Columbia Global Centers | Istanbul organized "ReelLife", a three-part film series in collaboration with Koç University’s Media and Visual Arts Department and the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub, to discover films from around the world through the lens of compelling stories and conversations. Each screening was followed by a discussion about the film and its social issues with filmmakers and experts.
The third and final film, “Saf,” (2018, Ali Vatansever, 102 min, Turkish with English subtitles) was screened on May 22 at ANAMED (Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations). It is about a young Turkish couple, that is being pushed out of their neighborhood. Looking for work at their construction site, the man undercuts the local workers but is undercut by Syrian immigrants himself. A look at the human cost of urban renewal in a time of economic uncertainty and burgeoning migration.
An interactive discussion followed the screening with Ali Vatansever, filmmaker; Ipek A. Çelik Rappas, Assistant Professor of Media and Visual Arts at Koç University; Selva Gürdoğan, Director of Studio-X Istanbul, an urban laboratory of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; and Vesna Djuteska Bisheva, Employment Specialist at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub. The moderator was Ela Başak Atakan, instructor at Koç University Media and Visual Arts Department.
