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, by the end of the year, 200 additional films will be added to the website put into service as the visual memory of Turkish culture.

Of the films taken from the archives of the General Directorate of Cinema, 71 belong to the last period of the Ottoman Empire, between the years of 1895 and 1918.

Thanks to several shots from exhibition openings, fairs, concerts, documentaries, promotional films and news content, users will be able to bear witness to the historical places and the daily lives of the people who have lived in various time periods.

A dynamic structure has been created on the website where academics, researchers and citizens can contribute to the films by citing sources.

“Our Ministry attaches great importance to the preservation of the films that constitute the visual memory of our cultural heritage to future generations,” said Erkin Yılmaz, head of the directorate, noting that they will continue to work with determination to protect the nation’s visual heritage.

Emphasizing that the unique nitrate, acetate and polyester-based films recorded by many institutions, such as the General Directorate of Publications and Hilal-i Ahmer, were brought together by the Ministry, Yılmaz said.

“The films were physically restored one by one and digitized with devices capable of scanning in high resolution. Information about the films were created by the Atatürk Culture, Language and History Institute, Turkish Historical Society, Turkish Language Institute and General Directorate of Cinema.”