Istanbul Bulletin

Istanbul, which has long captured the imagination of artists, writers and travelers with its rich classical, Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, has been selected as the European Capital of Culture in 2010.

Seven-member jury including representatives from European Parliament, European Commission, European Council and Committee of Regions selected Istanbul as the European Capital of Culture. Istanbul's biggest rival city was Kiev in the non-EU-member category.

Jury President Jeremy Isaacs said that they were impressed by presentations of both Istanbul and Kiev, but they saw that Turkish authorities exerted great efforts for the dossier about Istanbul for a long period of time.

The Istanbul bid is based on the four elements of ancient Greek philosophy -- earth, air, fire and water -- and embrace scores of events, lectures, exhibitions, concerts, plays and shows.

Isaacs noted that the dossier on Istanbul focused on the city's location on crossroads between Asia and Europe, stressing that EU authorities saw that Turkish people also worked really hard for Istanbul to be chosen as European Capital of Culture.

Designed to "contribute to bringing the peoples of Europe together", the European City of Culture project was launched, at the initiative of Melina Mercouri, by the Council of Ministers in 1985. It has become ever more popular with the citizens of Europe and has seen its cultural and socio-economic influence grow through the many visitors it has attracted.

The US magazine Dream World Cruise Destinations gives out annual awards to cruise destinations in several categories. Istanbul has been awarded as the second best destination in “Destination with Best Tour Guides” category. The magazine says, “Destination where the quality and professionalism of guides is considered outstanding.

Other destinations in the same category are; Caldera – Costa Rica, St. Petersburg – Russia, Sydney – Australia, Isla Margarita – Venezuela, Barcelona – Spain, Tallinn – Estonia, Castries – St. Lucia, Iguassu Falls – Brazil, Cairo – Egypt, Morocco, Barbados, Corner Brook – Newfoundland, Helsinki – Finland.

Commendations for attractions reflect the need for new and enhanced attractions to be developed to cater to a passenger profile that has become much more individual in choices for shoreside activities. ITS Istanbul is also awarded in “Service Companies” category where business recognized for outstanding service to passengers, crew or ships.

Moreover, Turkey’s popular Aegean cruise destination; Kusadasi / Ephesus is awarded by the “Best Attraction Experience” award which reflects the best combination of product and friendly, professional staff and efficient organization.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Istanbul International Film Festival, being the largest and most influential cinema event in Turkey, decided to take the lead in creating a meeting platform for Turkish and European film professionals by organizing a two day event under the title of Meetings on the Bridge.

The Festival strongly believed in the importance of such an encounter, especially during the accession process of Turkey to the European Union. The aim was to bring together European film institutions such as Eurimages, Arte, Unifrance with the Turkish producers and directors to discuss funding possibilities for filming projects. Another objective was to create a meeting platform where European producers seeking collaboration opportunities with Turkey can meet their Turkish counterparts to discuss the co-production potentials and the difficulties encountered so far on the projects they wanted to realize.

These meetings which was open only to European and Turkish film professionals, took place on 11-12 April.

Jan Vandierendonck, Executive Secretary Eurimages ( Belgium)
Michel Reilhac, ARTE (France)
Sophie Loyrette, Centre National de la Cinématographie (France)
Petra Kashmiry, German Federal Film Board (Germany)
Michael Katz, Wega Film ( Austria)
Vincenzo Bugno, World Cinema Fund
Gergana Dakovska, Bulgarian National Film Center
Laurent Champoussin, Pyramide Production (France)
Yannis Iliopoulos, Greek Film Center- Hellenic Ministiry of Culture
Catherine Buresi, Euromed Audiovisuel
Füsun Eriksen, Trust Film (Denmark)
Philippe Jalladeau, Festival Des 3 Continents (Nantes, France)
Zeynep Özbatur, CO-Production (Turkey)
Behrooz Hashemian, Silkroad Production (France)
Ahmet Boyacioglu, Turkish Respresentative of Eurimages
Sedat Örsel, Media Management Programmes, Bilgi University (Turkey)
Jacqueline Ada, Fonds du Sud (France)
Ceyda Tufan, Pi Film (Turkey)
Biket Ilhan, director, producer (Turkey

Turks demonstrated great interest in the exhibition at the Sakip Sabanci Museum that featured the works of Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest painters of the 20th century. A total of 253,999 people visited the “Picasso in Istanbul” exhibition, which showcased 135 of Picasso's pieces over a 103-day period.

At a press conference held at the end of the exhibition's run, Sakip Sabanci Museum and Sabanci Holding executive board chairperson Güler Sabanci said: “Turks, who appreciate the value of good things, praised the exhibition. I thank the Turkish people.”

Sabanci said: “A new period in Turkey has begun with this exhibition. Standards have changed. As the Sakip Sabanci Museum, we have a responsibility to maintain this standard.”

“Sakip Sabanci Museum will continue to host important exhibitions and that in April they will exhibit Ottoman manuscripts that will be brought from the Gülbenkyan Museum collection in Lisbon,” added Sabanci.

From 25–27 May 2006, International Tourism professionals will meet at the Travel Turkey Fair, to be held in Istanbul at the Lütfi Kirdar International Congress and Exhibition Hall. The target audiences of the fair are international buyers dealing with Turkey and tourism industry service providers in Turkey. Held as a joint project, the fair will be organized by collaboration between the Turkish Union of Travel Agents (TÜRSAB) and Hannover-Messe International Istanbul (HMI).

Travel Turkey is well on its way to becoming Turkey's foremost tourism fair. An indication of this is that the event is being held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey. Also, this year's fair has the support of the Turkish Private Aviation Enterprises Association (TÖSHID), the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) and the Istanbul Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB).

TÜRSAB President Basaran Ulusoy stressed the union's goals: “Turkey has become one of the main tourist destinations of Europe. With a tourism fair of such high standards as Travel Turkey 2006, we aim to carry Turkish Tourism even further ahead. This is why the most important associations within the Turkish Tourism sector are lending their support to Travel Turkey 2006 , which will become the main meeting point for tourism professionals.“

The focus areas of the incoming fair are tourist service providers, regions, themed tours, travel agents and the hotel and food service sectors. As early as mid-February this year, Turkey's ten regions had already reserved their stand locations. Among the participants are Istanbul, Izmir , Diyarbakir ; Trabzon and Kastamonu provinces from the Black Sea; Mugla and Çanakkale from the Aegean region, as well as Çorum, Erzurum and Sanliurfa. Also participating in the fair will be Northern Cyprus, Malaysia, South Korea and Turkey's neighbor Greece . In addition, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan have made their stand reservations. Another focal point of Travel Turkey 2006 will be Wellness and Spa programs, which will participate in a special area at the fair.

Commenting on the project, Hannover-Messe International Istanbul's Managing Director Dennis Smith said: “Our collaboration with “TÜRSAB” will be noted as an important milestone years later due to the nature of our long-term cooperation agreement. Also, due to Turkey's continually expanding variety of tourism opportunities and ever-increasing domestic tourism demands, this fair will be an important platform for destination representatives in Turkey.” Smith pointed out that Travel Turkey's most important difference was that the goal of Travel Turkey 2006 is to promote the many diverse tourism destinations to the many International buyers and then promote Turkey's domestic Tourism market to the many Turkish vacationers. According to Smith, holding an International Conference alongside Travel Turkey 2006 adds value to the platform that Hannover-Messe International Istanbul has created jointly together with TURSAB. Subjects of the conference will be the main trends in the sector to include the potential in incentive tourism, investment opportunities and new tourism products, such as Wellness and Spa.

Hannover-Messe International Istanbul is a 100% subsidiary of the exhibition corporation Deutsche Messe AG (Hannover) and has been active in Turkey for twenty years. Hannover-Messe International Istanbul has a total of twelve fairs in its portfolio, including the CeBIT Bilisim Eurasia Trade Show and the World of Industry (WIN), the Eurasian equivalent of the world-famous Hannover Messe Exhibition. As a subsidiary of Deutsche Messe AG, one of the largest exhibition organizations, Hannover-Messe International Istanbul can draw on the support of more than seventy representatives worldwide.

Turkey's largest transportation infrastructure project; Marmaray Project revealed some of the lost treasures of Istanbul. Marmaray Project, which aims to connect the European side with the Anatolian side of Istanbul underwater, took attention of international media. Well-known media corporations such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Discovery Channel made news about the tremendous findings.

The dig for tunnels to connect continents helped Istanbulians to find the lost Byzantine Port known as “Port of Theodosius”. The walls of the 1,500 years old port are unearthed. More over eight boats; each are about 1,000 years old, were unearthed so far and archeologists are expecting to reveal more.

Istanbul surrounded by its walls and its harbors, was not a concentrated and centralized town of the occidental type, but rather, even during the Byzantine period, had the character of an oriental city. It is very clear that Istanbul will rediscover her history with new archeological excavation.

The History Channel, known for broadcasting documentaries in 70 countries for an estimated 200 million households in 20 different languages, broadcasted a documentary on Istanbul's subterranean historical artifacts directed by award-winner Turkish director Emre Sahin on Saturday in the United States.

The shooting of the film concluded during the winter months and its post-production was recently completed in Los Angeles. The Hollywood film crew has taken shots of subterranean sites under Topkapi Palace, the Yerebatan Cistern, the Hagia Sophia Museum, the Anemas Dungeons, the Sultan Ahmet Industrial Vocational School, and in areas where excavations for the construction of the Istanbul metro are under way.

During the documentary titled "Cities of the Underworld-Istanbul," the film crew along with host Eric Geller takes the audience on a mysterious trip deep down into the unseen parts of Istanbul.

With the aid of three dimensional graphic simulations, artifacts from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods which over time have been built over each other were revealed in the documentary with utmost clarity.

The 25th International Istanbul Film Festival, sponsored by AKBANK, hosted two great actors of French cinema as part of the French Spring events, realized with the support of the French Government and the French Cultural Centres in Turkey: Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu...

Gérard Depardieu came to Istanbul on April 14, Friday with the support of the Dogan Group and attended the Closing Gala and Award Ceremony of the Festival held the same evening.

Catherine Deneuve also came to Istanbul the same day as the honour guest of the Festival.

The two great actors received the ‘Cinema Honorary Award' of the Festival at the Closing Gala of the 25th International Istanbul Film Festival held on the evening of April 14, Friday at the Lütfi Kirdar Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Closing Gala and Award Ceremony of the 25th International Istanbul Film Festival was broadcasted live on CNNTURK from 20.00 the same night.

Catherine Deneuve left indelible impressions on the memories of audiences with her magnificent performances in Roman Polanski's Repulsion, Luis Buñuel's Belle de Jour and Truffaut's Le Dernier métro / The Last Metro. Deneuve, who also acts as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress with her role in the film Indochine. Deneuve is considered to be one of the most beautiful women in French cinema, and in 1985 her face was elected to become ‘Marianne', the symbol of the French nation.

Gérard Depardieu, ‘France's gift to world cinema', has acted in more than one hundred and fifty films and has received many prizes, from César and BAFTA awards to awards in Venice and Cannes. Having frequently worked with renowned French directors such as Marguerite Duras, Francis Weber, Alain Resnais, Maurice Pialat and Claude Berri, Depardieu has been awarded the “Légion d'honneur” and the “Ordre National du Mérite”, the most prestigious decorations of France. Two films with Gérard Depardieu in the leading role are in the festival program: Cold Cuts and How Much Do You Love Me?

The French Spring events in Istanbul included visits by Bertrand Blier, considered to be one of the most radical directors of French cinema and by Jeanne Moreau, one of the best actresses in the history of film, as guests of the 25th International Istanbul Film Festival.

Domestic and foreign companies are invited to participate in the international tender to be held for the selection of the company to design the project for the “transformation of Haydarpasa Station,” which calls for an investment of $5 billion.

Haydarpasa Railway Station, on the Anatolian shore, is one of Istanbul's most strategic points.

The Turkish State Railways (TCDD) has completed the preparations necessary for the tender of the project, which includes, among others, a marina, a yacht club, cruise-ship port, a congress center, museums, parks and shopping centers.

It is reported that the design is expected to combine artfully Istanbul 's historical and cultural structure with a modern urban identity.

France's Minister Delegate for Tourism Leon Bertand visited Istanbul last week and took part in the opening gala of the 25th International Istanbul Film Festival organized by Istanbul Culture and Art Foundation (IKSV) together with Turkish Culture & Tourism Minister Atilla Koc.

Koc and French Min. Del. for Tourism Leon Bertand held joint press conference in Istanbul.

Stating that "French Spring" events hosted by Istanbul Culture and Art Foundation would bring a new dimension to Turkish-French relations, Koc indicated that these events would also enhance relations between Turkish and French people.

Noting that 700,000 French tourists visited Turkey and 250,000 Turkish tourists visited France in 2005, France would host "Turkish Spring" in 2009.

Six prominent architects from around the world have presented their projects prepared for Kartal Industry Zone Central Office Areas (MIA) and Küçükçekmece Coast Beach Recreation Areas to the international assessment board formed by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has organized a meeting to show off the mock-ups of the projects to the media participated by the architects, Istanbul Metropolitan mayor Kadir Topbas, Küçükçekmece mayor Aziz Yeniay, Kartal mayor Arif Daglar, the municipality projects office (IMP) manager Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Kaptan.

Delivering an introductury speech at the meeting Topbas said they set up a workshop to draw the outlines and monitor the future developments in Istanbul , and added, ‘From now on, there must be established rules and principles for the city unlike former times when politicians and some institutions changed directions for the city on personal demands.'

Topbas stated that they would realize two new major urban projects in Kartal and Küçükçekmece-Avcilar districts of the city, adding Kartal sub-center and Kartal-Pendik coastal urban renovation project would create 100,000 new jobs, and Küçükçekmece-Avcilar beach&inner areas recreation project would add another touristic site to the city.

Mayor said three architectural designs have been prepared for each of the two projects by world renown architects; and one from each group would be selected to be implemented.

Following the speech of Topbas, architectural designs have been shown to the media. The three architects who prepared proposals for Kartal project are Zaha Hadid, Massimiliano Fuksas, and Kisho Kurokawa; and for Küçükçekmece-Avcilar project: Kengo Kuma, Ken Yeang, and Winy Maas-led MVRDV group.
Source: The New Anatolian

15th International Istanbul Theatre Festival organized by Istanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts (IKSV) and sponsored by Aygaz and Opet is hosting a world-wide theatre organization: the 4th International Theatre Olympics which will also be held in Istanbul within the context of the Theatre Festival between May 11 - June 6, 2006.

Established in June 1994, in Athens by Theodoros Terzopoulos, Tadashi Suzuki, Robert Wilson, Heiner Müller, Antunes Filho, Yuri Lyubimov, Tony Harrison, Nuria Espert, the Theater Olympics has been evaluated as a ”Transition to the new Millennium“ project. The artists, Georges Lavaudant, Jürgen Flimm, Wole Soyinka joined the Theater Olympics Committee in the following years.

The purpose of the Olympics is to nourish the past with the future; to bring together different cultures; to open discussion fields and to emphasize the function of arts as theater, dance, music in the evolution of humanity, in addition to supporting endless research in these fields.

The Theater Olympics is a pleasant surprise at the 15th year of the Istanbul Theater Festival.

Green lights was once again flashed at Istanbul Park with Le Mans Endurance Series that took place 7-9 April 2006.

Le Mans 1000km-races that came from the 24 Hours of Le Mans is known as an endurance-racing. Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES) 1000km races take approximately 6 hours.