Istanbul upside down

The issuing in 2005 of Urban Transformation Law 5366 was the start of a large-scale reshaping of Istanbul. New economic policies in neighbourhoods involved in the project set rapid changes in motion.

Twelve of the neighbourhoods are located in a historical area, and I had the opportunity to document their faith before the transformation process began. This material makes up the basis for a documentary series about the residents, who suffer from ethnic discrimination and social exclusion.

In my work with the documentary, I took into account not only the historical and architectural identity of these neighbourhoods, but also social and cultural traits specific to the area, as well as profiles, lifestyles and attitudes of the residents.

To me, this footage shows how parts of Istanbul will be inevitably lost in the project of implementing the Urban Transformation Law. The documentary also contributed to raising awareness of the project and mobilising a movement against it.

This video is an excerpt from the documentary and shows the changes these twelve neighbourhoods have undergone.