The Masterless Master: Lütfi Akad May 19–29, 2016

Istanbul Modern Cinema presents a film program in conjunction with the exhibition “Masters of Cinema in Turkey: Lütfi Akad” while also commemorating the director’s 100^th birthday. The selection consists of 10 films by one of the founding directors of cinema in Turkey who has come to be known as the “masterless master” and is a pioneer of the period that is referred to as the “Filmmakers’ Era” in the history of Turkish cinema. The selection features Akad’s recently restored films, including Vurun Kahpeye (Strike the Whore, 1949), Akad’s first film considered a turning point in the history of cinema in Turkey; as well as Hudutların Kanunu (Law of the Border, 1966); Vesikalı Yarim (My Prositute Love, 1969); the “Migration Trilogy” consisting of Gelin (The Bride, 1973), Düğün (The Wedding, 1973), and Diyet (Blood Money, 1974); and Dört Mevsim İstanbul (Four Seasons of Istanbul, 1990), the documentary about different aspects of Istanbul treated under four headings, for which Akad stepped behind the camera for the last time in 1990 and which was lost for many years.