Turkish cinema to have largest database

ISTANBUL

A comprehensive and detailed classification work for Turkish cinema has been carried out for film enthusiasts and researchers. It will start its test broadcast in June.

A project has been initiated to create a database and archive Turkish cinema. Within the scope of the Turkish Cinema Researches project, all audio, visual and written materials related to Turkish cinema, beginning from the Ottoman era, will be handled and recorded. When the project is done, the most comprehensive database and archive of Turkish cinema will be available for everyone.

The Foundation for Sciences and Arts (BİSAV) and Istanbul Şehir University Cinema Television Department are jointly carrying out a comprehensive and detailed classification work for Turkish cinema with the support of the Istanbul Development Agency.

Through the website www.tsa.org.tr, which will address everyone trying to reach any information about Turkish cinema, it will be possible to reach documents under tens of thousands of titles in categories such as film, person, book, article, interview and thesis.

The TSA archive unit, which is planned to be formed within the scope of the project, will be open to the use of researchers and academics.

Project coordinator Murat Pay said the prior goal of the project was to keep the 100-year archive of Turkish cinema in a systematic way for the next generations.

Broadcast in June

He said their work would be a solid foundation for new researches on cinema history, and added, “So far, eight private and two state archives have been revised. We are getting in touch with professional bodies, associations and sector companies to exchange information. We have followed the traces of early period Turkish cinema in collaboration with some 15 film libraries abroad. In this scope, 3,000 issues of 60 various cinema magazines from the Taksim Atatürk Library and Beyazıt State Library have ben digitalized. Also some 5,300 posters from the archive of the Beyazıt State Library have been photographed.”

The project will start its test broadcast in June. The project’s advisory board includes names like Giovanni Scognamillo, Burçak Evren, Semih Kaplanoğlu, Peyami Çelikcan, Yalçın Yelence, Abdülhamit Kırmızı and Celil Civan. The archives of collectors like Agah Özgüç and Vadullah have been donated for the project.

Some 13 people are working for the project full time and part time and it receives support from many volunteers.